Ravva and the Phantom Library
- July 6, 2023
- Galope Studios
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Get on itch.io StoreEscape this nightmare!Ravva and the Phantom Library is a pixel-art platformer adventure where you play as a young summoner! Armed with powerful companions who hold special powers, your goal is to escape the Phantom Library by exploring the worlds within those haunted books! Story Our hero, Ravva, is a little owl who can do a special kind of magic: summoning. Four companions are available on the …
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Charming and colorful 8-bit art style with adorable animations that enhance the overall experience.
- Accessible gameplay with a balanced difficulty level, making it a great entry point for new players while still offering challenges for veterans.
- Variety of gameplay modes and collectibles, including speedrun options and achievements, providing ample replayability and engagement.
- The default control scheme can be cumbersome, especially on devices like the Steam Deck, requiring adjustments before starting the game.
- Some gameplay mechanics, such as cycling through summons, can feel tedious and may benefit from improved shortcuts or menus.
- The music, while well-composed, can become repetitive over time, potentially detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their vibrant pixel art style, combining a nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic with modern enhancements. Reviewers highlight the clean visuals, cute animations, and a strong atmosphere that contribute to an enjoyable gaming experience. Overall, the graphics effectively blend classic elements with contemporary design, making it visually appealing.
“It's just really fun to play, with great graphics, atmosphere, and objectives.”
“Graphically, the game follows the classic pixelated art style reminiscent of older games with a vibrant color palette.”
“Cute art style and animations.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
“The pixelated art style feels too simplistic and doesn't offer much visual appeal.”
“The color palette is vibrant, but the overall graphics fail to impress.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its solid mechanics, responsive controls, and visually appealing design, offering a fun platforming experience with a variety of summons and level themes. While the challenges effectively replace the previous score system and encourage exploration, some players feel that the gameplay could benefit from additional mechanics and variety to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game is enjoyable but leaves players wanting more depth.
“This is a very solid game with nice visuals and responsive gameplay.”
“I do think the challenges are an adequate replacement for the score mechanic of the previous game, since it encourages players to take their time and truly appreciate what each stage has to offer to find all of the secrets and achieve the true ending.”
“Nice platforming, fun arsenal of summons to use, and a good variety of level design and themed mechanics.”
“The gameplay is fairly simple but is used creatively well.”
“The game does make you want more; however, it is clear to see where more mechanics and variety could easily push the concept further.”
“Stages, while adding an element or two, do not include any mechanics that significantly alter the gameplay.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its well-written compositions and memorable motifs, though some users noted that the instrumentation can become repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, making the bundle purchase worthwhile to support the developers.
“The music is well-written; I noticed the main motif in all the songs! I see you!”
“It's definitely worth buying the bundle with both games and this game's OST, even if it's just to support the devs. Super hyped for Ravva 3, excited to see what Galope Studios does next!”
“And the soundtrack is on point!”
“The music is well-written (I noticed the main motif in all the songs! I see you!) but the instrumentation got repetitive.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story is straightforward and mirrors the previous game, featuring a basic premise introduced at the beginning and concluded at the end, but lacks any narrative development between levels.
“The story is fairly simple, similar to the previous game, and sets up the basic premise for the game with an intro and ending sequence, but there is nothing story-wise in between the levels.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly when it comes to cycling through summons.
“Cycling through the summons can be a little tedious.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging graphics and enjoyable gameplay, contributing to an overall fun experience.
“It's just really fun to play, with great graphics, atmosphere, and objectives.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's strong replayability, highlighting the unique stages that encourage exploration for secrets, achievements, and collectibles. The option to replay levels also appeals to those interested in mastering patterns for speedrunning.
“For me, the best decision here was to add a good amount of replayability to the game, giving you the option to replay the stages (which are more unique now) to find secrets, gather achievements, and collectibles in general, or memorize the patterns and timings for speedrunning, if that's your thing.”
