Ravenbound is Systemic Reaction’s latest adventure – a gorgeous open world roguelike that draws on Norse mythology to weave a compelling and challenging questline. Set in Avalt, players will command a ship that will seek to gather enough power from the buried god-like race of the Ellri to challenge the Betrayer – a race of their kind that opposes them and spreads them all over the world. Eli people who spread hate.
For me, the story is where Ravenbound flies the highest, players can read in-game monuments to learn more about the game’s story as the game progresses, and dialogue, which quickly reveals that the ship isn’t the first A ship trying to take down the Betrayer – and most likely won’t be the last.
The land of Ávalt looks gorgeous, if not slightly repetitive, when you soar across the map as you soar in crow form. Controlling this flight mode takes some getting used to, but it’s an effective way to travel. This problem comes in the form of Raven Towers – which require flying into the sky – which are not common on the map at all. You’ll also get a Raven’s Talon to account for as you move around; a handy whip-like tool that lets your ship swing like a Viking Spider-Man.
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Combat in Ravenbound is fast-paced and frantic, allowing players to challenge their own combination of enemies. Some corrupt human groups allow the player to act as a sort of giant, working alongside would-be marauders to destroy them to the death. Larger, more important enemies challenge players with hit-and-run tactics, and they’ll see their carefully crafted ships come to an end quickly and permanently.
Speaking of the game’s roguelite elements, these come into play in the form of cards that affect character creation, ship stats and combat strength, as well as some passive bonuses. Progress between runs might feel small, but it’s definitely there, especially when you figure out Ávalt’s challenges and rewards in a more streamlined fashion. This makes every attempt at Ravenbound, and even a successful pass, different from the last, and really fun. Especially before Betrayer takes down, honing the “best” build for your playstyle, and painfully finding it again after your best ship has dropped is a task that’s both fun and frustrating.
One thing that stands out is mana, the currency you use to play cards. For some unlucky builds, mana feels very scarce, leaving players planning an interesting build but having no way to make it happen. Some pre-game character options end up feeling much better than others, which also pushes players to complete ill-advised combat encounters to get aggro-filled chests (build your own aggro bar) to progress, which is a double-edged sword .
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As much as it feels thematically rich, I have to say: I hate the aggro mechanic. Build up by opening chests full of aggro – which are supposed to be rewards for successfully completing encounters – aggro persists until cleansed, such as completing a tomb, and frankly, hard to get rid of. Aggression kills the ship’s deck and strengthens the enemy – the bane of Ravenbound’s creativity. While one could argue that a version was made carefully and carefully to avoid aggro, this can only do so much in a game based on random loot rolls – there must be some element of finding better cards, and it feels weird to be penalized for this .
This brings to mind a larger problem: Ravenbound’s world is almost too open, too free. Aside from the main storyline, handling quests and enemies to enhance abilities is entirely at the player’s discretion. While this is an attractive gimmick at first, Ávalt can quickly feel chaotic and overwhelming as you scramble to find better gear while your ship’s aggro spirals out of control.
All in all, Ravenbound is a fun game, if not extreme, and a refreshing take on the hack-and-slash action genre. Its open world is gorgeous and lore-rich, its combat is lightning fast, and its rogue-like elements, while not perfect, have some serious potential.