As the retro FPS boom continues to rage on, you’d think that every possible angle of classic games would have been revived by now. How many different takes can you have on a first-person game with guns? Do you go all open-world with it? Do you add some RPG elements and quest logs? Do you put it in a distinctly gothic setting with some fantasy elements? If that description sounds at all like something you’re hoping exists, then 3D Realms’ Graven is likely to capture your eye immediately.
Not strictly an FPS, Graven is something more akin to what Raven Software did with Hexen. In all honesty, 3D Realms could have titled this Hexen 3 and fans wouldn’t have batted an eye. While my pondering above doesn’t exactly explain what Graven is about, a lot of those elements are present and it coalesces into something that evokes the style of classic Bethesda and id Software at the same time.
To give you a clearer picture, Graven casts you in the role of an unnamed priest of the Orthogonal order that has been exiled for the crime of murder. Despite acting in self-defense, you’ve broken the sacred code and must now fend for yourself. Taking to your boat to drift to new horizons, a stranger brings you to a new city and bestows upon you a magical staff with some cryptic instructions. You’re told to destroy some eldritch beings that are hoping to tear this reality asunder, not to mention save the village of distraught citizens from harm.
Immediately, the visual style of Graven likely sticks out to you. Looking like something of a mash-up between the Quake and Quake 2 engines, this game is actually running on modern Unreal technology with a limited art style. The goal with Graven is to create the ultimate retro game but without the technical limitations of the past (so don’t expect a repeat of Ion Fury).
The biggest change this switch in technology brings is a completely seamless game world. As you travel between different towns and dungeons, you’ll never encounter a loading screen. Graven is built to keep the player engaged at all times and that just wasn’t possible on older technology. Maybe that freedom isn’t “old-school,” but it lends itself to an engrossing and well-detailed world.
If you’re more a fan of RPGs and such, Graven draws inspiration from the likes of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. While not being too obtuse, players won’t have access to quest markers or any kind of GPS system. You’ll need to communicate with NPCs in this strange village and get instructions that are written into your in-game journal. Stylized like a piece of sketch paper, the idea is that your character isn’t some all-knowing god, but a regular man. He doesn’t have modern technology, so he relies on tried and true methods of logging information.
That could cause confusion for some players, but the actual game world of Graven is peppered with interesting sights and sounds. The quest I was shown in an alpha build tasked players with finding lantern oil to light a giant lighthouse so it could attract the undead away from town. The lighthouse was clearly visible in the distance at all times, so you had an idea of where you needed to head once finding the key ingredients. It’s classic world-building that a lot of modern games tend to overlook.
The demo had a limited roster of weapons and enemies available, but I was told that there would be plenty for players to dig into. The team has created around 30 different monster types that will gradually be introduced as players work their way through the campaign. To combat these foes, there will be a somewhat limited set of weapons and a spellbook that opens up enemy weaknesses. By combining your different options, you’ll find unique ways to deal with different threats and escape with your life. Again, this is classic FPS design and it’s something I’m about. It’s better to have weapons with purpose than to simply throw 100 different guns at a player and tell them to pick their favorite.
What I found so intriguing about these options were the potions. While not weapons in the offensive sense, they required players to physically hold them to be used. You can’t simply pause the game, go into the menu, and drink 16 health potions at once. You need to be mindful of your enemies and plan when to best drink to restore some health. It actually feeds into another element that I was surprised (and delighted) to hear is present: cooperative play.
The one aspect a lot of these newer throwback FPS games have been lacking is any kind of multiplayer support. DUSK is one of the best shooters ever crafted, but its promised co-op mode is still M.I.A. Graven will launch with four-player support for the entire campaign and even come with a split-screen mode on consoles. Why did I segue into co-op when talking about potions? Well, you can throw potions at your friends to heal them in a pinch. Since they are tangible objects, it’s just another touch that shows how alive the world of Graven is.
Maybe Graven doesn’t look impressive from a technological aspect, but it feels like more of a living world than anything I’ve seen in a long time. By sticking to classic design philosophies and giving them the proper technology to flourish, Graven is set to be yet another hit for 3D Realms on its recent comeback tour.
Many will probably balk at the “outdated” visuals, but I’m in love with the art style. The cooperative play gets me excited to share this with friends and I’m all about making game worlds denser and less bloated. The ideas may not be strictly original, but they are being executed with a certain panache that has .e eager to see more.
At the moment, Graven is set to release sometime in the spring of 2021. It will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Switch.
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