A Feature-Rich Roguelike Adventure

The roguelike genre has seen a surge of interest in recent years, bringing numerous new contenders to this gaming style, with varying degrees of success. A top-tier roguelike typically offers rewarding progression, engaging gameplay that combines strategic permanent upgrades, and that irresistible “one more run” allure. However, the true mastery of blending these elements remains a hallmark of only the most exceptional games in this expanding subgenre. Back when Passtech Games first explored this territory with Curse of the Dead Gods, they seemed to capture that perfect mix. Now, they’re back with another attempt, Ravenswatch. Despite a few minor balance concerns, Ravenswatch shines as one of the standout roguelikes this year, now available beyond its initial PC audience.

After launching in Early Access on PC in April 2023, Ravenswatch received positive feedback on Steam, leading to its full release in September. With a solid development period of nearly 18 months, including numerous updates and new characters, the game is ready to make its debut on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. This release is arguably the best version yet, featuring a diverse and intriguing lineup of heroes that makes every run an exciting journey through the fantastical world of Reverie. While it might not quite match the brilliant heights of Hades or its sequel in Early Access, it remains a captivating co-op roguelike set in an enchanting fairy tale universe.

One of Ravenswatch’s biggest draws is its rich roster of playable characters. At its core, the best roguelikes weave a bit of storytelling into their gameplay, and Ravenswatch does exactly that. Within the whimsical land of Reverie—where fictional characters dwell, much like the realm of Morpheus in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman—dark forces known as “Nightmares” spread chaos and corruption. To combat these threats, the world’s mightiest heroes, the titular Ravenswatch, are summoned to protect Reverie’s existence from utter devastation.

This premise allows Passtech Games to creatively craft a compelling lineup of heroes. Initially, players can engage with four distinct heroes: Scarlet, a clever mix of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, Beowulf, the Snow Queen, and the Pied Piper. These characters boast unique combat styles and rhythms, echoing the dynamic gameplay of Diablo, requiring players to tactically use abilities and manage cooldowns. Over time, players can unlock five additional heroes by completing specific tasks, such as finishing the first chapter with another character. Trying out each hero to discover personal favorites becomes part of the enjoyment, even if some characters don’t immediately resonate with certain playstyles.

No matter which hero you pick for a run, all come equipped with a basic suite of abilities: a primary attack, plus defensive, special, power, and trait moves. These can be enhanced through leveling up or purchasing upgrades from The Sandman using Dream Shards, Ravenswatch’s in-game currency. A key difference from Curse of the Dead Gods is that these upgrades persist throughout a run, empowering players who reach the latter stages and face the final boss with significantly more firepower than at the start.

Ravenswatch thrives on its engaging gameplay loop of defeating enemies and upgrading heroes. Each hero’s distinct skill set massively increases replayability. Naturally, players will gravitate towards their favorites. Scarlet’s transformation into the Big Bad Wolf, for instance, introduces an entirely new set of abilities at night. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong’s ability to switch between boosting defense and offense demonstrates a fascinating interplay, depending on how lucky players are with random game elements.

The game offers ample reasons to keep coming back, even when players think they’ve mastered it or found their ideal hero. The versatility of Ravenswatch extends to both solo and co-op play, enhancing the potential for strategic combinations between different heroes’ abilities.

While Ravenswatch provides many exciting approaches for each run, it does encounter some hurdles with balancing and difficulty. Roguelikes are inherently challenging, aiming to push players through cycles of play, improvement, and retrying. However, Ravenswatch’s co-op mode introduces unique balance challenges.

In both solo and co-op settings, Ravenswatch features a shared pool of six Raven Feathers for reviving fallen heroes. While resurrection mechanics are rare in roguelikes and offer a refreshing twist here, they also affect balance by making enemies more resilient to compensate for players’ extra lives. This can become more evident in co-op, where increased enemy numbers and health further tip the balance.

The imbalance becomes particularly pronounced when facing the boss-like Nightmare enemies at each stage’s end, often resulting in a single failed attempt derailing an entire run. Thankfully, players can steadily enhance their skills and unlock a wealth of upgrades to improve survivability, though progress might feel slow at times.

Ravenswatch boasts nine playable heroes and over ten unlockable Talents per hero, enriching the pool of potential improvements for each run. With more than 50 Magical Objects and game-altering consumables available, Ravenswatch achieves a level of replayability that sets it apart as one of this year’s most engaging action roguelikes. Its varied combat and vibrant style are key reasons players keep returning.

I dedicated around 25 hours playing Ravenswatch on PlayStation 5 for this review, managing to unlock every hero and achieve Rank 4 with them, though the final boss continues to elude me. Even now, plenty of Magical Objects and Talents await discovery, hinting at another 25 hours of gameplay, underscoring its deep replay value.

While lacking the narrative depth of other titles like Hades, Ravenswatch focuses intently on combat. This strength, combined with an abundant array of upgrades and run modifiers, shows a natural evolution from Passtech’s previous hit, Curse of the Dead Gods. The game elevates the formula further with stunning cel-shaded graphics and lively animation. Though some balance tweaks are needed, Ravenswatch represents a solid addition to the action roguelike roster, providing a memorable experience for fans of the genre.