Drake Hollow

I feel sad that I didn't gave this game a try back when it got released.
The game is absolutely fantastic and cute .Love the Drakes they are so adorable . This game is definitely for those who wants a basic and not too stressing gaming experience. Exploring the map and locations are quite fun as it doesn't feels any grindy. It's a game for all age groups even though mild violence is there .Story so far is going great and I believe it's going to get even better later.
The visuals and graphics are also amazing .
Only a little annoying thing is when exploring sometimes you got stuck in the rocks and that's quite frustrating , well can't say much on this aspect as nobody actually gonna notice it. The game feels smooth after all.
Character customization is also a plus point . Overall I Liked the game till now and I might say it would be even awesome to play it with your friend or a partner on your sessions . It would be great time killer , soothing and chill experience. Would recommend to grab it on sale.

🔰SHREDVIEW🔰 - From someone who actually plays and finishes the games before reviewing.
NOTE: If you like my work, please check out the rest of my reviews, I put a lot of work in these to offer the best overall description of what you’re up against. Thank you in advance
🔷 ABOUT THE GAME & LORE 🔷
"Drake Hollow" is a cooperative survival adventure set in a colorful, cartoony world where you protect and care for little vegetable creatures called Drakes (Don’t think of the rapper, these creatures are not zesty, they are unlreated). They rely on you to keep them alive, fed, and safe while you build a base, fend off waves of monsters, and explore the Hollow (World). The tone is light, the art direction is cheerful, and it leans hard into a Saturday morning cartoon vibe that goes easy on the eyes even after hours of play.
The story is serviceable, entertaining enough if you’re into it but definitely not the main hook. It’s more about the loop of building, fighting, and exploring than about unraveling a deep narrative.
🔷 THE GAMEPLAY 🔷
👉 GENERAL:
The mechanics are simple and easy to master, which is both a strength and a weakness. You scavenge resources, expand your base, and protect your Drakes from enemy raids. It’s straightforward survival-lite with a bit of tower defense mixed in. It’s not overly complex, but it knows what it is.
• Combat offers a variety of weapons but they all play the same. It keeps things accessible but also strips away depth.
• Exploration is rewarding. Scavenging new areas always feels worth it, and the map is filled with enough incentives to keep you movign.
• You can build a network of energy beams that lets you zip around the world without penalty. It’s ridiculously convenient, letting you ride from one end of the map back to your base with zero cost.
• The grind is there, especially for achievements or finishing the game but it’s not unbearable. More of a steady drag than a soul-crusher.
• Base attacks come in waves, forcing you to defend regularly. This keeps you from wandering too far without preparing defenses.
👉 NAVIGATION SYSTEM
The game’s world is broken into floating islands connected by those energy beams you construct. Once you set up enough pillars, travel becomes seamless, and it turns what could have been a tedious slog into one of the most fun parts of the game. It gives you freedom while still reminding you to watch your base. There is a map which is very comprehensive and easy to work with.
👉 PHYSICS & MECHANICS
Everything is clean and functional. Building is snappy, traversal on beams feels smooth, and the Drakes themselves are easy to manage. Combat is shallow, as weapons don’t differ much beyond visuals, but it works for the game’s casual pace. Nothing feels broken or clunky, just simple. Make sure to protect your drakes!
👉 GRAPHICS & OPTIMIZATION
The cartoony art style makes this game shine. It’s easy on the eyes, colorful, and consistent throughout. It’s not chasing realism, but it doesn’t need to as it nails the aesthetic. Performance is stable too. No stutters, no big issues, just smooth playtime even when waves of enemies hit your base.
👉 ACHIEVEMENTS & COLLECTIBLES
This is where the grind creeps in. Achievements are doable, but they ask you to repeat actions over and over until you feel like you’re checking boxes. Collectibles add a little extra to exploration, but they’re not game-changing. If you’re a completionist, expect to sink more hours than the casual player. Maybe way too much than you would play this for, lol.
🔷 CONCLUSION: 🔷
"Drake Hollow" is a cozy, cartoony survival-lite game that doesn’t try to reinvent the genre but does enough to keep you hooked for a while. Exploration is fun, building is satisfying, and the Drakes are charming in their own way, even if the cuteness isn’t for everyone. The grind and repetition eventually wear it down, and the combat is shallow, but it’s still a smooth, entertaining ride for those looking for a lighter survival experience.
🔷 PROS & CONS 🔷
✔️ PROS:
- Cartoony visuals that are easy on the eyes.
- Exploration feels rewarding.
- Building energy beams for travel is a great system.
- Base building and defending are simple but engaging.
- Smooth performance with no major issues.
❌ CONS:
- Combat is shallow, weapons feel the same.
- Achievements and endgame are grindy.
- Story is mid and forgettable.
- Eventually becomes repetitive
🔷 SHORT REVIEW & STATS 🔷
• PLAY STYLE:
🔳 PVP
🔳 PVE
✅ ONLINE CO-OP
🔳 Online Multiplayer
🔳 SPLIT SCREEN
✅ SINGLE PLAYER
• GRAPHICS:
🔳 Fire the designer.
🔳 Fairly old game, what you expect?
✅ Not great, not terrible.
🔳 Great
🔳 Exceptional
• REPLAYABILITY:
🔳 YES
🔳 EVERY NOW AND THEN
🔳 NOT SURE
🔳 RARELY / ON MAJOR UPDATE / DLC RELEASE
✅ NO
• STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS:
✅ YES
🔳 NO (WTF MAN)
• GAMEPLAY:
🔳 WTF IS THIS S**T
🔳 TERRIBLE
✅ DECENT
🔳 ENGAGING
🔳 HAD A BLAST
• DIFFICULTY:
🔳 DARK SOULS
🔳 BAFFLING (FOR AMATEURS)
🔳 CHALLENGING
🔳 MEDIUM
✅ WALK IN THE PARK
• STORYLINE:
🔳 A WHAT? WE WRITE CODE NOT BOOKS
✅ GOES FINE WITHOUT ONE
✅ DECENT
🔳 ENGAGING
🔳 SHAKESPEARE AINT GOT S**T ON THIS
❗ NOTE - This is a review based on personal preferences and opinions. I always suggest you try the games for yourself before letting others decide for you. Even though we're all gamers, we are sure not the same.

Played it mostly on Xbox. It's a fun game that could have been so much better if the devs didn't let it die. Great co-op game for 10-20 hours, pick it up on sale. After a while you do everything the game has to offer, that's when you move on. Also, CDPR picked up the rights and studio, why can't they update it? This game could be a great hidden gem, but as it is now it's a 7/10.

It’s a fun game, and I’m glad I grabbed it on sale. It has some cool and unique ideas, like connecting waypoints as both a supply pipeline and a fast travel system. The drakes are also really cute. However, my biggest complaint is the repetition. After finishing the first area and moving to the second, I was hoping for new enemies and environments, but it was mostly the same thing. The raids also become tiresome as they just repeat the same enemies at higher levels every 30 minutes. What started as "Oh no! An incoming raid!" eventually turned into "eyeroll another raid."

Overall, I've enjoyed the game, but it has its flaws. I wouldn't have paid full price for it, but if you can catch it on sale, it’s definitely worth it.

Hands down one of the best and most creative games I have ever played, I come back to it again and again. I am incredibly particular about games, I am barely ever happy with most things I try to play but this game won my heart instantly. Equally fun, equally challenging. HIGHLY recommend!!

Update:
This game got so unbelievably grindy and I kept running out of resources because of the raids happening on the camp happen way too often. So I can't get myself to finish this game. It's a good game but it's way too grindy and my backlog is never ending.
----------------
Drake Hollow is a fun mix of adventuring, action RPG, platformer, time management, and I guess it qualifies as tower defense. It's fun and cute at first but as time goes on it gets a bit grindy and repetitive. The campaign is straight forward enough. I admit there were a few gamer mechanics I didn't quite get right away such as the supply truck mechanism.
Note: I'll be most certainly grinding the rest of the game for achievements but as I'm already 19 hours in as of this review and only half way through Summer season. The game has four seasons/chapters. I actually hope the rest of the game isn't another 40 hours from here on out we'll see. I'll update the review when I complete the game.
7/10

The drakes are absolutely adorable!
The world is very fun to explore and to gather all the resources. I enjoyed being able to also explore different areas through the seasons and search for all the hidden notes, to uncover the story.
Really recommend playing with friends bc somethings do become repetitive and you can clear the repetitive places easily with friends vs solo.
Also with the base there's some issues, I progressed very quickly from farming everything possible, and when you do this you can unlock the camp upgrades fast and it just feels like the devs just stopped making base unlockables early on. I think they even excluded some from their trailer but there needed to be WAY MORE upgrades and unlockables (in terms of defenses, foods and water supplies, etc.).
The only HUGE disappointment is really the ending. I won't spoil, but the hype was built up throughout the game till the end, to only end in a non-exciting fight and way.
*really recommend getting the game only when its on sale.