The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief

60%
Game Brain Score Based on 373 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief Game Cover
A charming three part adventure in the vein of Agatha Christie, The Raven's technical issues and unwelcome protagonist shifts are remedied by a memorable cast.
Starting at $3.43Buy now

"The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief" is a single-player mystery arcade game with an intriguing story, sensational graphics, and music. However, it can be very grinding and buggy. The game tells a thrilling crime adventure in three chapters, allowing players to experience both the chase and the heist. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes a soundtrack, story book, 'making of' booklet, printable papercraft mask of The Raven, and digital poster.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

60%
Audience ScoreBased on 373 reviews
story174 positive mentions
stability53 negative mentions
  • Engaging story with many twists and turns that keeps players guessing.
  • Well-developed characters and strong voice acting enhance the overall experience.
  • Beautiful graphics and a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of classic detective novels.
  • Clunky controls and navigation issues can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches, including character movement problems and game crashes.
  • Some puzzles are overly simplistic, lacking the challenge expected in a mystery adventure.
  • story357 mentions

    The game's story is a significant highlight, featuring a compelling narrative filled with twists and engaging character perspectives reminiscent of classic mystery novels, particularly those of Agatha Christie. However, while the initial chapters are well-received, many players note a decline in quality and coherence in the latter parts, leading to mixed feelings about the overall execution. Despite technical issues and pacing problems, the story's depth and character development keep players invested, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “The story was deep and vast with many twists and turns like a great novel.”
    • “I can not praise the writers enough for their clever story-writing and plot execution throughout this adventure; it is worthy of a film script.”
    • “The story is fantastic, with some extremely memorable characters and a wonderful interweaving of complicated events.”
    • “Once you get to chapter 3, the story falls apart and I no longer had any desire to keep playing.”
    • “There are also terrible plot holes and inconsistencies to the point that the whole story does not make any sense.”
    • “The quality of the story goes down the drain in the second and third chapters, as you switch to new characters, which are considerably worse and then you have to go back through the same story, except with a different perspective.”
  • graphics102 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the beautiful environments and character designs, while others point out significant issues such as graphical glitches, robotic animations, and performance problems, particularly on Linux. Despite these drawbacks, some players find the visuals charming and fitting for the game's narrative style, though they note that the overall quality may not meet modern standards. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent, they are marred by technical issues that can detract from the experience.

    • “The characters are wonderful, the story is beautiful, and the graphics are fantastic.”
    • “Graphics are top-notch and partially animated, even down to the rendering of reflected scenery and people in mirrors and windows.”
    • “The graphic quality is outstanding for the genre, and the visual style is perfect for the ambience the game wanted to set.”
    • “The raven is a bug-riddled mess, with constant crashes and graphical bugs.”
    • “Many players experience lighting problems, random character disappearances, and some other more or less eye-hurting graphics glitches.”
    • “The graphic performance is at least on Linux utterly unoptimized; my rig, which handles Metro: Last Light very well, has to turn the graphic settings to low in this game.”
  • gameplay67 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by sluggish movement, clunky mechanics, and occasional bugs, which can detract from the overall experience. While it features standard point-and-click adventure elements like puzzle-solving and item interaction, many players find the mechanics frustrating and the pacing slow, leading to a mixed reception. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the engaging story and logical puzzles, suggesting that enjoyment may depend on one's tolerance for gameplay shortcomings.

    • “It is an episodic point-and-click adventure game with the main gameplay being about puzzle solving mixed with stealth and detective elements.”
    • “Despite having some issues with the gameplay, I really enjoyed my time playing with these characters in the rich environments of the 1950s.”
    • “Most of the puzzles involve standard point-and-click mechanics such as find this, use that, combine this, etc. What sets the puzzles in the raven apart from other similar games is that they felt very logical and satisfying.”
    • “Gameplay is sluggish and slow.”
    • “The weakest point of the game is the gameplay, which doesn't bring anything new to the genre and is buggy at times.”
    • “Despite it having quite an interesting story, the gameplay is torturous sometimes.”
  • stability53 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including graphical glitches, character animation problems, and occasional game-breaking bugs that can disrupt gameplay. While autosaves help mitigate some frustrations, many players report that these technical problems significantly detract from the overall experience. Despite the bugs, some users still find the story and puzzles engaging, suggesting that the game may be worth playing if one can overlook its instability.

    • “I hardly ever write bad reviews, and I did not hate this game (even though it may sound like it), it's just upsetting that it was buggy to the point where it wasn't playable.”
    • “The game is simply too buggy for me to recommend it, at least for full price.”
    • “A quick scan of both the forums and other reviews of this game can soon unearth some real horror stories and to be fair all the glitches should have been sorted out months ago.”
  • music49 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its high quality, often described as cinematic and orchestral, enhancing the overall atmosphere and storytelling. While many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, some note inconsistencies, such as occasional lapses in sound effects and music during gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's immersive experience, despite some criticisms of repetitiveness and glitches.

    • “The music score is top class, worthy of an epic studio film production and has been laid down by a full orchestra.”
    • “The soundtrack and the atmosphere it creates are just phenomenal.”
    • “This is a classic old-school style point-and-click adventure with some quality graphics, superb voice acting, and a brilliant orchestral soundtrack.”
    • “By the third chapter, sound effects and music scores sometimes disappear or feel lacking.”
    • “The world, levels, music, and dialogues are really casual and forgettable.”
    • “Music gets annoying very quickly.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and dramatic qualities, enhanced by a cinematic soundtrack and visually appealing graphics. Players appreciate the romantic and mysterious feel, alongside believable characters and engaging voice acting, which collectively contribute to a captivating experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as phenomenal, making it enjoyable for players of all ages.

    • “Enjoyable adventure game with a great story, atmospheric locations, and interesting characters.”
    • “The atmosphere was great and had a romantic and mysterious feel to it.”
    • “The soundtrack and the atmosphere it creates are just phenomenal.”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real depth or engagement.”
    • “Despite the potential, the atmosphere is often overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and dull environments.”
    • “The game fails to create a compelling atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
  • grinding9 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious and unengaging, with slow movement and repetitive dialogues contributing to a frustrating experience. Many reviewers express disappointment in the lack of intrigue and story progression, leading to a sense of boredom during gameplay. Overall, the grinding mechanics detract from the enjoyment, making it feel more like a chore than an adventure.

    • “Hopefully it picks up further into the game, but this is looking like it is pretty tedious and not intriguing, which is what I was after.”
    • “Movement is slow, tedious, and your character sometimes gets stuck in movement or goes the opposite direction from where you clicked.”
    • “A lot of this is tedious and uninteresting; the developers would have been better off having the villain explain how the plan succeeded or at least picked up the pace of this section.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the witty dialogue and find certain moments amusing, others criticize the humor as forced or silly, often overshadowed by stiff character animations. The voice acting is generally praised, but the disconnect between the quality of the voices and the animations detracts from the overall comedic effect.

    • “This guy feels real and cool and full of humor!”
    • “The characters are well made with good dialogue and some funny moments that make you giggle from time to time.”
    • “The voice acting is pretty good and dialogue is funny and charming.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly on Linux, where players report needing to set graphics to low even on capable systems. Many users describe the performance as buggy and poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience despite the high-quality visuals and character design. Overall, those seeking a smooth gaming experience may be disappointed.

    • “The images are of amazing quality even at low performance, and the characters all are very original and have real personality.”
    • “Each actor's performance felt believable and appropriate.”
    • “The graphic performance is utterly unoptimized on Linux; my rig, which handles Metro: Last Light very well, has to turn the graphic settings to low in this game.”
    • “The game is extremely poorly optimized for both my desktop and laptop; it is buggy, and I just wanted to finish the plot line, but it appeared to be crappy, too.”
  • character development5 mentions

    The game is praised for its homage to Agatha Christie, featuring distinct character designs and engaging voice acting that enhance the overall experience. While the graphics and environments are noted, some feel that the character development could have been more fully realized. Overall, players appreciate the depth and richness of the characters, contributing to the game's appeal.

    • “I love the rich character development.”
    • “Character designs are distinct and fit.”
    • “Some nice environments and decent character design.”
    • “But while the graphics might be good, they didn't get a chance to really shine thanks to the locations and some choices in character design.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find the engaging storyline and well-developed characters enhance the experience, others feel that once the mystery is solved, there is little incentive to replay. The game’s controls also contribute to a less favorable replay experience, with some describing them as inconsistent.

    • “The great storyline, the well-acted characters with loads of personality, and the cinematic score make it a memorable and very replayable experience.”
    • “I don't see much replay value in it, but that's how most detective games are; once you know the story, you don't really get excited like you did the first time.”
    • “The game controls range between sluggish and twitchy, and it doesn’t offer much in the way of replay value.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be a mix of amusement and frustration, as they enjoy the nostalgic detective journey with Constable Zellner while also experiencing moments of intense irritation.

    • “Journeying with Constable Zellner was very amusing and made me feel like I was caught up in an old detective story, such as Tintin and the like.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief

Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games