GRAVEN

GRAVEN is an action adventure game with a first person perspective. The game was designed as the spiritual successor of Hexen II. The game was developed by Slipgate Ironworks studio, known from Kingpin: Reloaded and Rad Rodgers.

Plot

The action takes place in a gloomy fantasy land. We take on the role of a priest who is sentenced to exile and death for taking someone else's life, even though he did so in defence of an innocent person. However, during the execution of the sentence, something unusual happens. Instead of dying, the protagonist wakes up in a boat sailing through mysterious swamps. The old man who is in charge of it gives us a magic stick and a book of spells, and in the priest's head the voice of the god ordering to neutralize the scourge ravaging the surrounding land and to eliminate the cultists responsible for it was heard.

Mechanics

GRAVEN was designed as the spiritual successor of Hexen II, but the authors did not limit themselves to reproducing the solutions of this classic. Instead, they also reached for solutions and technological improvements from later shooters and immersive sim games.

In GRAVEN we observe the events from the first person perspective. The player explores levels that have a partially open structure, offering many alternative paths and hidden secrets. During the game we fight our enemies with cold weapons, complete tasks, collect items and solve puzzles.

An important role in the gameplay is played by the magic system, which allows you to activate a rich selection of various spells. Many of them interact with objects in their surroundings, allowing us to influence locations with magic.

As the game progresses, we also gain upgrades of armor and weapons, buying them with gold found during the adventures. Often during the exploration we encounter inaccessible locations, which can be reached with time by unlocking new abilities or equipment.

Game modes

GRAVEN offers a single player mode and a cooperation mode for two or four people, both via Internet and LAN.

Technical aspects

The game has attractive three-dimensional graphics designed in a retro style. The authors were inspired by games from the second half of the 1990s. what resulted in, among others, textures with clearly visible pixels. At the same time the scale of the maps, their detail and visual effects significantly exceed what was possible at the end of the 20th century.