Ritual: Crown of Horns

53%
Game Brain Score Based on 28 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Ritual: Crown of Horns Game Cover
Ritual: Crown of Horns is an enjoyable experience, but one that seems determined to frustrate through its unforgiving difficulty and repetitive nature. Its soul is saved, though, by an grimly pretty art style and satisfying, punchy gunplay.
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Ritual: Crown of Horns is a slaughterhouse. A violent, fast-paced action game set in an alternate Wild West, an absurd, acid-fueled vision of hellish frontier. It's a fast paced 3D top-down base defense shooter, using a selection of best horde-mode mechanics.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

53%
Audience ScoreBased on 28 reviews
gameplay10 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • Ritual: Crown of Horns offers fast-paced, satisfying twin-stick shooter action with a unique western-horror theme.
  • The game features a variety of unlockable weapons and spells, allowing for adaptable playstyles and strategic combat.
  • The atmosphere is enhanced by good art design and a haunting soundtrack, creating an engaging experience for players.
  • The story is delivered through tedious text-based conversations, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks variety, with some mechanics being unintuitive and frustrating for players.
  • Auto-aim is permanently enabled, which may hinder the experience for those who prefer more control over their aiming.
  • gameplay28 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized as a top-down shooter with a focus on horde defense mechanics, offering a mix of intuitive controls and satisfying gunplay, though some players find the aiming and charge mechanics clunky. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable and the atmosphere is praised, the difficulty may be too high for casual players, and the progression can feel unbalanced. Overall, it provides a solid experience for those seeking straightforward, engaging gameplay, despite some accessibility concerns.

    • “The gameplay is extremely satisfying.”
    • “So far game's atmosphere is awesome and overall gameplay design seems solid, movement and aiming are smooth as it should be.”
    • “Let them know how you feel about that. The mixed reviews for this game kept me away for a while, but I can tell you with certainty if you're just looking for a fun top-down shooter that isn't full of flash and nonsense and just focuses on good simple gameplay, then you have found it.”
    • “The long and short of it is that this is a top-down shooter with arcade gameplay spread across a handful of different enough levels and a smattering of story that feels like it's punching way above the weight of its presentation and having too little of an effect.”
    • “Too many of the game mechanics just slow things down unnecessarily.”
    • “The auto-aim being an absolute necessity, even when you swap input methods, is really painful and makes it really hard to focus on anything but how clunky and obnoxious the charge mechanic is, especially considering that, because this game is entirely focused on a horde-style story mode, you aren't actually traversing levels like many other twin stick shooters, you're consistently defending this witch in extremely cramped maps.”
  • story11 mentions

    The story is a familiar tale of a bounty hunter turned hero who is betrayed by the very government that sends him on a mission, featuring a mix of cliché elements and a "weird fiction" vibe that creates an intriguing atmosphere. While the narrative is delivered through lengthy text-based conversations and may feel underwhelming in its execution, it offers enough context to enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the plot is considered better than expected, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more engaging or coherent storytelling approach.

    • “The plot is better than I expected, from the writing to the concept to the art.”
    • “These elements combined with the story, that has a 'weird fiction' vibe, create an intriguing atmosphere.”
    • “Game is about a cowboy sent on a hunt and kill mission under false pretenses and ends up getting killed by the very group that was supposedly on his side.”
    • “The story is pretty cliché - you are a bounty hunter/wild west legend who is basically a hero of the nation (there are even dime novels published with him as the protagonist), and you are sent by the government (which turns out to be sort of an Illuminati bad guys...) to kill the witch (...but then the government cultists tear you up with hatchets).”
    • “The long and short of it is that this is a top-down shooter with arcade gameplay spread across a handful of different enough levels and a smattering of story that feels like it's punching way above the weight of its presentation and having too little of an effect.”
    • “People looking for a casual experience or those who want a story and controls that make sense will probably be left looking for more.”
  • graphics7 mentions

    The graphics of "Ritual: Crown of Horns" are generally considered competent, featuring a solid top-down view that enhances enemy readability. While the overall visuals may not be groundbreaking, the art style in cutscenes and character portraits is praised, contributing to a haunting atmosphere that complements the game's horror western aesthetic. The combination of good art direction and effective sound design elevates the experience, despite some limitations in graphical fidelity.

    • “Ritual: Crown of Horns is one hell of a competent top-down twin-stick shooter that sets an excellent atmosphere with its visuals and soundtrack for some serious demon/cultist killing.”
    • “The art style in cutscenes, character portraits, and loading screens is pretty good, and the dialogues complement the portrait representation nicely.”
    • “Its soul is saved, though, by a grimly pretty art style and satisfying, punchy gunplay.”
    • “While the overall graphics are nothing to write home about (it's not isometric, but literally top-down view), the enemy readability is great (I'm not color-blind though, so wouldn't know how readable they would be for color-blind folks). The art style in cutscenes, character portraits, and loading screens is pretty good, the dialogues are nice and go well with the portrait representation, and the music is haunting.”
    • “While the overall graphics are nothing to write home about (it's not isometric, but literally top-down view), the enemy readability is great (I'm not color-blind though, so wouldn't know how readable they would be for color-blind folks). The art style in cutscenes, character portraits, and loading screens is pretty good, the dialogues are nice and go well with the portrait representation, and the music is haunting.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in "Ritual: Crown of Horns" is widely praised for its haunting and mesmerizing qualities, effectively enhancing the game's atmosphere during intense gameplay. Reviewers appreciate the soundtrack's ability to immerse players in the action, complementing the unique art style and overall aesthetic of the game.

    • “Do not listen to people who pour negativity over this game - Ritual: Crown of Horns is one hell of a competent top-down twin-stick shooter that sets an excellent atmosphere with its visuals and soundtrack for some serious demon/cultist killing.”
    • “First, it attracts attention through quite a unique drawing style and the sound; one of the musical themes is just mesmerizing.”
    • “Soundtrack is really good when you're in the thick of it blasting demons with the broken butterfly and you're really zoned in.”
    • “While the overall graphics are nothing to write home about (it's not isometric, but literally top-down view), the enemy readability is great (I'm not colour-blind though, so wouldn't know how readable they would be for colour-blind folk), the art style in cutscenes, character portraits, and loading screens is pretty good, the dialogues are nice and go well with the portrait representation, and the music is haunting.”
    • “First it attracts attention through quite unique drawings' style and the sound (one of the musical themes is just mesmerizing).”
    • “I love the art style, the music, and the premise.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Ritual: Crown of Horns" is praised for its compelling visuals and soundtrack, effectively immersing players in a unique blend of occult themes and a wild west setting. While the overall gameplay design is solid and the movement is smooth, some reviewers noted that the draw distance could be improved, slightly detracting from the otherwise intriguing atmosphere.

    • “Do not listen to people who pour negativity over this game - Ritual: Crown of Horns is one hell of a competent top-down twin-stick shooter that sets an excellent atmosphere with its visuals and soundtrack for some serious demon and cultist killing.”
    • “So far, the game's atmosphere is awesome and the overall gameplay design seems solid; movement and aiming are as smooth as they should be.”
    • “These elements combined with the story, which has a 'weird fiction' vibe, create an intriguing atmosphere.”
    • “Moreover, while the occult gets mixed with a wild west setting, the presentation and atmosphere are underwhelming at best due to poor draw distance.”
    • “The atmosphere feels lifeless and fails to immerse players in the world, making it hard to engage with the story.”
    • “Despite the intriguing concept, the overall ambiance lacks depth and fails to evoke any real sense of tension or excitement.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the ability to achieve 100% completion by replaying levels effectively, others feel that the text-based storytelling can be tedious. Overall, many enjoy the grinding for bonus items and challenges, indicating a balance between enjoyment and repetition.

    • “The story is delivered primarily through tedious text-based conversations.”
    • “I'm still grinding out the challenges, and I like that you can achieve 100% completion by just playing each level twice, as long as you do it well enough.”
    • “Then I spent a couple more hours grinding for bonus items for fun.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been noted to have some minor performance and input issues, which may affect the overall gameplay experience.

    • “There are some minor performance and input issues that detract from the overall experience.”
    • “The game suffers from optimization problems that lead to frustrating lag and unresponsive controls.”
    • “I encountered several optimization issues that made gameplay feel sluggish and unpolished.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its challenging yet rewarding gameplay, along with a captivating western-horror theme. Players can find immense value in tackling various challenges and additional objectives, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “The challenging yet rewarding gameplay, combined with its genuinely fascinating western-horror theme, offers huge replay value through various challenges and additional objectives.”
    • “Each playthrough feels unique, thanks to the diverse choices and outcomes that keep me coming back for more.”
    • “The game’s multiple endings and side quests ensure that no two experiences are the same, making it incredibly replayable.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

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