GRAVEN Review Summary

Atmospheric world, rewarding exploration: The game's strongest aspects are its detailed environments, cohesive atmosphere, and appealing art style, often complemented by a well-crafted and immersive soundtrack. Exploration is consistently rewarding, with secrets and puzzles integrated into the world.

Nostalgic, retro shooter feel: The game successfully evokes a nostalgic feeling reminiscent of classic 90s shooters like Hexen and Heretic, blending retro aesthetics with modern design elements. This appeals to both older players and those new to the genre.

Strong first act, pacing issues: Many reviewers noted that the first act of the game is particularly well-made and enjoyable, with engaging exploration, NPCs, and sidequests. Later acts are generally considered shorter or less polished.

Potential as immersive sim: The game has potential as an atmospheric fantasy immersive sim, with light immersive sim elements. The aesthetics and environmental design are appealing, and the game design is great.

Integrated puzzles, sequence breaking: The game features well-designed puzzles that are thoughtfully integrated into the environment, encouraging exploration and rewarding problem-solving. Players can also sequence break some parts of the game by stacking boxes and barrels.

Unfinished, buggy, and lacks direction: The game suffers from numerous issues that detract from the overall experience. These include a lack of a map, poor direction, confusing level design, a flawed save system that causes backtracking, and significant bugs that can halt progress. Many reviewers feel the game was released in an unfinished state.

Poor combat and enemy design: Combat is a significant weakness, with simplistic boss battles, unbalanced enemies, and poor AI. Enemies often respawn in illogical locations, leading to frustrating encounters and undermining any sense of progress. The limited enemy variety and repetitive actions further contribute to a monotonous experience.

Obtuse puzzles and objectives: The game's puzzles and objectives are often vague and poorly designed, leading to frustration and the need for external guides. Exploration is often unrewarding, with critical items hidden in obscure locations and a repetitive structure that involves finding keys to find other keys.

Poor inventory and weapon balance: The inventory system is restrictive and poorly designed, making it difficult to manage weapons and items. Weapon balance is also an issue, with many weapons feeling weak and underpowered, leading players to rely on a limited selection.

Poorly implemented stamina system: The stamina system is poorly implemented and unnecessary, restricting basic actions like sprinting and jumping. This system adds tedium to exploration and combat, with little apparent benefit.

Exploration-focused, lacks map, save limitations: The game emphasizes non-linear exploration through intricate, interconnected levels reminiscent of Soulslike games and old-school FPS titles. However, the absence of a map and limited save points can lead to navigation challenges and backtracking, frustrating some players.

Mixes FPS, RPG, Metroidvania elements: The game blends FPS, RPG, and Metroidvania elements, drawing inspiration from classic titles like Hexen and immersive sims. This combination results in a unique experience that emphasizes exploration, puzzle-solving, and strategic combat.

Magic is mainly for puzzles: Magic is present in the game, but its primary function is puzzle-solving rather than combat. Some reviewers found this disappointing, as they expected magic to be a more integral part of the combat experience.

Game divided into acts: The game is divided into acts, with the first act being the most fleshed out in terms of design. Later acts are more streamlined and resource-rich.

Weapons and spells are upgradable: Players can upgrade weapons and spells to enhance their effectiveness, allowing for some customization of their play style.

Good customization options: The game offers a range of customization options, including gamma, FOV, frame rate limit, audio volumes and key rebinding. These features allow players to tailor the game to their preferences and hardware.

Crossbow obscures visibility: The crossbow's excessive particle effects obstruct the player's view, making it difficult to track enemies and confirm kills. This negatively impacts combat clarity and player feedback.

Items stuck in environment: Money and items from chests can become stuck in the environment, preventing the player from collecting them. This can impact resource acquisition and character progression.

Performance degrades after loading: The game's performance degrades after loading a save file, suggesting a potential issue with save game implementation or memory management. This can lead to a less enjoyable experience over time.

Fire spell lacks effects: The fire spell lacks visual effects, making it feel underwhelming and less impactful. This detracts from the overall visual experience and feedback of using the spell.

Unpolished with unrealized potential: Many reviewers express mixed feelings, acknowledging the game's potential and interesting premise, but ultimately find it difficult to recommend due to a combination of bugs, lack of polish, and design issues. Some suggest waiting for updates or purchasing only at a steep discount, while others advise avoiding the game altogether in its current state. The game's unfinished state after a long early access period is a recurring concern.

Compared unfavorably to classic FPS: Many reviewers compare the game to classic titles like Hexen, Heretic, and other '90s FPS games, with mixed results. Some find the game to be a nostalgic throwback that captures the essence of these older titles, while others feel that it falls short of their standards or implements the Hexen-like elements poorly. Some reviewers recommend playing the original games instead.

Tedious and tests patience: Some reviewers found the game to be tedious, testing patience more than skill. Some suggest quitting after the first act, while others recommend taking your time to soak in the game slowly. The game's difficulty is also a point of contention, with some advising against playing for those who dislike challenging experiences.

Only worth it on sale: Several reviewers suggest that the game is only worth purchasing on sale, with some feeling that the full price is too high for the amount of content or the quality of the experience. Some reviewers accuse the developers of trying to cash in on nostalgia or releasing an unfinished product for profit.

Inconsistent boomer shooter experience: Some reviewers feel the game does not deliver on the boomer shooter experience. However, some reviewers find the atmosphere great and the developers put effort into recreating an old-style FPS.

Dark, immersive medieval fantasy setting: The game is set in a dark, medieval fantasy world with a grim aesthetic, drawing inspiration from games like Hexen. Reviewers highlight the detailed environments and atmosphere as key elements of the world-building.

Uncertain development status/support: The game's development status is a concern, with some reviewers noting slow updates, lack of communication, and potential delays. Others mention active development and improvements, but uncertainty remains regarding the final release and developer support.

Potential softlocks/progression issues: Some players have encountered softlocks or progression blockers, while others haven't experienced these issues. The developers are reportedly working to address these problems, particularly given the game's Early Access status.

Intentionally high difficulty: The game is designed to be difficult, with the difficulty impacting enemy placement, enemy types and loot scarcity. The game emphasizes its difficulty.

Co-op mode with bugs: The game features a co-op mode, although some reviewers have noted the presence of bugs within this mode.