Ravenswatch Could Be The Indie Gem of 2023 | 20 Hour Early Access Review

[@Shmosess]

Thanks to Passtech Games for providing us with an early access key for Ravenswatch. The game officially releases in early access on April 6. Check out what other games are coming out in April kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIOnYqyqhbBnj9U Also join us on our revamped Discord at discord.gg/legacygaming

[@theolong6689]

I am beyond hyped for this game. It kind just has everything I could want and ask for in a rougelite. I hope this game becomes huge so we can see tons of cool unique content in the coming years.

[@Skoshtwo]

It's by the Curse of the Dead gods developers. They don't know how to make content fun. The previous game also had amazing combat mechanics and it was crisp to play. Doesn't change the fact that the game got boring super fast due to the lack of content and variety.

[@theolong6689]

@@Skoshtwo Hmm fair point. But at least this one is already more fun and interesting than Curse of the Dead Gods and having coop is a huge deal so I remain optimistic for the future of this game.

[@Skoshtwo]

@@theolong6689 I can't really speak from personal experience when it comes to this particular game but from what's obvious to me is that the gameplay is for sure extremely slick. The current reviews on steam are mixes, which is really sad for a game with this level of polish. People seem to be saying that the content is very limited at the moment. I really do hope they manage to whip up more than they did in the previous game.

[@theolong6689]

@@Skoshtwo Well I have been playing it a lot the past few days and can say that it is much more fun than Curse of the Dead Gods was even in this early access state. Yes the content is slim at this point but what is here is extremely well polished and very fun. I do think the mixed reviews are mostly people just being childish. This game is more polished and has more content then most early access games and it will only get better from here.

[@Skoshtwo]

@@theolong6689 That is good to hear. I personally do avoid early access games like the plague. I don't condone the idea of buying a fully priced product for a mere promise of a fruitful future. Especially since there are games like Stoneshard which get updated at a snails pace with no end result in sight. I do, however, understand that a lot of these products end up being successful and the early access support helps the developers push the game harder. Unfortunately, I think that this case is a severe minority in the grand spectrum of events.

[@yabara_]

With Mageseeker (and all Riot Forge games), Viewfinder, this and others 2023 is MAGIC for indie games!

[@jesusllanas4288]

these guys kept the fun factor and gameplay from CotDG and expanded it to a group and exploring i dig it. i remember when CotDG came out it was similarly shallow but with time and love it became a masterpiece and i have no doubts this game will be the same we just need patience and i fully support these devs and their choices along the way!

[@Ebonmane]

I can see it being nice to see how much more % dmg enemies take from vulnerable, but think "vulnerable" is pretty self explanatory as it making enemies take more dmg. might be other tags that are more confusing though

[@cynthiahembree3957]

This was something I was going to point out. Maybe it was just a bad example but the "vulnerable" debuff is in way too many different genres for this to be a problem unless you don't play video games in which case you will be confused regardless.

[@nickmcdonnell5659]

While I think vulnerable may be a bad example but this was by far my biggest complaint with the game. You just had to figure most of the game out on the fly and it wasn’t super clear.

[@brycedayton4092]

I just really hope they can get this to 1.0 and fully ready before Hades 2, since their last game ultimately got steamrolled by the first entry in that series.

[@hironakamura9258]

Excellent overview, balanced and fair, good job.

[@landonfolken03]

Ive had fun playing this. I LOVE the idea of using "storybook" characters and it means there is a ton of source material to bring out more. I do feel like it's a little...lacking...I guess you could say. Like something is missing but Im not sure what that thing is. Some substance. Maybe like was mentioned: things like items and just kinda being there. Not much substance to them. I definitely recommend giving it a go though when you have the chance.

[@seniordan12]

This is so well said, and is my thoughts exactly. You predicted exactly what the steam reviews would be as well lol

[@aasaasino.Creedo]

I am a big fan of curse of the dead gods...and I can say I will love this one too❤

[@Steven-bt3xh]

I was so interested about the game, the genre, the theme is great. You are right about the icons it really need to upgrade them. The only thing that turns me off is the non couch coop, so I REALLY hope they will had it otherwise I will wait when it will be price down maybe

[@LegendarySir]

The game content is just too short. Being only 1 stage makes a run in nightmare 9 last about 23 minutes, makes the game not have much replayability. It needs more content and stages to make legendary runs that last 1+ hours to make the gameplay more satisfying to achive and improve. I mean if Risk of Rain becomes repetitive while the runs last 1:30 hours, imagine them only being 20 minutes long, boring to play

[@johnathanbanner3841]

One thing about the ui that makes no sense is you can’t see the werewolf abilities from the menu, you have to wait until you turn and look at the abilities in game to figure it out.

[@tanewby3861]

I think on the content issue. I believe the community that plays Early Access games just to watch them grow may give it enough steam to take off

[@ZacHawkins42]

I've been loving Rogue like/lite games these past few years. Vampire Survivors, Neurovoider, Gunfire Reborn have been great. Looking forward to this one!

[@SimpleArt93]

I've been hooked on Soulstone Survivor lately, and found it more fun than Vampire. Recommended! :)

[@ZacHawkins42]

@@SimpleArt93 Will look into it, thanky👍

[@FSousA7X]

Gunfire Reborn is not talked enough, such a good roguelite

[@synth_pulse3098]

@@SimpleArt93 can agree. Picked up soulstone and haven’t went back to vampire survivors in a long while.

[@GamesWithNobodies]

I love that they went with the high polish, low content approach. The fact that everything here feels so good, makes me look forward to the next updates. I've already dragged 4 other players in to buy the game. This would not have been the case if they had less polish and more content. I plan to play this stage of early access for at least 20 hours, which i'd argue is great for an early access.

[@Gemoroda]

I was so on board with this game, until you told me that you have a limited time and then you automatically report it to the boss. I understand why you're saying that this might be "genius design", but I honestly I think that this is in the detriment of the game over all

[@redfin382]

Me too. I really wanna buy this game but I don't like the time limit. I like to go at my own pace.

[@bryank427]

@@redfin382 same....dang

[@brockwhiting9066]

Awesome review, you answered all my questions and for now I'm gonna sit on this let it cook a bit more

[@JBoomerOfficial]

Can't wait to try this on the Steamdeck as well

[@SanDiegoDaD]

Im here from SkillUp. Very very excited for this.

[@XJBG1001X]

This game looks super cool! I'd love to give it a try, the big issue is Diablo 4 will steal all the friends I'd have to play with

[@Generalkillaman]

D4 will steal you away too lol

[@AnotherAyushRaj]

Only question I have is the co-op player hosted or dedicated servers? I'd prefer it to be player hosted so I can play with my buddies and not have 100+ Ping because I'm sure I'm not getting a server location anywhere near me

[@creepy99]

According to the Steam page, when Early Access starts it will include the first chapter. The full release will include three chapters. If one map/chapter seems like a small amount of content, 3 maps/chapters doesn't seem like a whole lot more... that's a bit concerning.

[@Vertical8]

Generally rouges tend to be short and the main feature is replayability

[@creepy99]

@@Vertical8 I would disagree that most rogue-likes/lites are short. But, they are meant to be replayed. Legacy specifically disagrees with this statement as well in this review.

[@unionjack3836]

@@creepy99 Which rogue-like is as long as a full story-straight game?

[@guglielmoscecspir1053]

An entire run in games like these is about 30 mins to 1 hour long and that's exactly what a roguelike is made. With Curse you have a full run with 3 zones or a run with a zone of your choice. Action roguelikes tend to be fast and easy to digest. This game for what I saw at max difficulty has a 18 min marker to reach the first boss; which means 1 hour in the supposed complete run. It's perfectly in line with the genre.

[@argvegetarisk8807]

Question. So I cant invite or get invited by random people to play with, I have to be friends with them on steam to do content togheter? Thats a bit of a bummer if thats the case..

[@LegacyGamingUS]

You can share your in-game lobby code with anyone. You don't need to be friends on steam

[@D4rkm00r]

If they get this right, this could be absolutely killer.

[@AndersArman]

hmmm good review - like the lenght n deepth, balanced. And great summery at the end

[@damienkrawczuk1435]

Probably what surprised me most this year is how awesome Vampires survivors is, and now I've got my eyes on this, this really floats my boat everything about it is hugely intriguing, cheers for your insight on this, take care till the next vid

[@jamescrook9600]

It looks unique and looks like it's smooth but the lack of content is a big issue

[@LegacyGamingUS]

Luckily this team has done early access before, and they’re good at it. I just wish more was implemented from the start

[@nigelboothby5020]

I saw splattercat play it and once the first nightmare is down that's it so the game has 20 minutes of content per character win or lose atm.

[@mohammadalirashed3103]

There is a lot of content in the form of the playable characters, each one has a distinct playstyle and this makes runs feel different from each other. I've spent 4 hours just on red riding hood. The price is also very generous, with it being less than 20 USD

[@CENmassTER86]

I fn loved the combat in dead gods..ill play anything this team puts out

[@daemonthorn5888]

The word, "vulnerable", is pretty self-explanatory. But, I agree, each status effect should be listed somewhere so that you can see exactly what it does. But, the game is still in Early Access, so I wouldn't fault them for it yet, as the game is still in development.

[@scase15]

This was a great preview of the game, super helpful!

[@earn635daily]

"When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you." -Lolly Daskal

[@HowlingFad03]

Thanks for the great content. 😁 Random thought, wouldn’t it be cool if Bloody Roar was brought back as an isometric action RPG?!

[@markadams5009]

The characters seem very interesting and the gameplay looks great. I don't like the idea of a timer at all though. I like the graphics except for the really drab and washed out, dark, landscape that we've seen so far. (That certainly looks like their previous title.) Hopefully other levels may improve this with more colors, details. Extremely limited content on PC early access, personally sounds like they would be better off delaying release. Hopefully there will be a lot more content when the console versions release next year. I'll be watching to see how it turns out. (Playing on PS5.)

[@igortorresmartins4471]

What platform? PC, PS4, PS5?

[@Peter_Scholtz]

It is still playable? Because it seems so. Or it is onlz a preorder?

[@sinappanis]

I'm not a huge fan of forced timers but if they are going to do that I would like to see the game timer pause during skill selection. After putting tons of hours into the game sure it wont take you any time to choose but all the hours spent learning are going to be worse because as you read and make a choice the timer keeps going giving you less time to play.

[@cold44]

So u only have the abilities u start with?

[@TheAgentmigs]

Has there been more content added to this?

[@b.c.eckhoff3495]

any game where I can play a musical class, I'm sold. :)

[@theknight27]

Great insights, subscribed.

[@franciscodoucet1597]

Gotta say, this game looks SICK. The art looks amazing, the gameplay solid, and polished from top to bottom. Is a problem that the game has launched with only one level and boss? Not at all, if you ask me. If their intention is to test the waters, it's perfectly fine! They deserve time to test, fix and launch the content, is better than getting something rushed, broken or boring. I will give this game a shot, I'm sure it will deliver and be an awesome experience.

[@1234321mike1234321]

You test the waters with a beta, not a launch mate. From a financial perspective this could tank off bad initial sales and tank before it expands.

[@quiquef691]

Does it have local multiplayer?

[@michaelschneider1365]

so after the first 6. 6 more heros are confirmed?

[@gearhead417]

I do have some concerns about the structure of the game like it being open world or being timed constantly. These kind of factors could hamper the rogue like nature of the game that people find enjoyable if it isn't done well.

[@pootytang69]

imo the timer factor sounds like a good move for this game - partly cause it limits run time like the reviewer pointed out, and partly cause it encourages strategic choice making throughout the run, as a party can't simply do everything and maximise their power before a boss. It's not like a timer that forces failure if it runs out, so I'm hoping it works really well for pace and balance.

[@jin8684]

Does this game have online multiplayer? Or are the files saved locally like torchlight

[@LegacyGamingUS]

It’s online multiplayer. Once a round is over it’s over, there’s no saving mid-round. Pretty standard of roguelites

[@KiillahX]

Is this like Tribes of Midguard? Or do you retain the experience you earned and keep making the characters stronger?

[@GoldeneyeDoubleO7]

going by their previous game curse of the dead gods. this should be a rouge lite. There will be meta progression when you die.

[@Storylinezz]

will it have controller support for pc? and can you play with friends?

[@krakkentrace6095]

Yes and yes

[@Storylinezz]

@@krakkentrace6095 sick might try it then! thnx for answer

[@heronvitor6886]

the lack of content was my exact point. I think the game looks AMAZING, but only 1 biome that you can finish in 30 or less minutes seems too short for an early access. But they did the same for curse of the dead gods. They launched EA with only the fire temple. i mean, im going to buy it no matter what, but i dont see myself playing for more than 15 hours. I'll probably be done with the game within 3 of four days unless i find it to be the best thing i've played, which is hard.

[@Provokatze23]

The art style and ui design is awesome.

[@DrummerRJYoung]

Looks really cool!

[@guglielmoscecspir1053]

Darkest dungeon 2 released on the market on EA with ''very limited'' content compared to what it is turning into, simply because they knew people saw DD 1 development. Whoever played CotDG knows how ''little'' the game had to offer at EA and how much it improved during the months. Their plan is to release in 1 year and that's exactly what EA is. I think the fallacy here is given by the fact that at this point people launch EA and remain so for 2-3 years, or releasing a finished product with the EA tag. I think that if this game keeps the premise, it is more than fine being so limited at the moment. More so that if I think of a parallel with CotDG, there will probably be 2 more zones (4 more heroes) and bosses by launch, which is perfectly fine for a game that is developing live. Curse launched in a similar period and had a new dungeon release by summer and the last by winter; I'd expect the same announced in the ''roadmap''.

[@spugelo359]

Vulnerable not clear enough what it does? Many games has that same exact buff, which basically always just increases damage taken... or chance of getting hit by a crit? Very rarely there's anything beyond that. With damage numbers popping up should be very simple to confirm what it does after making a good guess.

[@LegacyGamingUS]

It was just an example. There are ample others.

[@Cyberz22]

It sure looks good. Hope is cheap because the lack of content

[@Raulsif6]

this could be the BEST coop couch game of the year. let's everyone hope

[@DL-dg5vt]

Is this that new Diablo 4 game I heard about I thought that was already out is it going though

[@Kostej]

I really like Curse of the dead gods fun game. This game look awesome i really dont care supprot game with lack of content like Have a nice death dont have in start to much and now it is awesome. also sorry if i miss that but coop is only friend or online ? also what i want to see. That is usual but more charakter but other think this is will 100% not be there but i still want this, chance to switch abilityes like in Risk of Rain 2.

[@beastieking1]

The complaint about the Aladdin skill that makes enemies vulnerable sounds self explanatory. You can infer what that means easily

[@LegacyGamingUS]

That's just an example. There are multiple examples of the UI providing a less-than-great user experience.

[@cdmanjak]

When's this out

[@Cyberz22]

Thursday

[@LaserStorm117]

I've been waiting for a good rogue-lite ARPG Definitely need advanced tooltips! Ughhh I really don't like timers 😮‍💨 Appreciate, ofc, the constructive feedback and I hope they take it into consideration. Ooooo multiplayerrrrrrrr! I only just saw this game existed this morning, but you guys' review defo got me more pogged up

[@Baldur1005]

This Hades update looks dope

[@nicknickson3650]

curse of the dead gods was great so I'm sure this will be solid as well. I'm also enjoying Have a Nice Death. Everyone only cares about Hades 2, meanwhile there's tons of other great roguelites.

[@natecoet3291]

Thanks for the input. The game looks great and I'm eyeing it. But yes paying a down rice for a lack of content is an issue. Let's be honest curse of the gods was successful for the team. So it's not like they are desperate for money. I will wait for more content to be added. Shame the game has so much potential to be great.

[@plyzogyz]

Fuck ye it's super good. Full. Release gonna be absolutely bonkers. Best gameplay

[@themightiestpen]

This looks fantastic gonna wait for more content but one to keep an eye on

[@filipemiguel08]

Honestly i want the timer gate in runs to be removed entirely, stressing the players with choices during a run because time is against ya is not feasible nor a good time which will lead to annoyance and pushes players away from doing more of the game has to offer. I like what the game has to offer except for the timer.

[@XiLock_Alotx]

I enjoy the timer. However I understand it’s not appealing to some.

[@theolong6689]

I agree. I generally like to take a more slow methodical tactical approach to games and having a timer does add a sense urgency that can become stressful especially at the beginning when you are just trying to read and learn about all the items abilites. I hope they add a game mode that does not revolve around the timer.

[@guglielmoscecspir1053]

It's like the Curse mechanic in the previous game. It's set to pace the experience. They were very receptive with the feedback last time and adapted a lot. So I am pretty sure that if this will be an issue for people, they will listen without problems. I strongly believe that if you will play, once you get used to it, it will feel like a necessary element.

[@theolong6689]

@@guglielmoscecspir1053 yea the curse mechanic added more then just having a timer. You could still take your time to explore and think about your next upgrade. I love a challenge but I hate being rushed. I'm fine with it being there but just hope there is a more relaxed game mode at some point.

[@purextreme5460]

Is it couch co-op on all platforms 😅

[@knightofvirtue613]

i wishlisted this becasue it combines the gameplay of Children of Morta with the graphics of Curse of the Dead Gods. Is this a "buy" right now? No, but once more content gets added this game is in good shape. Usually they focus on developing lots of content and few characters. By having the characters ready to go, all we have to wait for is the content.

[@drask1988]

So i bought and refunded it after 2-3 runs, because i felt like the game lives off of coop and feels quite unfun in single player. damage is lackluster and it didn't look like your power does increase through the roguelike nature, instead you get more options instead. the timing element of the map felt a bit too strict and it gives off an annoying feeling of getting rushed, especially if you don't manage to find useful loot/ events quickly into the run. The biggest offender for me were the characters though. piper and ice queen were so damn annoying to listen to, that i simply lost the desire to continue with them

[@sddmf4165]

Great review, on point and clear

[@TheZanzibarMan]

The devs also joked about adding Shrek.

[@Humatra]

needs local co op! looks awesome, thanks for the video.

[@KennyJordana]

Now can you play this game online co-op where you can quick match with other players?

[@LegacyGamingUS]

No matchmaking. You have to join with a friend code or send your code for others to join you

[@StefanDimitrovBG]

@@LegacyGamingUS That is disappointing

[@ahmedfares2017]

a well written review. thanks for sharing

[@itsagabe]

So exploration is similar to Risk of Rain 2, but with some more added elements? Nice.

[@Vapor.Steve77]

Is this from the creators of hades?

[@potatopotato759]

ya

[@LegacyGamingUS]

Nope, creator of Curse of the Dead Gods

[@Vapor.Steve77]

@@LegacyGamingUS Don't know that one but im about to give it a try

[@beezer5623]

Looks great, it’s Solomon’s Graveyard or Keep on crack

[@Blunterx420]

This game looks very interesting! Huge fan of rogue likes after playing Returnal when it first came out even though it's a rogue LITE. I'll definitely be looking into this game when it comes out. Combat looks really fun and satisfying.

[@arcticvoid518]

Would you put this against Hades?

[@qwksilver22]

Just ordered on PS5

[@strawberryfrogforever]

Last Epoch has been my vibe lately but heard the multiplayer wasn't that good in it. This seems like it could be fun, but unfortunately the lack of content sounds disappointing

[@Dooker34]

I get that companies need early access money to keep funding development and updates, but it's too much of a turn off anymore that it ends up taking years to just get any new meaningful content added. I just can't play early access anything anymore because I'll get bored of what there is to play, and when it comes time to return when a bunch of new content is added, it still feels "played" and a "been here, done that" vibe and I just can't get back into it. Best to just wait a year++ until it's finally finished, which sucks because I really am interested in playing, but best to just forget about it until a much later date.

[@86myvega]

Will there be couch co-op?

[@el_anubis4553]

We need a game like this LOTR themed pleaseee!

[@olysvk]

Diablo mixed with Hades my initial though when first saw it, seems like it will be awesome game. Hopefully they do great on launch!

[@mikesignorella9249]

"The UI doesnt tell us enough about what the skills do"... laughs in Binding of Isaac

[@mohammadalirashed3103]

The reviewer overstated the lack of content, and is doing a potentially great game a disservice. The game has a single map the same way Dota 2 has one map. The variety comes from the multiple playable characters and their distinct playstyles, as well as the build variety within each one. I've personally played 7 hours so far and feel like I've just scratched the surface.

[@pootytang69]

"I have a passion for indie roguelike games" - WOW DUDE, way to single out and make Returnal cry 😂 One can still dream of the day that there's such a thing as the AAA roguelike scene ;_;

[@gonzalodeolivera7329]

I think i will wait for more updates and then maybe buy it.

[@olsein]

I hope they implement the kind of gameplay that battlerite had. A pvp battle arena ❤️

[@manbenitez247]

Not to Knock you guys and all but, vulnerable usually means enemies take more damage or get weakner, it's common knowledge unless you are super new to videos games.

[@LegacyGamingUS]

As we've said to others, yes, we get what it broadly means, but not a single modifier in the game explains to what level it affects enemies. Is it 20%? Is it 50%? Other items start giving +1 or +3 and again, you have zero idea what that actually does, which doesn't allow you to weigh what is a better or worse upgrade path. Even on games that use vulnerable, these values are often explained.

[@miguerys9503]

Will keep an eye on it but won't buy yet, too many kickstarters and early access in my library that went nowhere.

[@dud5606]

Inb4 they release their game next to Hades again and it fades into obscurity.

[@blackOneTime]

for mobile?

[@petardinjo]

sorry but as I am not native speaker word vulnerable is more then self explanatory.. no really what do you want lol ? if enemy becomes vunerable to your attack what else do you want to know about it? for how much ? hp or % wise ? not sure what do you meant by causing frustration, I mean, enemies become vulnerable after somersault and that's it lol

[@minecraftadventur54]

Beowulf looks fantastic to play

[@lorenzomariani7386]

Watch established MOBAs add their own spin of this idea to their game in 2024

[@KonaSaint504]

What happens when time runs out?

[@LegacyGamingUS]

You get teleported to the bosses room

[@Hentirion]

reminds me of shadow of Mordor in some way. a "open world" that when you die something shifts at the map. it would be good to have some permanent buildings or quests as part of the perma upgrade

[@archavenx]

looks really good but the art direction puts me off. if the artistic style of graphics is abit more like dota2 it would have been perfect. will keep an eye on this game and wishlist it.