Developed By: KING Art
Published By: THQ Nordiq
Platforms: Steam PC/ Xbox One/ Ps4 and Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch without undocked
The Raven Remastered is a fully 3D linear detective/crime solving point and click adventure. It is my humble opinion that you need to finish the whole game in order to truly appreciate the surprises in store as well as the storyline. Veteran players of point and click series such as the Curse Of Monkey Island, Legend of Kyrandia, Wolf Among Us and Broken Sword will feel right at home. Just as a side note, I did not play the previous versions of The Raven Remastered which was The Raven – Legacy of a Master Thief to make any comparison.
Storyline
The story is set in the 1960s whereby you need to catch a gentleman master thief called The Raven. Although the premise is simple enough, what sets it apart is the characters you will be playing as to uncover the truth. You start as an unlikely hero from everyday life, Constable Anton Jakob Zellner who is a middle-aged fat and bald policeman. And once you change characters, you will get to see another perspective within that story in itself. The story starts out simple but in actual fact may surprise you like a good detective story at the end. I feel that this is a very interesting take and sets it apart quite well.
Graphics
Graphics wise, this game is pleasingly beautiful in its 1960’s settings with a lavish environment and makes smart use of warm colours to blend in the environment. Although its cinematic facial animation is spot on, the in-game facial animations do appear stiff and awkward with the situations given. In addition to that, dark places appear to be unreasonably dark and I do find myself just wandering around aimlessly until I see a prompt of action to interact with (with a one time bug whereby the screen just went black, forcing me to restart).
Controls
The control scheme using the Joy Cons is awkward for this game and may take some getting used to. Firstly, you would need to walk using the left analog to a specified area only for a prompt action to appear on your screen and only then you have to use the right analog stick to choose the A or B option to interact with. Secondly, you are not allowed to move in certain areas and you are only required to use the right analog to navigate your actions like between the train corridors or bar counter. In my opinion, it is best utilizing the Switch touch screen itself for navigation and button prompts as it really does feel the alternative joy con setup was not properly implemented.
Gameplay
As mentioned above, this is a linear story driven game. There will be no multiple or branching choices but to compensate for that, they provided a wide array of voice acting lines, rich lore (you will have a diary too), decent character development, a few puzzles and problems solving. However, there will also be a short 10 second loading time while moving between places each time, which may irritate certain players.
The gameplay is based on logical thinking and solving problems rarely caused me actual problems. You know how usually in these types of games when you get stuck you would just randomly try every item and hope one works? Well thankfully I did not encounter that same problem here and it is just pleasant for me.
Songs and Voice acting
I feel that the musical arrangements in this game are just absolutely divine. The beautiful soundtrack accompanied by violins and orchestral value that will pull your heartstrings. The music differs in different locations as well. With well-paced voice acting that carries the depths of each characterization, be it main characters or NPC’s on their own, bringing the story to life towards the very end.
What I liked
- Beautiful settings and colours
- Pleasant music to behold
- Cinematic Animation is spot on
- Gripping Storytelling
- A few fun puzzles
- Logical Problem solving
- Masterful recorded spoken dialogue
What I Disliked
- Awkward/ stiff in-game facial animations
- When the setting is too dark, its just too damn dark
- A bug occurred whereby I got hanged in a black screen (force restart)
- Nintendo Switch Joy con is not suited for Point and Click, lack utilization of the touch screen instead
- Long loading times between places
- Lack of replay value, no branching paths
Verdict
Overall, this is a decent and unique detective point and click adventure with a wholesome story to boot. It has good voice actors added with a unique twist to its presentation and its story line. It’s definitely recommended to those who like these detective type of games
