As someone who loves old FPS games, I may be stoned for saying this, but the original Dooms are not my favorite games. Don’t get me wrong, Doom 1 and 2 are very good games that can be played even today. However, I think the games that followed improved Doom’s formula. Heretic and Hexen’s confusing and challenging chapter designs, the main characters of Duke Nukem 3D and Blood, Strife’s light RST elements and storyline are good examples.
Remembering Hexen?
If you follow independent games, you know that modern-retro FPS is usually inspired by Doom or Quake. Graven’s choice of Hexen as his inspiration stands out. At least that was the first impression I got when I saw the promotional video. After playing, I can safely say that Graven, for better or worse, is like an easy version of Hexen.
I say the easy version of Hexen because the episodes are not as complicated as they are there, nor are the ammo that limited. Anyway, most of the time we don’t need ammunition, we take our zopa and proceed by hitting the zombies on the head. At this point, congratulations to the developers, of course, they have a very good sense of batting. Thanks to the full sounds and abundant particle effects, our Haydar has become a satisfying weapon to use.
In addition to our magic beating wand, we can find swords, weapons with a few ranges and two spells in this version. Especially after we take the sword, the wand has no number, we start to cut out the enemies that come our way with ease.
Speaking of enemies, especially for the first hour and a half, artificial intelligence will be very annoying. When I say annoying, I mean the danger of falling asleep. Fortunately, towards the end, the variety of enemies increases, and the level of action and difficulty increases slightly. After all, if you die, you usually go on as if nothing had happened from the last point of registration, which is not far away.
What about Strife?
What I loved about Hexen was the intricate section designs. When we were exploring, we had to keep in mind where we were going, what we had to do, and it was pretty easy to get lost. Graven’s sections aren’t that complicated, but exploring the vast maps, shortcuts and hidden rooms that connect together is satisfying. In fact, it would be more accurate to compare Graven to Strife than Hexen.
During the course of several hours of gameplay, I encountered only one serious error, except that enemies were knocking on doors or ignoring me. It wasn’t a mission I did and I had to close out the game and play that part all over again. Of course, the game is still in early access.
Now to the most important question, is Graven a good game and is it worth buying? At this point, the answer is no. While the content it offers is pleasant, it is certainly not satisfactory. However, even as it is, it is possible to see its potential. If you like the old-fashioned FPS games mentioned in the article, or if you’re interested in what I’m saying, keep an eye on Graven. Personally, I’m very hopeful for the future of this game.
Pro
+ Images and atmosphere
+ Old-fashioned FPS design
+ Feeling of stroke
+ Section design
Cons
– One or two game-breaking errors
– Content is low
– AI of enemies is problematic
– Especially the initial conflicts are very boring and uniform
INTERIM DECISION:
It’s not worth taking as it is, but it has potential. Keep an eye on it, especially if you miss old FPS.
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