My Friend is a Raven

The story of "My Friend is a Raven" is a short yet impactful narrative that explores themes of regret, empathy, and consequence through its multiple endings. While many players appreciate the game's unique art style and atmospheric storytelling, they often express a desire for a longer, more fleshed-out experience, as the brevity leaves some elements feeling underdeveloped. Overall, the game is praised for its intriguing plot and emotional depth, making it a noteworthy example of effective storytelling in indie games.

The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique art style, immersive sound design, and ability to evoke feelings of unease and foreboding. Many reviewers highlight the game's dark, eerie, and melancholic tone, which complements its narrative themes, despite some noting the brevity of the experience limits emotional impact. Overall, the combination of visuals, sound, and storytelling creates a captivating and atmospheric experience that resonates with players.

The gameplay is primarily simplistic and minimal, often described as more akin to an interactive visual novel than a traditional game, with players engaging in basic point-and-click mechanics to explore the story. While some appreciate the art style and atmosphere, many reviewers criticize the shallow gameplay and the overwhelming amount of text, leading to a short overall experience that can feel tedious. Despite its brevity, the game offers multiple endings and a dark narrative that some players found enjoyable, though the execution left much to be desired.

The music in the game is minimal yet effective, enhancing the atmosphere and complementing the visuals to convey a haunting, post-apocalyptic tone. While some players noted the absence of background music, others praised the atmospheric tracks that contribute to the game's eerie mood and storytelling. Overall, the combination of music, art, and sound design creates a captivating and immersive experience, despite some concerns about audio levels.

The game offers a moderate level of replayability, primarily through its four distinct endings, which encourage players to explore different narrative paths. However, some reviewers note that once all endings are achieved, the replay value diminishes significantly. Overall, while the art style and engaging story enhance the experience, the short length and limited gameplay mechanics may restrict long-term replayability.

The emotional impact of the game varies significantly among players; while some find it lacking depth due to its brevity, others are deeply moved by the characters' struggles and the diverse endings, which range from touching to dark. The atmospheric visuals and sound design enhance the experience, allowing for a brief yet emotionally resonant journey that can evoke a range of feelings, from joy to despair. Overall, the game offers a mix of emotional engagement, though its short length may limit some players' connection to the narrative.

The game is criticized for its poor optimization, particularly on higher settings, leading to performance issues even on capable hardware like the RTX 2060. While it still looks impressive on lower settings, the overall experience is marred by these optimization flaws, especially given its short length.

The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and unexpected moments, particularly involving a comical bird that players find amusing, even when its antics lead to unintended consequences. Overall, the humor is light-hearted and adds a playful element to the gameplay experience.

Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to unskippable dialogue that complicates attempts to achieve different endings. However, some note that once familiar with the mechanics, the process becomes less burdensome.

The game features appealing graphics and a beautiful aesthetic, but users report issues with stability, including glitches, slow performance, and frequent crashes and freezes.