Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse Review Summary

Positive overall impression: Many players have a positive overall impression of the game, finding it enjoyable and fun. Some mention that the game is challenging but rewarding as players progress and get stronger.

Good combat mechanics: Players appreciate the combat mechanics, describing them as decent, fun, smooth, and well-controlled. The combat feel and operation are highlighted as particularly enjoyable aspects of the gameplay.

Cute and charming art style: The art style of the game is frequently described as cute, beautiful, charming, and interesting. Players appreciate the visual appeal and character design.

Mix of popular game elements: Players enjoy the mix of elements from popular games like Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, and Skul. This combination provides a familiar yet fresh experience.

Enjoyable multiplayer experience: The game offers enjoyable single-player and multiplayer experiences. The multiplayer is described as stable and well-implemented, adding to the game's appeal.

Poor multiplayer implementation: The multiplayer mode is criticized for being poorly implemented, with issues such as lack of shared progress, limited styles, and perfunctory design.

Unbalanced difficulty: The game's difficulty is criticized for being unbalanced, with bosses having too much HP and high damage values, making it overly challenging and frustrating.

Poor gameplay mechanics: The gameplay mechanics are criticized for being stiff, poorly designed, and not well-thought-out, leading to a less enjoyable experience.

Poor hand-feel and controls: The game's controls and hand-feel are criticized for being stiff, choppy, and not well-optimized, leading to a less enjoyable gaming experience.

Repetitive map design: Players frequently complain about the repetitive nature of map design and level layouts, which makes the gameplay feel monotonous and uninspired.

Multiplayer and co-op focus: The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, with a significant emphasis on cooperative multiplayer and multiplayer-focused gameplay mechanics.

Similarities to Dead Cells: The combat and gameplay mechanics are frequently compared to 'Dead Cells', indicating a strong influence or similarity in gameplay style.

Possession mechanics: A unique possession mechanic allows players to control enemies, adding a strategic layer to combat and gameplay.

Roguelike and Metroidvania elements: The game incorporates roguelike and Metroidvania elements, providing a mix of procedural generation and exploration-based gameplay.

Difficulty settings available: The game includes a difficulty slider with options for easy, normal, and hard modes, catering to different player skill levels.

Frequent crashes and instability: The game frequently crashes, leading to data loss and instability. Players also report the game freezing suddenly during play.

Performance issues and low frame rates: Multiple players report low frame rates and optimization issues affecting gameplay. Specific mentions include consistent 26 fps on high-end hardware like the Radeon 6900XT.

Multiplayer lag and unresponsiveness: Multiplayer mode suffers from lag and unresponsiveness, impacting the overall gaming experience.

Game freezing on reload: Players experience the game freezing when exiting and reloading a saved game.

Recommended for genre fans: This game is highly recommended for fans of Hollow Knight, Metroidvania, and roguelite games, as well as similar genres.

Not recommended currently: Some players advise against the game in its current state, suggesting it may need improvements or updates.

Better with friends: The game may only be enjoyable when playing in multiplayer mode with friends.

Community fair range: $15.00 - $30.00.

Game completion: 32.5h.

Session length: 3.5h.

The game is highly enjoyable in co-op mode, with fun anchored around cooperative play and progression systems, despite initial tedious mechanics and a steep difficulty curve.

Reported time to anchor: 3h.

Friction: Tedious building and crafting mechanics; Steep difficulty curve; Repetitive dungeon design.

Unlock drivers: Co-op mode; Village rebuilding system; Constant progression.

Co-op Enthusiast: Enjoys playing in groups, appreciates challenges that require teamwork. Motivation: Social interaction and cooperative gameplay. Stance: buy.

Progression Enjoyer: Enjoys methodical progression, appreciates games with similar mechanics to Dead Cells and Hollow Knight. Motivation: Engaging progression systems and relaxing gameplay. Stance: buy.

Solo Struggler: Prefers solo play, critical of game balance and difficulty. Motivation: Seeking a balanced and fair challenge. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck experience for this game is marred by significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and game instability, particularly after boss fights. Performance issues such as frame drops are also noted, especially in specific game sections. However, the control and movement mechanics are positively received by users, providing a better experience compared to other games.

Request for full walkthrough video: Players are requesting a comprehensive walkthrough video to assist them in navigating through the game.