GRAVEN

About

"GRAVEN is a single-player or co-op shooter game with puzzles, set in a detailed medieval fantasy world. As a priest, use spells and crystals to combat eldritch perversions and uncover the motives of heretical sects. Despite some bugs and grinding, GRAVEN boasts splendid gameplay, outstanding visuals, and masterful music, with character designs by Chuck Jones and voice talent from Stephan Weyte."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 908 reviews

gameplay67 positive mentions

stability66 negative mentions

Graven has a captivating atmosphere and art style reminiscent of classic games like Hexen and Heretic.
The level design encourages exploration and rewards players with secrets and shortcuts.
The combat, while initially clunky, becomes more engaging as players unlock new weapons and upgrades.

The save system is frustrating, as players are returned to the hub area upon quitting, losing progress and respawning enemies.
The game lacks a map, making navigation confusing and leading to aimless wandering.
Many spells and weapons feel underwhelming and ineffective in combat, diminishing the overall gameplay experience.

gameplay
236 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The gameplay of Graven has received mixed reviews, with many players enjoying its nostalgic old-school feel and atmospheric design, but expressing frustration over various issues such as a non-functional save system, janky mechanics, and numerous bugs. While some find the core gameplay fun and engaging, others criticize it for being tedious, unbalanced, and lacking depth, particularly in combat and puzzle design. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements and polish to fully realize its ambitions.
- “The gameplay is great and challenging, but it has a non-functional save system.”
- “With gameplay this fun, it's easy to overlook a few bugs, but if the game is to live up to its potential, these bugs have to be patched.”
- “The thrill of navigating through its challenges while enjoying the buttery-smooth Unreal Engine gameplay is an absolute joy.”
- “Gameplay is janky in general with some very frustrating design choices that ruin the fun, such as making you lose money every time you die.”
- “It's turned into a bland, boring, poorly optimized, uninspired mess which threw out the immersive spell casting in favor of mechanical and poorly thought out puzzles that have spell casting elements.”
- “The gameplay itself isn't fast, nor does it feel particularly skillful, and I don't know if I've encountered enemies that can be described as both annoying and awful to deal with as early as I have in Graven.”
story
195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
81%
8%
The story in "Graven" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it weak, vague, and poorly integrated into the gameplay. While some appreciate the atmospheric setting and the potential for deeper lore, others criticize the lack of clear direction, quest markers, and coherent narrative progression, often leading to frustration and confusion. Overall, the game presents an intriguing premise but struggles to deliver a compelling and engaging story experience, particularly in its current early access state.
- “Graven beckons players into a richly atmospheric medieval fantasy world where the stakes are as high as the priest's quest for redemption is deep.”
- “The atmosphere is great and the story doesn't look bad either.”
- “The storytelling, albeit simple, is done really nicely; I very much enjoyed learning more about the world and the plague that runs rampant within it.”
- “The story is nonsense.”
- “You might even say there is no story at all.”
- “The quests are designed in a way that feels vague and I generally don't feel any investment in the plot.”
graphics
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
49%
4%
The graphics of "Graven" have received widespread praise for their beautiful retro aesthetic, blending nostalgic '90s visuals with modern design elements to create an immersive dark fantasy atmosphere. Many players appreciate the art style and atmospheric lighting, noting that it enhances the overall experience despite some technical issues and gameplay flaws. However, there are concerns about optimization and performance, with some players experiencing bugs and lag that detract from the visual enjoyment.
- “The art style is phenomenal, the combat and weapon design feels great, the atmosphere is amazing, but I was physically unable to finish the game due to an apparently frequent bug preventing me from progressing through the story in the third act of the game.”
- “Merging the nostalgic charm of '90s gaming with sleek modern visuals, this game offers a unique blend that appeals to both retro aficionados and contemporary players alike.”
- “The atmosphere, graphics, sounds, weapons, and enemies are all well done, and so far the map design and missions have been intuitive and easy to follow.”
- “It's not an arthouse game, it's a very simple shooter with hideous graphics and design.”
- “It's such a shame that this kind of artwork and music is wasted on a badly designed game that was rushed out the door without any quality control.”
- “The game is still laggy as hell and for the kind of graphics it has - I expect it to perform at least half decently, to impress at least a little.”
atmosphere
168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
30%
2%
The atmosphere of "Graven" is widely praised for its rich, immersive dark fantasy world, characterized by stunning graphics, detailed environments, and a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Many players appreciate the game's nostalgic nods to classic titles like "Hexen" and "Heretic," highlighting the intricate level design and moody aesthetic that invite exploration. However, some reviews note that while the atmosphere is a strong point, it is often undermined by gameplay issues and bugs that detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “The dark fantasy world of Graven is beautifully crafted, and the atmospheric soundtrack enhances the overall gaming experience.”
- “The atmosphere is excellent and reminds me of the Heretic & Hexen series.”
- “Graven breathes atmosphere.”
- “Combine that with an absurd, out-of-place stamina system and a save system that doesn't store information about which mob enemies you have killed, and you have an extremely tedious game, where you run through massive maps filled with brain-dead enemies, having barely any plot to give you motivation and not even having any atmosphere - it's not fun!”
- “A strange, inconsistent atmosphere is present in every episode, just like the game doesn't know what it wants to be.”
- “But after giving two years to Graven, and despite its charming art and atmosphere that captivated me in the first place, I have to warn people not to make the same mistake I did and fall for Graven's unique look and feel; now the game is going out of early access with all those issues.”
stability
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and soft locks that severely hinder gameplay. Many players have experienced game-breaking problems, particularly in later acts, despite some improvements following updates. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess," leaving it feeling unpolished and unfinished, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Runs great on Linux.”
- “Otherwise bug-free in the actual state from my perspective.”
- “This game is such a buggy mess that it's almost unplayable, and even if all bugs get fixed, you will end up with a very mediocre game with some questionable design choices.”
- “The game is very buggy, specifically where key switches randomly reset, which can soft lock you into sections.”
- “Unfortunately, it is still buggy even after the 1.0 full release and a couple of updates.”
music
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
46%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly in the early chapters. However, some players criticize the lack of consistent music during gameplay, noting that it can be too quiet or absent in key moments, such as boss arenas. Overall, while the soundtrack is often described as beautiful and fitting, there are calls for improvements in its volume and presence throughout the game.
- “The dark fantasy world of Graven is beautifully crafted, and the atmospheric soundtrack enhances the overall gaming experience.”
- “The music slaps - perfect for atmosphere, the mechanics are solid, the impact feels like you're doing something, the levels require some problem-solving skills but if you're ready this game will add creases to your brain!”
- “The atmosphere, aesthetics, and music are terrific; however, I'll be happy to update this review as the game progresses.”
- “The game has practically no music.”
- “Boss arenas are entirely devoid of music.”
- “The mixing on the music seems a little confused at times - activating combat music when there are no enemies, etc. I'm sure that'll be fixed.”
grinding
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and frustrating, with players noting repetitive combat, uninteresting weapon upgrades, and a lack of meaningful progression. Backtracking through respawned enemies, clunky inventory management, and poorly designed level layouts contribute to a monotonous experience that detracts from enjoyment. Overall, the game fails to provide engaging gameplay, leading to a sense of boredom and annoyance among players.
- “Uninteresting and grindy weapon upgrades, absent gold drops in Act 2, game-breaking bug that has stopped me from finishing the game in Act 3, which has been known since at least January and never fixed.”
- “The level design is bland and tedious with weird interconnections that seem random and progression relying on finding hidden keys spread across the map and solving tedious puzzles, not to mention the insane amount of backtracking.”
- “Game becomes tedious, frustrating, and obscure puzzles with respawning mobs, unclear objectives, journal entries offering no real help; I just wanted it to end.”
optimization
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
55%
34%
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous performance issues, including frequent stuttering, bugs, and memory leaks that degrade gameplay over time. Many players experienced significant frame drops and glitches, particularly in the early chapters, leading to a frustrating gaming experience. While some found the graphics appealing, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from severe optimization problems that detract from its potential enjoyment.
- “It's a title I ultimately enjoy and could see it be so much better with the questionable design choices mentioned earlier and fixing out the obvious, like Unreal Engine 4 performance bugs, soft locks in corners, falling through the map, enemy physics, you know, the usual that some might be turned off by if they're not seasoned jank enjoyers.”
- “Love the aesthetic, the performance is good, and playing with the physics is fun with friends, and best of all, this works on my Steam Deck (at least so far).”
- “Performance: runs well, with some strange early access issues that are easily fixed.”
- “Graven is also a buggy mess and has performance issues.”
- “Some other things to note: the performance gradually degrades to the point that it becomes unplayable, like there's a memory leak or something.”
- “If you've ever played Heretic/Hexen games you'll have a lot to enjoy here; even the retro graphic aesthetics...which leads me to my greatest gripe currently: the optimization is terrible.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the potential for multiple playthroughs and varied side quests, while others find it lacking due to a short completion time and limited content. Many hope for improvements post-early access, including more diverse playstyles and systems that enhance replay value. Overall, the current state suggests that replayability may be limited, but future updates could address these concerns.
- “This game has a lot of replayability right off the bat and I enjoy that with games.”
- “Another way of replayability is some sort of system that allows me different playstyles and embracing them.”
- “My expectations: I hope the game will be replayable, for example after completing the game you will gain access to the second game.”
- “I really recommend the game when it is out of early access, the game is currently 20.99€ or about 25 dollars which is quite a lot for a game that can be completed easily under 10 hours and doesn't have much replayability.”
- “Lacks replayability, I ended up in early access as a millionaire with poor weapons and that was it; no weapon or armor to buy, no more ammo or packs to carry more ammo, nothing.”
- “I'm not sure how replayable the game is; we definitely haven't found all of the side quests, but I'm not sure if they are randomized on each playthrough or if we spent long enough we could see everything in a single go.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
30%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with moments of unintentional comedy arising from bugs and awkward mechanics, such as dead bodies sliding around in a humorous yet immersion-breaking manner. While some players found the quirky interactions and character voice acting amusing, others felt that the lack of engaging humor and lively NPC interactions detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of funny moments, but it often feels more broken than intentionally comedic.
- “The funny thing is that I could see each YouTuber at various points struggling with the same thing I was, tabbing out to a guide they found, and then coming back to point to the way to go.”
- “A lot of the times what happened to me was going through a place with a bunch of dead bodies, and some of the dead bodies slid into their place (these bodies were actually alive waiting to get a drop in) like they were some Tony Hawk Pro-Deader. It was funny, but it both reveals which bodies are the problem and also breaks the immersion.”
- “I'll give them credit for the laugh riot; the next time I want to experience something totally broken and hilariously messed up, I will come back to Graven.”
- “Another unfunny crow review, caw caw.”
- “The jokes fell flat and felt forced throughout the game.”
- “I expected humor, but it was more cringeworthy than funny.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism, with some players feeling it resembles a cash grab, particularly due to the high price of $23 for a release that offers less content than a previously available free demo. Concerns about the game's potential abandonment and reliance on nostalgia further contribute to a negative perception of its monetization approach. Overall, many users express disappointment and reluctance to recommend the game based on its current pricing and content value.
- “I'm starting to feel like 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks are just trying to do quick cash grabs on people's nostalgia.”
- “Has really good potential, sadly it looks more and more like it'll be abandonware, only really getting news with announcements for other games and saving the important updates related to the game to events and conferences where they can use them as ads.”
- “Charging $23 for a 'release' that has less content than the free demo you gave out earlier this year makes this game feel like a huge cash grab, and is gonna be a hard pass and a definite not recommendation from me until full release (if it ever gets to that).”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is mixed, with some players feeling a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of retro first-person shooters, while others express boredom similar to their experiences with titles like Hexen.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with players expressing disappointment that the game fails to provide meaningful growth or depth for its characters. This absence detracts from the overall immersive experience.
- “There is no character development at all; it feels like the characters are just placeholders.”
- “The lack of character growth makes the story feel flat and unengaging.”
- “I was really disappointed with the character development; it felt rushed and superficial.”