GRAVEN

Graven got a lot of people confused about its genre and intentions. Many gave it a bad review because they wanted the game to fit their own definition of a preferred genre, rather than judging it for what it actually is.
The game is neither an immersive sim nor an RPG — definitely not a boomer shooter, and certainly not a strict “Hexen spiritual successor.” Anyone expecting one of those genres will likely be disappointed.
But for those who enjoy interconnected level design with unlockable shortcuts, punishing deaths that make you lose currency, tough enemy encounters that force you to plan rather than go in guns blazing, Metroidvania-style progression and backtracking, and hard bosses that require learning their patterns — all wrapped in a dying dark fantasy world — you’ll feel right at home with Graven!
I know a lot of die-hard FromSoftware fans who would kill me for saying this, but Graven truly feels like what happens when you apply light Soulsborne design elements to a late-’90s FPS. And for that alone, it deserves some love.

GRAVEN is an under-baked, torturous, bug ridden mess that suffers from a variety of head scratching creative decisions from the devs.

This game is ONLY for fans of hardcore dungeon crawlers and slow-paced fantasy fps.

So why am I recommending it?

Because the world needs more fantasy fps and dungeon crawlers and the game at least succeeds in being a unique experience, even with its flaws.

And believe me, there are MANY flaws.

When a game requires you to read a pinned steam forum post in order to avoid getting softlocked at multiple points, you know you’re in for a bad time. Why not just fix the game???

There is a mod that removes the stamina bar. Install that immediately. Also install the mod that makes weapons fit in a single inventory slot instead of multiple.

GRAVEN is one of those “where the eff do I go!?” kind of games. Very little direction on where to go or what to do.

The gameworld is massive yet you have no compass, NO MAP, not even sign posts or literally anything to help you on your way. You end up wandering around forever trying to figure out where to go and end up walking in circles.

Making this even more frustrating is discovering that the early access version had a map and a decision was made to remove it! Why!??

You come across scrolls and texts as you traverse the game but these rarely, if ever, provide any meaningful help or direction for your quest.

The combat can be both cool and frustrating at the same time, especially when you first begin.

You don’t have many weapons and are extremely under powered yet expected to face large hordes of enemies with your anemic arsenal.

Oh yea and these enemies can deal you 50% or more damage with a single hit!

The melee combat is iffy. The enemies can hit you before the finish their attack animation which makes it more difficult to parry or predict. Sometimes you’ll strike an enemy and they’ll disappear from your view and teleport behind you and deal damage.

You have a sword but for some reason it does less damage than your staff which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

There are a few different spells you can cast, as expected for a fantasy fps, but these are not all that effective in combat and are used in the game more as tools instead of weapons. They are also completely ineffective against certain enemy types, something the game never explains.

Most of the puzzles are underwhelming or overly obtuse. I had to look up a guide for one totem symbol puzzle and even after seeing the solution it still didn’t make sense to me.

The checkpoint and save system is a disaster. You’ll be deep in a territory, reach a checkpoint, save and close the game, and when you return you get respawned at the central town instead of your last checkpoint!

So now you’re expected to waste time both traversing back to where you were and figuring out how to get back there with no map!!! Why cant I just respawn where the last checkpoint was!?

The entire game is just exhausting and it’s really a shame because clearly there is a lot of potential here but its wasted by poor choices by the devs and a glaringly obvious lack of polish. It feels like an unfinished game.

You’re left disappointed knowing how all the development effort was just a waste of time since the game is abandoned and will be left in this state forever when it could have been an epic game. Instead it’s a massive letdown.

Honestly a great game that does not deserve the hate at all. Yes there are bugs and yes some parts feel rushed but none of that is game breaking. It is definitely worth an attempt; I suggest using the auto saver from the guides in case you get a corrupt save which never happened to me thankfully. Solid game all around but the ending was stupid; they are just setting themselves up for a sequel which isn't necessary and probably won't happen anyway. I wish the kicking actually sent weaker enemies flying but sadly it is clunky. Most people haven't seen the end of Act 1 so keep that in mind when reading reviews. Give it a respectable go.

Clearly an unfinished and unfortunately abandoned game, but worth it if you are desperate to scratch that Hexen itch like me

I quite liked Graven -
I found the first map a bit confusing because its large, complex, and there isnt a map/easy way to add waypoints etc to help remember where stuff is - its very old school! But when you get ok with playing an old school game again, and engaging neurons which dont fire in modern ganes, you'll find its well made, its fun, it has great combat (lots of varied weapons, and elemental effects), its well balanced etc.
Stuff I liked less: walking through water (its slow). But you can shoot water with electricity and shock everything in it, including you, so thats neat. Not realising you can only go through some "doors" after you get items later in the game and travel back to uncover secrets. Losing money on death - and I died a bunch :)
I wont play this through again, while its a good game, its not GREAT.

I like the game despite its massive flaws. But I'm old and this reminds me of old games like Hexen and Heretic which I loved back in the day. If you want the polish and 4K graphics of AAA titles then you wont like it. Im hooked on old dungeon crawlers and there is an atmospheric quality to be lent to a game when its easy to get lost in it for hours.

retro style, good action, big maps, lot of secrets, vibe of good old Heretic