Ravenswatch is the new game from Passtech Games, the studio responsible for Curse of the Dead Gods, a very good action-roguelite that dropped back in 2021. After an extended stint in Early Access, the studio’s new action-RPG was released on Windows PC in late September. And now, just two months later, the game is ready for console owners.
What is Ravenswatch?
Much like the developer’s debut, Ravenswatch is a top-down action-roguelite with a dark and foreboding atmosphere. However, despite some visual and tonal similarities, they are very different in a number of important ways.
The story goes a long way to explaining the new set-up. You see, nightmares are taking over the world of dreams, and characters drawn from myths and legends are joining together to form the eponymous Ravenswatch. If that makes them sounds like the fairy tale Avengers, then so be it.
Alone, or with up to three friends, it is up to the heroes of the Ravenswatch to battle these nightmare creatures. The line-up includes nine characters, and each one is uniquely different with their own attacks and abilities to unlock. That means you can mix and match your party, or go it alone if you prefer your own company. Each party gets a pool of lives to share amongst themselves during the course of a run, so if you’re on your own you get all of these second chances to yourself, which somewhat makes up for the added challenge of having no back-up.
Meet the Ravenswatch crew
When I say that the different characters are unique, I really do mean it. It is in these differences that much of the game’s replayability lies, as not only can you pick one of nine distinct characters, but you can customise them as you see fit during each run. Upgrades are offered at regular intervals, via levelling up and in-game objectives, so there are constant opportunities to improve your build.
You start off with a reduced pool of characters, unlocking more as you advance with different characters. Your starting options include Little Red Riding Hood, the game’s cover star and an all-round good egg. Red is a nimble fighter by day, but at night she transforms into a fearsome werewolf who claws and pounces on her enemies.
Beowulf, on the other hand, is a hardy warrior who has a little wyvern that follows him into battle, dishing out flame attacks on demand. I didn’t gel with the Pied Piper, but Sun Wukong is another character who just loves to get stuck into combat encounters fists first, which is how I like it.
Geppetto is probably my new favourite after picking up the game again this month. I’ve been having fun experimenting with his puppet attacks, which can spawn in increasing numbers and act as a buffer between player and monsters. I quite liked Aladdin’s genie powers and spinning knives, too.
An evolving challenge
The game takes place on three different stages. I think this is one area where there could be greater diversity. Another environment would have been nice, however I do think that the stages that have been included feel very individual. Not only that, but there’s enough of a reshuffle each time to stop it feeling like you’re exploring the same location over and over.
The enemies that you encounter during each run are activated by proximity so, as you explore, you’ll find more monsters to fight. With bigger groups that means you’ll get into more scrapes, while a solo player may be able to skirt around some conflicts. Either way, there’s decent variety when it comes to the enemy designs across the three stages.
One of my favourite things about Ravenswatch is the focus on accessibility and custom modes. If you want a deadly experience where any mistake is punished harshly, you can add difficulty modifiers to make things harder and earn you more XP. On the other hand, if you’d like to reduce the cooldown on your dash, or boost your starting health points, you can do that, too.
Combat with purpose
Another thing that I really like about Ravenswatch is the pacing of it. You’ve got three days and nights to work through before you’re thrust into the boss battle for that stage (although you can activate this encounter earlier if you’re feeling saucy). This keeps you focused on the most important thing: building your strength for the final boss.
The combat also has its own feel, and I think this is another area where Passtech has managed to make its game feel unique. At first I thought it was a bit too slow, but after a while I started to appreciate the more deliberate pacing of player movement. After a few hours, I started to like it a lot.
Each character has a range of attacks, most of them on cooldown timers. During combat you can’t just spam X and hope for victory. Dodging incoming blows, using the scenery to your advantage, herding your opponents into groups and landing your heaviest attacks; you’ll need every trick in the book, especially during the boss battles.
It’s all in the little details
The stories of each of the different heroes is expanded over time and is delivered via characterful voice acting. Each one feels like a labour of love, with crisp visuals and smooth animations also helping to bring them to life. It’s a good looking game, make no mistake.
In fact, there’s polish across the board, and Passtech has delivered a well-rounded video game that manages to feel unique despite existing in an increasingly congested corner of the marketplace. Ravenswatch isn’t a Hades clone, which you would be forgiven for thinking on first inspection, given the mythological theme and the isometric camera.
I’ve played some on PC and some on Xbox Series X, and as far as I can tell, the Xbox edition runs just as smoothly as the PC version does. It also feels great to play on a controller, and the cross-platform multiplayer is another solid addition that should make it nice and easy to get a couple of allies lined up for some co-op.
All told, Ravenswatch is a very good action-roguelite with a lot of subtle depth and nuance just waiting to be discovered. Passtech has created a game that borrows all the right ingredients, but it has assembled them in a way that feels unique, and based on their roadmap, there’s still more to come. With its bold audio-visual design and weighty combat, this is an action-RPG worth checking out on PC and console.
Ravenswatch is out now PC and releases on PS and Xbox platforms on November 28. I played via access provided by publisher Nacon and their friends in PR. Thanks!
