Ritual of Raven

About

Ritual of Raven is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Spellgarden Games and was released on August 7, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Ritual of Raven is a cozy, story-based farming sim - but you don’t do the farming yourself! Instead you collect and enchant Arcana Constructs to grow your magical herb garden. In a world where different traditions of magic live side by side, ambitious plans were made to open portals between worlds, but the ritual went terribly wrong. Those involved each lost something most precious to them and th…

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 180 reviews

story59 positive mentions

grinding91 negative mentions

Unique and refreshing gameplay combining farming with programming-like automation of constructs, which offers a novel twist on farming sims.
Charming, colorful art style with well-developed, relatable characters and engaging, heartfelt storylines that enhance the cozy atmosphere.
Relaxing and immersive experience with a pleasant soundtrack, good pacing, and rewarding progression that keeps players engaged without feeling rushed.

Lack of quality-of-life features such as manual saving, better UI navigation (e.g., bookmarking, easier access to hybrid recipes), and customizable controls causing frustration.
Late-game content can become grindy and tedious, particularly involving hybrid flower breeding and quests requiring complex ingredient management.
Some performance issues and bugs including crashes, freezing during cutscenes or saving, and clunky menus that disrupt immersion and gameplay flow.

story
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The story in this cozy farming game is generally praised for its charming characters, engaging and heartfelt narrative, and unique magical setting, which many find immersive and wholesome. However, some players find the main quests and progression tedious or overly demanding at times, with pacing that can feel slow due to lengthy tasks or excessive dialogue. Overall, the storyline is a strong highlight that complements the gameplay, though it may not appeal to those seeking deeper or more streamlined storytelling.
- “The game is beautiful with its pixel art, sprite animations, 100+ different furniture types, complexly decorated common spaces, dynamic and realistic characters, an engaging story, and peaceful nature vibes.”
- “The characters are very sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed the main story as well as their friendship quests.”
- “This game has it all: fun music and graphics, great characters, a cozy fantasy story, and an interesting twist on farming mechanics.”
- “It's cute and definitely up my alley of games I like to play (foraging, farming, cozy), but after 10 hours of play I found myself feeling like every task and every step along the way through the storyline was more tedious than fun.”
- “Story is, well, not that interesting and overall it doesn't really give me anything.”
- “It's not very intuitive, the quests are frustrating if you try and do anything yourself out of order and it's just not that fun.”
grinding
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in this game is a mixed experience: while the innovative programming-based automation of farming adds a fresh, enjoyable twist that reduces typical farming tedium, many players find the late-game grind excessive and repetitive, with some quality-of-life issues making automation editing tedious. Overall, the farming grind is more engaging than traditional sims but can still feel monotonous and shallow for those seeking deeper or less repetitive gameplay.
- “At 35 hours of playing, I can say that the last third of the game is way too much about grinding.”
- “This game really needs a lot of quality of life additions to make it less tedious; if you're going to find yourself super frustrated with that, I don't recommend it.”
- “It got very grindy at the end - I was doing program-sleep-program-sleep cycles to move it faster.”
gameplay
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The gameplay of Ritual of the Raven offers a unique twist on farming sims by combining traditional farming and crafting with programming-like mechanics using tarot-themed constructs, creating an engaging and creative automation loop. While the core gameplay is praised for its freshness and charm, some players find the learning curve steep, tutorials tedious, and quality-of-life improvements lacking, which can hinder early enjoyment. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate cozy sims with innovative mechanics and don't mind investing time to master its systems.
- “Ritual of Raven is such a unique game that it's hard to compare it to anything else - it has the surface look of a classic cutesy farmy-crafty game but the gameplay loop isn't the same at all, involving enchanting (read: coding) adorable tarot-themed constructs into carrying out your whims.”
- “Programming arcana constructs (read: automated farming) solves some of the biggest pain points of farming sims, and clever "coding" mechanics help players feel like they're outsmarting the game.”
- “• Gameplay involves: using the constructs for gardening (flowers/herbs) and mining (gems), foraging, decorating, collecting for two different museums and a library, portal fishing (like a crane game), and NPC sidequests.”
- “In conclusion, I think I would enjoy the game if it wasn't like pulling teeth to just get to the gameplay.”
- “I got ~60 hours gameplay out of it (completion & all achievements + quests) but I so nearly gave up near the start because there are a few quality of life adjustments sorely needed.”
- “Simple, mundane mechanics are given endless dialogues and forced tutorials that make the player do exactly what it says, and any deviation from what the tutorial wants doesn't count.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
28%
The game features a charming, unique, and vibrant pixel art style that is widely praised for its cuteness, detail, and cozy witchy aesthetic. Players appreciate the bright, lively graphics and the thoughtful design that complements the engaging story and characters, though some mention occasional color palette choices that affect visibility. Overall, the graphics significantly enhance the immersive and delightful experience of the game.
- “The graphics are extremely adorable and it is very story rich, it’s the first time I’ve really enjoyed reading dialogue and getting immersed into a story and the characters are so unique and extremely cute!”
- “Ritual of Raven is a unique and charming pixel game, the graphics are lovely and bright whilst the characters are quite lively each with their own connected storylines.”
- “This game combines everything I love: cute, bright hand-drawn pixel graphics, farming, programming and witchy stuff!”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
9%
18%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming, pleasant, and balanced qualities, contributing significantly to the cozy and relaxing atmosphere. While most find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting, a few players dislike that some songs are unskippable, which can affect gameplay pacing. Overall, the music complements the game's charming art, story, and unique mechanics effectively.
- “Very cute game with a nice soundtrack, unique gameplay, and a fun storyline!”
- “An extremely cozy game with pleasant music, interesting mechanics (a touch of programming), and nice characters.”
- “The music is really nice too; it’s calm and balanced enough to make the experience relaxing without ever feeling boring.”
- “Considering I immediately turn off the music for games when I open them, that sucked a lot.”
- “You have to end the day or you will have to replay the day, unskippable song and all.”
emotional
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a heartfelt and wholesome emotional experience, blending charming storytelling with cozy, community-focused gameplay. Many players find the narrative touching and the atmosphere comforting, while the integration of light programming mechanics adds a unique and satisfying layer. However, those seeking purely freeform farming may find the story-driven structure less appealing.
- “Such a fun and wholesome take on a farming sim; it really feels like you're putting a community back together and learning a kind of magic along the way.”
- “A heartfelt story meets thoughtful game design, resulting in 40 hours of fun.”
- “So if you're looking for a cozy, casual game where you experience great characters and an awesome heartfelt story while doing some decoration, observation and search puzzles, and automated farm simulation on the side, this game is for you!”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by buggy cutscenes that can freeze the game and occasional controller glitches, particularly on PC, though it performs better on the Steam Deck. Additionally, quest progress can be disrupted when characters are occupied, causing frustrating pauses. These issues affect gameplay smoothness but are expected to be addressed in future updates.
- “When I boot up the game, I'm taken to a random cutscene that glitches out and freezes.”
- “Never mind, it is still buggy in the pause menu and when shopping.”
- “Also, finding some of the items you gift to characters only show up after certain events, so knowing which ones would be helpful. Lastly, having quests paused when a character is busy with another quest can be really annoying, stopping progress and making it somewhat buggy.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game is very well optimized, running smoothly on both PC and Steam Deck with minimal loading screens. While the UI can be a bit challenging on the Steam Deck, overall performance is excellent, supporting seamless and enjoyable gameplay.
- “It's also very well optimized, with practically no loading screens.”
- “Its incredible optimization and gameplay mechanics—relaxing yet entertaining, where you can program your arcane robots to help you with the farm—impressed me, especially compared to other games where every action feels like solving a puzzle.”
- “The story is interesting, I like the graphics, and it runs smoothly on both my Deck and my desktop.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game features clever and tasteful humor with witty pop culture references, balancing funny and touching dialogue without being cringey. Its charming characters and lighthearted tone contribute to an enjoyable and engaging experience.
- “Decent humor and pop culture references.”
- “A very cute game with funky characters, fun gameplay, and a dash of humor.”
- “Beautiful game with great music and ambient sounds, easy controls, funny but at times touching dialogue, and an actually interesting core mechanic!”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features well-written dialogue and flexible character backstories, offering refreshing and engaging character development. Players experience a gradual unveiling of new traits and motivations that enhance immersion alongside vivid environments.
- “The plot gave the characters real flexibility in terms of backstories, motivations, and character designs, which I found refreshing.”
- “Well-written dialogues and great character development.”
- “It's got great character development, with a constant slow drip of new exciting features that unlock gradually as you play.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is limited, as most users find little incentive to replay after completing 100% of the game. However, the initial experience remains highly enjoyable, with some players considering speedruns for a fresh challenge.
- “There is little to no replayability after 100%-ing the game, which took me under 32 hours despite decorating a lot.”
- “Despite arguable un-replayability, I would love to experience the game for the first time again.”
- “My only complaints are some very minor bugs and the lack of replayability after completion.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its cozy, vibrant, and wholesome feel, enhanced by engaging characters, charming art, and fitting music. Players appreciate the clear objectives and unexpected programming elements that enrich the overall experience.
- “I love the cozy witch atmosphere and the vibrant colors, the wholesome storyline, the unexpected programming, and the clear objectives.”
- “Almost 4 hours in and I absolutely love the atmosphere, characters, art, and music.”