Neue Rezensionen von TheTrampingPony

Although I succeed the challenge, the game tells me I fail. The very first challenge is bugged, at least. There are 5 checkmate positions for the last move (Qc8, Qc7, Qd6, Qb5 and Qd5), but the game only counts as correct the last one, which is Qd5 !
Useless.

Really ugly on a PC without VR. No graphic setting to adjust. It didn't even launch on my native resolution ! I have a good graphics card but this simple 3D was pixelated, and only filled up the center of my screen, with what seemed to be a 4:3 ratio. And I couldn't change the resolution because there's no graphic option.
At least the computer is decent, and there are some options to review the game after a match, but that's not enough.

Online either doesn't work or is completely empty. Visually awful. Sound is poor quality. Came out in 2015 but feels like the 90's.
Not worth the time, sorry.

Game doesn't want me to switch language. I switched it from french to english in the Steam settings, it says it's done, but everything is still in french in game.
The UI deserves some adjustements. For example, when I play the challenges, I can press buttons to slide between challenges pages, but the UI doesn't indicate what the actual page I'm on is : checkmate in 1, checkmate in 2 or in 3 ? I have to actually hover a challenge square to get this information. Another example is whenever I succeed a checkmate in 2 challenge, I'm taken back to the checkmate in 1 page instead. Then I have to slide to the checkmate in 2 page in order to resume progression. When I fail a challenge, why can't I press space to retry ? Space is the most used key in the UI and is used all the time to skip cutscenes, and that's nice. So please apply the same logic to the retry button after a failed challenge.
You can deactivate the fancy pieces effects. However, the sounds effects associated with them are still on.
I'd like to have an option to speed animations up or disable them completely, they are slowing the game. I'd like to be abIe to click to hold and drag the pieces upon their destination square. I'd like to be able to save several camera positions and switch between them as it pleases me. I'd like to be able disable the camera animation between challenges, because I see it too many times (even if I can skip it, it is still annoying). I don't like the music very much, I'd like it to have several music genres to pick from. This calm, chill music is just bland.
The worst bug, however, is being able to do illegal moves : I can move a pinned piece and put myself in a check position ??
Apart from that, the game is chill and visually refreshing. Just what I needed from the usual chess games I play (Lichess).
There are not many people playing online, so I had to wait more than 5 minutes to find a game against a an equal competitor. During the game, you don't have many options, you can't see the moves played (this feature lacks terribly) and there's no indication of the captured pieces. You have to look around the chessboard for that information. Like in real life, actually. The weather option doesn't seem to work, I disabled dynamic weather, but I had nice sunny weather at the beginning of the game, and some wind and rain afterwards. What is even more annoying is that the sound and the UI are not very clear on whose turn it is. You don't hear a clear "thump" sound when a piece has been moved. Timing options are very limited, there's Fischer and Classic, which both are very slow (30min+30 and 45min !). You can't play a regular game of 10 or 15 minutes here.

Given these flaws, I'd still like the game to succeed, I'd like devs to add more features (integration with external accounts on Lichess.org or Chess.com, playing adversaries from those platforms, replays, analysis, open and FREE challenges - not in DLCs ! - classes and what not ... ), so I'll say an encouraging yes !

I'll come back to this rating sometime, if expectations are not met.

EDIT 01-15-2025 : We need a way to report people ! I have been stuck for an huge amount of time by a player on a loosing position (I was winning, he/she was loosing by checkmate in 1). Eventually he /she resigned but still, that attitude was not fair play. Besides, how come that when I lose a game, I lose several tens of ELO points, but I only get like 5 ELO when I win ? Is there a difference in the ELO points gained whether the opponent resigned or if I checkmated him/her ?
Today is the second time I experienced a crash. Fortunately it wasn't during a game.
I have to change my previous rating, from recommended to not recommended. It's still a great visual improvement over the rest of the chess experiences you can have on a computer screen, but too many features are missing or are not working very well.
I'll come back as I continue playing, to review my position if needed

Seems to have the same problems that Hell Let Loose suffers from : either servers are full, either empty. Besides, I can't filter servers list.
I can't recommend a game that I'm not able to launch on multiplayer between 9pm and 12pm, unless I rent my own server or enter an empty one. I'm not waiting for hours for a server to make some room

I backed this project in 2020 or 2021 and genuinely enjoyed my time with it during Early Access. Back then, I found a French server run by an amazing admin team (shoutout to the SACHEM team! ^^), who made my experience even better.

However, the development pace quickly became frustratingly slow. At times, we waited over six months for updates, which often turned out to be underwhelming. Some of my friends were convinced the game was on the verge of being abandoned by the developers. Eventually, I stopped playing but kept an eye on its progress from a distance.

Recently, I noticed the game climbing the Steam charts again, which brought it back to my attention. Unfortunately, after watching the trailer and the promotional "live" stream here on Steam, I realized I just can’t see myself getting back into it.

Don’t get me wrong—the additions in version 1.0, like land and water vehicles, fauna, the expanded map, natural medicine, and the day-night cycle, are all fantastic. But we needed those features back in 2021 or 2022 when the game still had momentum. Now, it feels like too little, too late. Moreover, it seems to be still lacking weather !

The game’s engine is outdated, and in 2024, we have titles like Grey Zone Warfare and Tarkov. While they don’t offer the exact same gameplay mechanics (survival, exploration, crafting, base building, raiding, hunting) or setting (a post-apocalyptic Russian open world), they hit similar satisfaction triggers for players. They’re far more visually appealing and provide equally, if not more, thrilling experiences compared to roaming the forests of DeadSide.

At this point, why would players of Rust or DayZ make the switch to DeadSide in 2024?

It just feels like a huge waste and a missed opportunity. The potential was there, but it wasn’t realized in time. It honestly brings me sorrow to see how things turned out.

The gameplay, its scale, the simplistic but enjoyable graphics, the soundtrack, the galactic war (solo) mode and the possibility to PvP, the mod support and the available mod quantity, the community and the system editor make this game still relevant on the RTS stage in 2024, almost 10 years after release.

I just love to send entire moons in the face of the enemy commander, that feels so refreshing.

Not played as much as I wanted for the moment, but I'll work on that. I think I played the former PA game a bit more

Very cool and diverse gameplay, definitely worth the money.
But I'm sorry, my eyes are sore after a few minutes of this art direction. I can't cope with the colors and pixelisation.
It's a good game, works very well to let off some steam, that's why I recommend. But I have to ask a refund.

The lore will resonate with most players, as all the heroes are inspired by classic childhood fairy tales. For example, Little Red Riding Hood transforms into a wolf when she’s angry, Gepetto creates wooden puppets to assist him in battle, the Pied Piper commands an army of attacking rats, and Beowulf is accompanied by a baby dragon. There are nine characters in total—four available at the start and five to unlock.

The gameplay is smooth, offering a great balance of reward, challenge, and fun.

The art style and animations are very reminiscent of Curse of the Dead Gods, featuring a moody yet warm and colorful atmosphere brought to life through cel-shading.

The game supports up to four players and is entirely PvE, filled with magic powers and special abilities.

Matches last between 15-20 minutes for solo play and 45-50 minutes in co-op. Your character levels up with each game (for example, my Beowulf reached level 3 after three games), unlocking new abilities as they progress. You earn significantly more XP when playing co-op, as the matches last longer. On top of the raven feathers mechanism that can revive a hero instantly, remaining players can buy back a fallen companion, which helps a lot.

Games are divided into chapters, each tied to a map. On the map, you'll hunt down packs of monsters and explore crypts to level up your character. Time passes with a day/night cycle, and on the third day, the map’s main boss appears. When this happens, all players are teleported to face the boss. Once defeated, you move on to the next map. Every time your character levels up during a match, you get to choose an upgrade.

Even with all the firepower a full four-player team can bring by the end of the game, it remains well-balanced, and the mobs still provide a worthy challenge.

In conclusion, Ravenswatch is an excellent and refreshing game. It’s somewhat similar to MOBAs in their jungle mob mechanics but is strictly PvE and set in a universe inspired by childhood fairy tales. It’s best enjoyed in 4-player co-op rather than solo.

Finally, I got my hands on it!
It’s exactly what I expected—I love it, totally my style.
You absolutely have to avoid confrontation, you have to go ninja-style... and yeah, half the time, you die.
The art and graphics are fantastic, as expected!
It runs pretty well on my PC—everything's set to ultra by default and I haven’t changed it. I’m confident I can squeeze out a few extra frames per second by lowering the settings a bit (or more) if needed.
I haven’t encountered many bugs so far, but I’ve only played solo (I don’t have anyone to play with at the moment) and I haven’t actively looked for bugs either. There are a few spots on the map that you can’t cross, but I’m pretty sure you're not supposed to anyway—I just had to take a different route. And I haven’t gotten stuck anywhere. The only bug I've ran into is a warning message window that appears at the end of a run, saying that due to a network error my inventory was restored to its state before the mission started. That message appears at the end of all missions, even if you died. No big deal, just had to click "confirm" and it disappears. And if I really managed to extract, my loot was still there. Also, for whatever reason, my character's haircut changes each time I return from battlefield. These bugs aren't very annoying, let alone disruptive.
I didn't manage to find out how you can actually customize your weapons, although I had weapons parts, optics, handles, etc ... And I got a lockbox that I didn't manage to open, yet.
For me, it’s worth the price ($27 right now), and it'll be worth even more once it gets polished and they add more content