Ravenswatch Gets Major Early Access Update, “Shores of Storm Island”
Sep. 11, 2023Ravenswatch Gets Major Early Access Update, “Shores of Storm Island”
Ravenswatch gets a substantial update called “Shores of Storm Island”. This is the second large patch the Early Access roguelite has received.
Passtech Games, the creative minds behind the roguelite “Curse of the Dead Gods” are at it again! Their latest project,Ravenswatch, has been chugging along in Early Access for a few months already.
This title centers on unique characters from various myths, fables, and other legends. After an extensive private Experimental Beta, Ravenswatch received a pretty hefty update last September 7th, which added a ton of content.
Arguably the most exciting bit of new things is the addition of Chapter 2. It brings along a new map, the titular Storm Island, which is filled to the bring with more dangers and horrors. Players and their party will battle it out with mythical creatures on various beaches, alcoves, hills, and other island-themed areas. Expect the worst weather conditions as well, which is quite in line with the island’s name. It isn’t clear yet whether the weather will have a gameplay impact in Ravenswatch just yet.
Heroes of Ravenswatch will reach the new island after emerging victorious on the first map, or Chapter 1. The new area will unlock level 8 upgrades for you to obtain, granting you a jump in power.
Players will get to face off against over 10 new enemies, each elegantly detailed in line with the game’s iconic dark cel-shaded art style. These Nightmares will be split into four new types: Rocs, which are essentially mighty eagles, Gnolls, Jinns, and Crabs. One new miniboss, in particular, is a gigantic crab ready to snip at you with its mighty pincers.
Another big update to Ravenswatch is to the various heroes. As previously revealed, the members of Ravenswatch are summoned heroes from old folklore and fairytales. Players choose one of these heroes, each with a darker twist to match the Lovecraftian aesthetic of the game. Currently, there are 7 characters to choose from, up from 6 in the game’s initial launch. This includes Scarlet (or the Little Red Riding Hood), the Pied Piper, the Snow Queen, Beowulf, Aladdin, Melusine, and Geppetto (hello,Lies of P!).
Each hero will get at least 3 new Talents (which were previously called Upgrades in earlier patches). Scarlet, for example, will gain the Explosive Rush talent that leaves behind an explosion in her wake when she dashes. The mighty Beowulf can perform a Fiery Slash. While it may not sound flashy, it sure is effective at cleaving enemies in front of you. Aladdin can summon his Genie to grant him a “Wish of Omnipotence”, which does sound quite ominous.
The Snow Queen, however, will be getting 5 talents in total alongside a complete rework of her kit. Apparently, the character herself was already in a good place but the developers had to carefully examine and balance the feedback surrounding her. One chief complaint was that she lost a lot of damage potential depending on the time of day. This has been fixed to make her more reliable and less dependent on daylight. Her role as a “combo mage” has also been further solidified, as expressed by the changes to her skillset.
The new chapter will also introduce a new themed quest. Players will need to free the iconic Sinbad from being trapped by a mighty Cyclops. The cyclops is a new boss encounter that has a ton of earth and lightning-based skills.
Aside from that, Ravenswatch will have some balancing changes to reflect the fact that there are now two chapters per run, instead of one. Previously, Chapter 1 was played across 4 days. However considering there’s another entry, having an entire game session last four 8 days total would be too long. The change here is that each chapter will last 3 days instead, for a grand total of 6 (if you survive long enough, that is).
In line with this, some XP will be rewarded faster, some objects are more potent, and you get more healing initially. The list of changes is extensive, so better see for yourselves how the new style plays out.
Ravenswatch features procedurally generated levels with a grim and dark art style reminiscent of games like Darkest Dungeon and Curse of the Gods. Each area offers shifting layouts and enemies, requiring players to collect Dream Shards by defeating foes and trade them with the Sandman for upgrades.
The game supports co-op play for up to four players, allowing for strategic synergy between its 7 characters.
In other news, check outLies of P Shows Off the Legion Arm Options in New Gameplay Footage, andStarfield is the Biggest Bethesda Game Launch with 6 Million Players.
Auberon
Writer at Fextralife. I really like vanilla ice cream.
