“Unleash your inner power,
rise from the ashes of your past,
and transcend into a vessel of perfection.
Arise, warrior, for there is a goal to be achieved!”

Before we begin the review, LAN would like to thank Systemic Reaction for allowing us to play the game before its release!

Before I started playing I had to research more about the game and its entire history. Many may think that Ravenbound is just another game with roots in Norse folklore, which is a lie. 

Ravenbound is soaked in Scandinavian Folklore, it is not a Viking game, and you will not find the classic Aesir gods (Odin, Thor, etc). 

But you will definitely find a vast culture that you will undoubtedly fall in love with.

Overall Feeling

At first, I found this game to be rather unengaging. The overall lack of polish, particularly with regards to the camera lock system, left me feeling underwhelming.

The combat system in the game is incredibly smooth, and once the player becomes familiar with the enemy’s attack patterns, they can feel invincible. Players have the ability to execute a perfect dodge to gain a buff or use a perfect guard to block attacks. However, I want to emphasize that in my experience, I found the perfect guard to be less effective. Instead, I often opted to dodge and attack for better results.

The perfect guard is designed to knock back enemies when an attack is blocked at the precise moment. However, in my encounters with larger groups of enemies, I noticed that even when I executed a perfect guard, some enemies continued to attack and were not knocked back. Perhaps I simply prefer the visual of my character dodging and immediately launching an attack.

Upon further gameplay, my perception of Ravenbound shifted dramatically. Despite initial reservations, I found the game to be highly enjoyable. Instead of becoming frustrated and quitting in anger after dying, I began to analyze my failures and explore how I could improve my use of mana within the card system.

The card system was what I liked best about Ravenbound. Cards are put in play by spending the “Mana” resource. The cost to play a card is shown as a number in the top left corner of the card. You can see your current mana count next to the blue icon, in the top right corner, inside the vessel menu.

For those new to the rogue-lite genre, this game serves as an excellent starting point. Systemic Reaction’s innovative approach is sure to attract a wide variety of players.

While I do have a minor complaint about the reliance on the raven’s powers as the sole means of defense, I believe there are alternative methods to seamlessly integrate these abilities into the character’s arsenal.

Overall, Ravenbound boasts impressive graphics, a rich storyline steeped in cultural significance, and a rewarding progression system that will keep players engaged for hours on end. What more could one ask for in a game?

To discover more about the behind-the-scenes of the game Ravenbound, you can read Systemic Reaction’s team interview with LAN here.

Score

My favorite aspect of Ravenbound is undoubtedly its innovative and daring concept. Despite the risks involved, the team at Systemic Reaction has succeeded in creating a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Ultimately, the most important quality in any game is its ability to provide entertainment, and Ravenbound delivers on this front with flying colors.

6/10

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