I was a pretty big fan of Echo Generation, a game from the same devs as Ravenlok. I had no clue they were making a new game but one look at this game and it was instantly obvious.
Cococucumber, the devs in question, have a style that I think is gorgeous and Ravenlok is no different. A very pixel heavy look but there's something about this specific look that I really like that's different and hard to describe.
Ravenlok's Alice In Wonderland inspired story and setting lends itself to this style even further. There are some nice looking areas in this world.
Unfortunately, the similarities between Ravenlok and Echo Generation end there, as the differences between these two are not in Ravenlok's favor.
Ravenlok is an action based hack and slash style game. Gone are the RPG elements and the replacement doesn't feel as interesting or original. You have your standard sword attack, shield block, dodge, and a variety of special attacks.
You get many of these special attacks relatively quickly which is nice as it provides a good variety for combat. It's nice mainly because the core mechanics of combat are very dull.
The special attacks don't add much from a visual standpoint unfortunately, but they did help speed up combat sections and help thwart large groups.
You also have potions to heal and I never really found myself running low on these, so the game feels a bit more arcadey at low difficulty. This isn't inherently bad, it just makes the combat feel a bit dull and repetitive, even with the four special attacks thrown your way.
Bombs are another item you'll be able to purchase and find, another item that does nice damage and helps speed the combat process up, especially against bosses.
The camera in these combat situations is easily the worst part of this though. The camera is very limited in what it allows you to do. You can move the camera left or right but can't go 360 degrees. Because of that, and because of how combat stages are laid out, I would constantly find myself in situations where I wasn't able to track the boss because he would be below me or too far to the left or right. Since you could only essentially tilt the camera to the left and right, there are so many blind spots and positions that just make the combat more annoying.
The story is nothing that original either since the game takes most of its inspiration from Alice in Wonderland. Some of the takes on these characters though is pretty interesting.
The game is a pretty short experience though, a full completion run for me taking under 10 hours. So even the negatives aren't all that bad as the game overall is pretty enjoyable. Just feels like a bit of a step down from their previous release, which is a bit of a disappointment. Worth giving a shot if a trailer interests you (it's currently on Game Pass as of this review) but if RPG combat isn't a big turn off, Echo Generation is probably a better choice.
Cococucumber, the devs in question, have a style that I think is gorgeous and Ravenlok is no different. A very pixel heavy look but there's something about this specific look that I really like that's different and hard to describe.
Ravenlok's Alice In Wonderland inspired story and setting lends itself to this style even further. There are some nice looking areas in this world.
Unfortunately, the similarities between Ravenlok and Echo Generation end there, as the differences between these two are not in Ravenlok's favor.
Ravenlok is an action based hack and slash style game. Gone are the RPG elements and the replacement doesn't feel as interesting or original. You have your standard sword attack, shield block, dodge, and a variety of special attacks.
You get many of these special attacks relatively quickly which is nice as it provides a good variety for combat. It's nice mainly because the core mechanics of combat are very dull.
The special attacks don't add much from a visual standpoint unfortunately, but they did help speed up combat sections and help thwart large groups.
You also have potions to heal and I never really found myself running low on these, so the game feels a bit more arcadey at low difficulty. This isn't inherently bad, it just makes the combat feel a bit dull and repetitive, even with the four special attacks thrown your way.
Bombs are another item you'll be able to purchase and find, another item that does nice damage and helps speed the combat process up, especially against bosses.
The camera in these combat situations is easily the worst part of this though. The camera is very limited in what it allows you to do. You can move the camera left or right but can't go 360 degrees. Because of that, and because of how combat stages are laid out, I would constantly find myself in situations where I wasn't able to track the boss because he would be below me or too far to the left or right. Since you could only essentially tilt the camera to the left and right, there are so many blind spots and positions that just make the combat more annoying.
The story is nothing that original either since the game takes most of its inspiration from Alice in Wonderland. Some of the takes on these characters though is pretty interesting.
The game is a pretty short experience though, a full completion run for me taking under 10 hours. So even the negatives aren't all that bad as the game overall is pretty enjoyable. Just feels like a bit of a step down from their previous release, which is a bit of a disappointment. Worth giving a shot if a trailer interests you (it's currently on Game Pass as of this review) but if RPG combat isn't a big turn off, Echo Generation is probably a better choice.