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Drova: Forsaken Kin

Drova: Forsaken Kin is a deep experience that feels enjoyable whether you're jumping in for an hour, or five.
Drova: Forsaken Kin Game Cover
84%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, stability
94% User Score Based on 4,813 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

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Drova: Forsaken Kin Game Cover

About

Drova: Forsaken Kin is a single player open world role playing game with fantasy, mystery and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Just2D and was released on October 15, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Drova is a pixel art role-playing game inspired by classic role-playing games. We want to create a challenging and interesting world and offer a well-rounded and consistent gaming experience.

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Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
Drova: Forsaken Kin screenshot
+5
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94%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,813 reviews
story821 positive mentions
grinding97 negative mentions
  • Deeply immersive world with rewarding exploration and rich secrets encourages player curiosity and discovery.
  • Challenging and satisfying combat system that requires skill, timing, and strategic use of resources, offering varied playstyles.
  • Strong Gothic-inspired RPG experience with meaningful choices, impactful quests, and a compelling, atmospheric narrative.
  • Steep difficulty curve and early game challenges may frustrate new players until they get accustomed and better equipped.
  • Navigation and map design can be confusing and tedious due to limited fast travel, maze-like layouts, and some inaccessible paths.
  • Some aspects like story pacing, writing quality, and combat balancing have flaws that can detract from overall enjoyment.
  • story
    2,382 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Drova: Forsaken Kin features a richly crafted, immersive story inspired by classic RPGs like Gothic, emphasizing exploration and player-driven quest discovery without quest markers. The narrative presents meaningful choices, impactful side quests, and a dark, evolving world with complex factions, though some players note occasional linearity and a pivotal forced storyline moment that limits player agency. Despite pacing issues late in the game and some obtuse quest directions, the story’s emotional depth, character development, and world-building keep many players engaged throughout an approximately 40+ hour experience with rewarding exploration and branching outcomes.

    • “The story is rich and immersive, with meaningful quests that go beyond simple fetch quests.”
    • “Drova really makes you feel like the world is alive and goes on without you, as well as evolves over time as quests and storylines progress.”
    • “The quests are well made; it's more than fetch this or fetch that, with many quests offering several solutions and narrative impacts.”
    • “The story is on the weaker side, but it is serviceable enough and does a good job of giving you reason to explore.”
    • “The story is the real strength of this game.”
    • “The story was dark and sweet.”
  • gameplay
    627 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is widely praised for its challenging, rewarding, and engaging combat system that combines old-school RPG influences with modern mechanics, offering deep exploration, meaningful progression, and varied playstyles. While some find certain mechanics clunky or slow to master and note repetitiveness or pacing issues, the overall experience is considered immersive and satisfying, especially for fans of classic Gothic-style RPGs who appreciate a skill-based, tough but fair combat loop without hand-holding.

    • “Initially I found the art style very attractive, but stayed for the amazing gameplay and worthwhile progression.”
    • “The gameplay is about as complex and deep as Skyrim and all the systems are simple enough to understand by the second chapter in the game.”
    • “Drova attempts to mix all three of these concepts together: an action game where your skill, positioning and timing for dodging and attacking impacts your effectiveness; an exploration game where there's all sorts of hidden nooks and crannies and secrets to discover; and RPG mechanics that see your weak starting character grow stronger over the course of the game.”
    • “Getting used to it, learning traversal and fighting mechanics, jogging from path to path, cave to cave, gathering resources, etc., then it becomes repetitive and tedious.”
    • “The gameplay and handling of the character is so bad that it's impossible for me to like despite trying to get into it.”
    • “Also, you move slow as heck, which is not necessarily a bad thing but what makes this so frustrating is that there's a considerable amount of backtracking in this game and there's no sprint mechanic. Most importantly, a lot of enemies use hit and run tactics so even if you get an opportunity to attack you won't be able to land more than 2 hits before the enemy runs away from you, and this issue is made way worse by the stance mechanic. Now the stance mechanic is a bar that all enemies have that gets lower as you hit them and when it reaches zero (usually after 7-8 hits) they get stunned for a few seconds giving you a chance to attack freely. This mechanic sounds good on paper but the problem is that the stance bar will refill on its own (and very quickly) if the enemy doesn't get hit in more than 5 seconds which makes it almost impossible to stun an enemy since usually you cannot land more than 2 hits before the enemy either runs away or starts spamming attacks nonstop putting you on the defensive. By the time you manage to land another hit on the enemy, its stance bar would be already refilled.”
  • graphics
    454 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a detailed and atmospheric 2D pixel-art style that evokes classic RPGs from the late '80s and '90s, offering a nostalgic yet richly crafted world. While the pixel graphics may not appeal to everyone and can sometimes feel muddy or overly simplistic, many players praise the art’s consistency, charming animations, and immersive environmental details that significantly enhance the game's mood and exploration. Overall, though not cutting-edge, the visuals effectively complement the gameplay and narrative, proving that sophisticated graphics aren't necessary to deliver a compelling and beautifully designed RPG experience.

    • “The graphics are stunning, with detailed environments that bring the world to life, making every corner of the map worth exploring.”
    • “The pixel art graphics - particularly the spells and character animations (best laughing animation in a game, period) - are brought to life with a spectacular flair.”
    • “Drova’s world is a feast for the eyes, with gorgeous graphics that perfectly complement its dark, celtic-inspired atmosphere.”
    • “Additionally, the graphics are horrible.”
    • “The graphics are sub par and all the characters look very similar; it's just boring to look at.”
    • “The pixelated graphics kinda make it hard to identify an item by just looking at dots.”
  • music
    245 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is widely praised for its atmospheric, moody, and immersive qualities that deeply enhance the dark, gothic, and Celtic-inspired setting. While the soundtrack is often described as fitting and well-composed, some users note a lack of variety and repetitive or short tracks, wishing for more uplifting or diverse melodies. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's ambiance and storytelling, making exploration and combat experiences more engaging.

    • “The music was amazing and told a story all on its own, only complaint here is that the tracks were short.”
    • “The story, the graphics, the music (oh, the music), the atmosphere - it's one of the few games where I restarted boss fights just to enjoy the utter terror, unavoidability and hopelessness that the combination of the arena and the music and the plot induced in me.”
    • “Drova truly excels at crafting an interesting story, and the variety of breathtaking environments and excellent music makes you experience emotions ranging all the way from calm and tranquility, to excitement and wonder, to anxiety and dread.”
    • “Only the music wasn't it for me.”
    • “Weak music/OST.”
    • “I guess the only thing I don't enjoy is the music; it doesn't live up to the Gothic standards.”
  • atmosphere
    195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Drova: Forsaken Kin is widely praised for its rich, dark, and immersive atmosphere that skillfully blends gothic, Celtic, and Slavic mythological elements. The game's stunning pixel art, haunting soundtrack, detailed world-building, and ambient sound design create a compelling, brooding environment that enhances exploration and storytelling. Many reviewers highlight how its atmosphere evokes nostalgic vibes reminiscent of classic RPGs like Gothic, making it a standout feature that deeply engages players throughout the experience.

    • “The atmospheric world design, moody soundscapes, and lore-rich environments draw you in and don’t let go.”
    • “The atmosphere is the first thing that stands out - driven by outstanding sound design and music.”
    • “The atmosphere, the world, and the sense of progression are simply immaculate.”
    • “Even though the atmosphere makes exploration neat, that's true for at least 15 to 30 hours (depending on the chosen difficulty and game mode).”
    • “I think the atmosphere tries to be gritty but it falls a little flat.”
    • “Drova is like Gothic where the entire dark and grim atmosphere is removed.”
  • grinding
    101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, especially in mid-to-late stages where extensive running, backtracking, and slow combat contribute to player fatigue. The lack of efficient fast travel and demanding exploration through a segmented, vertically layered map exacerbate this tedium, though some players appreciate the challenge and immersive progression despite it. Overall, while grinding is substantial and sometimes frustrating, it is balanced by a sense of accomplishment and exploration for those willing to endure it.

    • “There is no grinding a zone in order to be strong enough for the next zone-- if you stumble across an area or boss that is too difficult, that means you need to go explore other parts of the game to build up experience, better gear, and/or stronger abilities first-- but with that Dark Souls twist that allows people to visit hard areas very early on regardless because they've mastered the dodge system.”
    • “At one point the game gets a bit tedious, but I could say the same about all Gothic games.”
    • “For starters, the game is too grindy; you will not get a decent weapon or gear probably until one-third of the game. Until then, you'll have to settle with gear that's just barely slightly better than what you had, meaning you'll be doing very little damage and also taking a lot of damage. It takes a huge amount of hits to take down even the regular starting enemies—for example, rippers take about 12–16 hits to defeat on your first levels but can still take you out in 4–5 hits. Enemies often come in packs of 4–6, so every encounter can take 10 to 15 minutes without exploiting the AI, and most enemies take huge amounts of damage before going down. Every encounter feels long and tedious, and when you win, it feels like luck rather than skill or strategy.”
    • “I had a ton of fun playing it and might even play again on the harder mode, but right now I feel a little burned out as the last quarter of the game has a lot of running around to different corners of the map without any useful navigation tools, and the 2D design of this game makes reaching the further areas very tedious with a lot of backtracking as you realize you've been going down dead ends for several minutes.”
  • humor
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is a well-balanced mix of whimsical, dark, and quirky elements, often evoking laughter through clever dialogue, amusing NPC behaviors, and charming animations like character laughter. While some find the humor enhances immersion and adds charm reminiscent of classic RPGs, others note occasional cartoonish or out-of-place moments that slightly disrupt the tone. Overall, the humor enriches the narrative and world-building, offering memorable, funny interactions that complement the serious and atmospheric setting.

    • “The world is dark, unforgiving, but also the game has a whimsical humorous side to it too.”
    • “Incredibly well written quests and characters, the world feels very alive and I found myself chuckling and baffled at many points throughout my adventures.”
    • “I devoured the whole game from start to finish, enjoying the detailed little details, all the puzzles, the funny comments from NPCs, the challenging matches with enemies.”
  • emotional
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a deeply emotional experience, evoking strong nostalgia and genuine attachment reminiscent of classic RPGs like Gothic and Fallout. While some find the story and character development occasionally weak or frustrating, many praise its immersive world, meaningful choices, and impactful moments that create a heartfelt, sometimes challenging emotional roller coaster. Overall, it resonates strongly with players, making them feel like kids discovering the magic of gaming again.

    • “Great game that made me feel the magic of being young again and playing something for the first time.”
    • “Meaningful progression alongside an emotionally investing story while you explore a grounded and believable fantasy open world full of danger and mysterious ruins from a bygone age.”
    • “Absolutely fantastic game, you can feel the effort the devs put in and the depth of quests and characters truly made me feel immersed and I really cared about the outcomes of characters/story.”
    • “The lore is pretty rich, which makes the incredibly boring storyline a major disappointment.”
    • “Short, linear game with a boring story.”
  • replayability
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers strong replayability through its multiple factions, branching quests, and meaningful choices that significantly alter the story and gameplay experience. Different character builds, difficulty levels, and moral complexities encourage varied playthroughs, though some note limitations like non-respawning enemies and lack of new game plus. Overall, the depth of content, faction-specific storylines, and exploration opportunities provide rewarding replay value for players.

    • “The open world is beautifully crafted, the quests are all engaging, characters and NPCs all feel interactable and can have expansive dialogue and quests, locations are memorable, classes are engaging and fun, story is phenomenal and overall this game really surprised me with how much depth, thought, content and effort was put into it. The fact you get multiple choices and decisions that can reshape quests and the story, the two factions that can determine how your playthrough will go in future chapters, allows great replayability. The game made me care and find hidden dialogue and interactions that are optional to the story to get the best ending, making all your efforts and choices feel worth it. In the end, you really become the Drova - Forsaken Kin.”
    • “The game has solid replayability – I’m already looking forward to another run on insane + iron mode with a new weapon, and maybe even a hardcore playthrough later on (both added in a free patch, which is also worth praising). Factions play a huge role here too, and choosing your allegiance changes how the world interacts with you, adding a dynamic layer of replayability.”
    • “With 5 total acts and 2 different faction routes to choose from, this game offers a ton of content and replayability. The story is captivating once you decide what you want to do and offers multiple vastly different ways to approach it, allowing for great replayability. I finished the story with much of the side content also finished in about 32 hours, but there is still a lot for me to explore, including achieving an alternative ending, so I could easily add to that total playtime, not to mention the huge replay value that Drova has.”
    • “Zero replayability: enemies don't respawn, traders don't restock, plants and resources don't grow again. Also, decent armor and weapons are locked by the worst system possible through joining a faction, which makes you miss quests if you don't want to struggle against enemies with weak gear. Also, no New Game Plus, which in a game like this is a must-have.”
    • “There's a limited number of enemies in the game (these don't respawn), so there's a soft cap on how much you can level your character. You end up not being able to fully build your skillset if you make any mistake along the way; and I don't feel like this game has the replayability to justify that.”
    • “- Replayability can be a grind.”
  • stability
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game runs smoothly and stably on multiple platforms, especially the Steam Deck, with minimal bugs or glitches reported by many users. However, occasional freezes, minor technical issues, and some quest-related bugs persist, particularly outside of the Steam Deck environment or on Linux. Despite these, stability is generally seen as polished and better than comparable titles, with ongoing patches addressing remaining issues.

    • “The game runs great, no issues, no bugs, just perfect.”
    • “For those who need to know: the game runs great on the Steam Deck.”
    • “I cringe that I have to mention it, but the game is pretty much bug free at release and I'm very pleasantly surprised by it.”
    • “The world freezes after acts.”
    • “Even though the game engine is generally very good, it freezes now and then for a second or two (fast SSD, 32GB RAM), which is a bit underwhelming for a 2D game.”
    • “Lots of glitches and bugs that are still being patched as we speak.”
  • optimization
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is highly optimized, delivering smooth and stable performance with no significant crashes or FPS drops on both PC and Steam Deck, even on mid-range hardware. While occasional minor hiccups and bugs persist, overall it runs flawlessly, including on low-spec devices, making it well-suited for portable gaming. Some isolated areas show performance drops, but ongoing patches and developer responsiveness continue to improve stability.

    • “Performance: smooth and stable on both PC and Steam Deck; no crashes or FPS drops during testing.”
    • “The game’s low-spec requirements and excellent performance on devices like the Steam Deck are an added bonus, making it an easy recommendation for on-the-go gaming.”
    • “Not a single bug experienced, great performance, and developers that listen to player feedback and publish patches accordingly.”
    • “There are occasional performance hiccups and bugs—NPCs stuck in place, hit detection failing, or environmental assets clipping awkwardly.”
    • “There's an area to the far south of the map that just kills the game's performance; you have to go there in the end game and it's just awful.”
    • “Combat is gritty and takes getting used to, but it is horribly optimized.”
  • character development
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is generally praised for being intuitive, meaningful, and well-integrated with the story, offering a satisfying RPG experience without overly complex systems like class-based skills or branching trees. While some users find the character designs diverse and the development organic and constant, others feel the characters can be less memorable or limited in depth. Overall, the system balances simplicity and player choice, enhancing immersion and replay value.

    • “Awesome RPG pixel art game, with great mechanics, great character development, interesting plot, and extraordinary gothic related climate.”
    • “The character development of the NPCs is superb and wherever you find yourself, it feels organic and never forced or out of place.”
    • “With a return to the old formulas of the RPG genre, a beautifully composed soundtrack, the freedom to explore the lovingly designed world of Drova, tangible character development and decisions with scope and consequences, this game does everything right and thus offers additional replay value.”
    • “I also appreciate the high diversity in character designs but I just wish the characters themselves were more memorable.”
    • “There's just a lot that feels weird, and limited with character creation, and character development and building.”
    • “There's not much in terms of stealth/stealing/lockpicking gameplay, there are no classes and no branching skill trees for character development.”
  • monetization
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and intrusive monetization tactics, focusing instead on delivering a genuine, passion-driven experience without ads or in-game purchases. While some users note occasional ads between boss fights, overall the monetization approach is considered minimal and non-disruptive, enhancing the game's appeal compared to typical cash-grab titles.

    • “No microtransactions.”
    • “I had my fill of PoE and was waiting for PoE2, burned out on microtransactions and the grind of Lost Ark, and was looking for a truly beautiful single-player game to dive into.”
    • “But when it's just 2 bosses with ads, and more ads and... ads.”
    • “Playing this game brings me back to when making games were an art form, not a monetization strategy.”
    • “I'd had my fill of microtransactions and the grind of Lost Ark, and was looking for a truly beautiful single player game to dive into.”
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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews
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31h Median play time
31h Average play time
14-50h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 57 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Drova: Forsaken Kin is a open world role playing game with fantasy, mystery and dark fantasy themes.

Drova: Forsaken Kin is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 31 hours playing Drova: Forsaken Kin.

Drova: Forsaken Kin was released on October 15, 2024.

Drova: Forsaken Kin was developed by Just2D.

Drova: Forsaken Kin has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Drova: Forsaken Kin for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Drova: Forsaken Kin is a single player game.

Similar games include Dread Delusion, Risen, SKALD: Against the Black Priory, Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms, Pillars of Eternity and others.