Cococucumber is one of my favourite indie developers because they always bring unique and vibrant adventures with their games. Roughly 18 months after the fantastic entry of Echo Generation, blessing our eyes with its sublime art style and turn-based combat, we see a completely new journey with Ravenlok. After enjoying my time with Echo Generation, I was besotted with the first trailer for this new fantasy-based story with seemingly more freedom. Xbox players are in luck as it slots straight into the Xbox Game Pass catalogue on launch, but I’ll go on record to say that I wouldn’t have regretted purchasing this had it not been on the subscription service. Is it as impressive as it looks in the pre-release trailers? Read on and find out.

Introduction

Ravenlok is launching on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC through the Epic Games Store. Players who pre-order can gain access to a Raven Wings helmet and whilst it is just a cosmetic item, it’s always cool to have an added bonus right? Cococucumber is a small but extremely talented team based in Toronto and has added this third and final game to complete the “Voxel Trilogy”. The three games that make this up are Riverbond, Echo Generation and of course Ravenlok. With support from Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates, I am grateful that these organisations have given the studios a leg up to bring this project to fruition because it is absolutely an adventure that sticks in the memory.

Gameplay

The game starts off outside a quaint and quiet farmhouse and you’re giving your parents a hand with moving. Before you know it you’re consumed by a magical mirror and end up in the mysterious world of Dunia. Very Alice In Wonderland-esque.  Whilst you’re known as Kira from the beginning, it isn’t long until you take the alias of Ravenlok and commence on your journey. The world is plagued by an evil tyrannical queen and it is now our job to bring peace and tranquillity. After some conversation with a well-illustrated bunny rabbit at the beginning of this story, you’ll start to traverse the world engaging with NPCs whilst uncovering lots of quests to tackle.

Getting Set Up & Combat

You’re unarmed at the start so one of the first tasks is to find a sword and shield since you’ll need them to tackle enemies you’ll come across. Whilst a lot of the game is hack and slash, there are some magical and powerful abilities that you’ll have access to as you progress. Fire spells, bombs, ice attacks and more make up some of the features you can unlock and all come in handy in the heat of battle, especially in the midst of a boss fight. The shield can be used to block and parry enemies to then chance your hand at an attack and there is a dash function to quickly slip out of harm’s way if things get a bit much.

Use The Shop & Level Your Sword

Throughout the world, you can collect currency in order to make purchases. Choose from a range of health potions, bombs and more. Coins are collected mainly from ornaments which can be smashed and what I did notice was that each time you leave an area, everything respawns back in. This is perfect if you’re looking to build up coins. You’ll also be able to level up your sword to become more powerful and this can be done via a different vendor. Alongside this, you can discover extra hats for your character to wear as you proceed further.

Quests Galore

You’ll soon realise that not all quests are achievable immediately and some quests may lead into others. For example, there is one where you need to obtain a ticket to ride a cable car to the labyrinth area and whilst you can see what is required early on there may be parts you need to fetch within another quest to tick off the next. I enjoyed this as it made everything feel linked and intertwined instead of separate even though there were some missions that stand on their own. Sometimes you’ll have some head-scratching moments as you wonder what you need to do to tick off the next thing on the checklist, but you’ll soon figure it out. There are some light puzzle-solving elements, such as solving a combination to access a temple and I liked that this required some brainpower to get right.

Impressive Boss Fights

I found everything a bit too easy in the way of combat on Ravenlok and this included the boss fights. But I really enjoyed the design and variation of bosses with amazing attention to detail. I and my five-year-old son really liked Ugsack which was a giant slug, he was in fits of laughter as I was running around trying to avoid this slug trying to cover me with its green sludge. I personally loved negotiating combat between the duo of the tweedle twins and the ultimate encounter against the ginormous caterpillar queen herself. Each boss fight was different and all of them had their own patterns of attack and abilities to strategise against.

Graphics & Audio

Ravenlok is one of the most beautiful indie games I have ever clapped eyes on when it comes to its visual presentation. The entirety of the game is honestly a work of art and it felt like being absorbed in a world that takes inspiration from Alice In Wonderland. The efforts from the design team simply have to be applauded here as every nook and cranny of the game oozes quality when it comes to the visuals. I was fully immersed in every segment and whilst everything does feel quite linear, there is room for exploration in this fairytale world bursting with interesting characters.

I don’t want to keep drawing direct comparisons to Echo Generation, but I get the feeling that they took the formula of previous games gone by and absolutely excelled even further with their work. It is simply mind-blowing to see the progression in the portfolio of the Voxel trilogy of games that they have delicately crafted. I adored areas such as the neon lighting illuminating my entire screen in crisp 4K 60FPS quality in the Mushroom Forest and surveying the phenomenal backdrop of the Labrinth in the distance. When it comes to audio there are no voiced portions here, but this doesn’t matter since the dialogue is displayed perfectly. The soundtrack was tremendous with every piece of music blending well and suiting each atmosphere.

In Conclusion

I play a lot of indie games, probably more than most gamers out there and it takes a lot to join my personal list of favourites. Ravenlok nestles comfortably into one of my most treasured indie titles of all time. A special place that is reserved for games like Cuphead, Vampire Survivors and Stardew Valley. I was consistently mesmerised by its beauty, excellent writing, storytelling and intriguing combat in a weird yet wonderful, whimsical world. It’s not often I play a game where there are next to no negatives, but this is one of them and if being a little too easy to beat, then so be it because I enjoyed every single second and I can’t wait to see what Cococucumber do next.