It is difficult not to notice the games of the Cococucumber team, even among the anthology of stylish indies that invade the market at a regular pace: the choice of the particular voxel leads to an unmistakable trait, to the point that it has turned it into a species stylistic signature of their productions. There ravenlok review should certify the achievement of the peak of the "voxel trilogy" conceived by the developers and, in some aspects, the objective has certainly been achieved, although perhaps we would have liked to see greater maturity also in the area of structure and gameplay , as well as aesthetics and atmosphere that could be worth the price of admission alone.
The team's intention was precisely this: to create an interactive fairy tale capable of remembering Alice in Wonderland and mix it with suggestions of gothic and classic teenage cinema, with those eighties inspirations that are now a constant in Cococucumber's productions, as we had already seen in the Ravenlok trailer.
From this point of view, the operation was a complete success, because the game really drags us into a strange story built according to the most classic elements of the fairy tale, starting precisely from the morphological elements of Propp's theory. For the rest, it also builds a well-made action adventure in terms of the mix between action and puzzles, although everything is quite diluted in secondary missions and a level of challenge that is too low.
Through the looking glass
La history is kept deliberately simple and unfolds according to the standard fairy tale plot: the protagonist is Ravenlok, a black-haired girl who has just moved into an old family home in the countryside at the urging of her parents. She is not very convinced by the choice, which reveals the classic dynamic of the teenager who is thrown from a known world to another yet to be built, bringing out the most rebellious and adventurous side of her. The issue is barely mentioned, because the game does not dwell too much on dialogues and introspections, limiting itself to staging exchanges that could come directly from an illustrated children's book: however, an underlying allegory is noticeable, with the protagonist who decides to put his liveliness and desire for rebellion at the service of a revolt in the strange fantasy world he finds when crossing the old mirror discovered in the stable.
The reference to the writings of Lewis Carroll is obvious and is a characteristic element of the entire game. Through the mirror, Ravenlok finds a wonderful world populated by strange talking creatures and endowed with incredible landscapes, but over which looms the threat of an evil queen, who has subjugated the inhabitants, breaking the peace and serenity of the place.
Faithful to an ancient prophecy that spoke of a black-haired savior, our heroine enthusiastically embarks on the mission to free the world from the queen's game, but to do so she must first collect three emblems with which to open the castle door, each of which was connected to several linked missions. The construction is elementary, but that's how it is: the story It is fully respected in its structural terms (initial situation, complication, development and end), reflecting Propp's scheme and a good part of the classical actants. Furthermore, much of the charm comes from the visual representation of the world of Ravenlok, which manages to transport us to fantastic and varied worlds.
Action and adventure
Also on the front of game, Ravenlok seems to reference classic models without adding practically anything new, staging a "style" action adventure reminiscent of Zelda with some RPG action elements, but always keeping it very light. Too light, to be honest: despite the presence of some spectacular battles with several final bosses, the game never hits the mark and always remains at a very low level of difficulty. This leads us to think that the potentially most suitable audience is especially young people, also due to the narrative method chosen, although it is a product suitable for different age groups.
With a slightly elevated third-person view, we find ourselves exploring the wonderful landscapes, eliminating several enemies without too much effort with the use of the sword and some special techniques that are acquired as the game progresses, to be handled respecting the Classic associated cooldowns.
Dodge and shield complete the picture. combat system, to be honest, not very developed but still capable of offering some moments of satisfaction, especially during the fight against some bosses.
For the rest, a good part of the game mechanics is based on the solution of puzzle and the completion of the numerous quests that are activated by speaking with characters throughout the strange kingdom. There are some puzzles that require a minimum of concentration, especially to put together the clues scattered throughout the disparate scenarios that we find ourselves exploring, but in general the missions are mainly directed along the lines of the classic "collection missions" that see us collecting objects and bringing them to various NPCs. In line with the overall superficiality of the game, the few RPG elements are limited to a progression between levels that leads to simple incremental stat logic, in which leveling is done by manually investing experience points into a "bank" to upgrade. to the protagonist.
A wonderful world in voxels
Ravenlok's greatest strength lies in its particular aesthetic, which derives from graphic style in voxel that has become a true stylistic characteristic of the Cococucumber team. Not in vain, the very concept of "voxel trilogy" that underlies the three main titles developed by the team (Riverbond, Echo Generation and Ravenlok) has a stylistic characterization, which evidently turns out to be of great importance in the design of the games themselves. . On this front the game perfectly achieves its objective, managing to create a fantastic and wonderful world that is truly a pleasure to explore and that we would like to continue seeing new scenarios, in the continuous and sudden changes of scenery and atmospheres that we face. we are subjected. The team has achieved considerable mastery in handling the voxel, which in this case is mixed with more complex 3D structures and models to also present softer and more refined shapes and surfaces, but maintaining the angularity typical of this type of stylization.
The only partially modifiable plane always manages to present a good part of the scenario, contributing to the "expository clarity" typical of the entire game, in its general simplicity. The desire to sequester the player in particular fairytale atmospheres is also evident by the number of times Ravenlok stops at panoramic vantage points that allow for wider views of this strange wonderland. For the rest, the orchestral musical accompaniment provides adequate accompaniment to the general atmosphere, although it is a bit repetitive.
Conclusions
Tested version Xbox Series X digital delivery Steam, Xbox Store, Windows Store Price 24,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.0 Readers (17) 7.5 your voteTaken as an interactive fairy tale, to immerse yourself in, awakening your dreamy childish spirit, Ravenlok turns out to be a fantastic experience with considerable impact. However, as an action-adventure game, it would have needed more care in balancing and designing the puzzles. Aside from some slightly more challenging puzzles, the challenge level is clearly calibrated downwards, to the point that it suggests that this is a game aimed primarily at a very young audience, who in fact can easily find themselves loving this new Cococucumber production. . For older or more experienced users of adventures and combat, Ravenlok offers above all the charm of a wonderful world to discover, but that passes quickly and lightly like a small short story, without leaving too much of a mark in its 5 hours of overall gameplay. .
PRO
- A wonderful and fascinating world.
- It really feels like exploring a fairy tale.
- Combat would be fun, if it weren't so easy.
AGAINST
- Very low level of challenge between combat and puzzles.
- Short and with little incentive for new games.
- Most missions are structured the same way.
