Graven Is Gravely Mediocre 

The latest victim of 3D Realms cranking out as many of their infinitely-delayed, unfinished projects as fast as possible to avoid being shut down by Embracer Group. So far, it's not working out well for them, which is sad, but they've unfortunately never been a well run organization.

About "Dark Messiah", that guy never ever EVER skipped leg-day

Quite frankly, I'm absolutely amazed this game finally got released. It was in early access forever. I think most of us assumed it was abandoned for a long period of time.

The Phantom Fury demo didn't even have basic stuff like hit feedback (not hit icons, but the enemy even reacting or sound) and felt like babies first FPS. They pulled the demo and apologized to do better after a flood of negative feedback and excuses. I mean if your doctor screws up your treatment then promises to go study some more medical books you change doctors. I have 0% confidence in their ability to make a fun game.

The devs should have spent their time making the core gameplay loop as fun as possible to the point where it could be played and enjoyed in a blank square map, before they added all of these stylised visuals which is clearly where all the effort went in the end.

Slipgate Ironworks releasing a half-baked, unfinished game? Impossible!

The stamina bar reeks of a vestigial design choice that they kept in the game even though the development took a different direction.

I remember being so hyped for the comeback of 3D realms, and now it just saddens me

I was thinking, it looks like the pieces exist but it needs polish but then Gman is like "it's been in early access for three years" and then it's like, oh. Never mind.

11:32 REVERB FART 17:49 LIQUID SHART

Looks like one of those games you definitely want to play with a few QoL mods.

After this and Kingpin: Reloaded, I don't trust Slipgate to not screw up Core Decay.

They need to overhaul the gameplay in a patch instead of trying to just "ohh well we'll answer these issue in some kind of a sequel" This combat can be saved.

>references to old 3D realms games is the only thing this game has going for it Well, that's a load of crock. The atmosphere, level design and art direction are top notch.

For those that have never played Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, it’s available on gamepass for pc :)

Please 3d realms, PLEASE don't screw up wrath. That game was shaping up to be incredible, but now i'm worried :(

Tbh I was a big fan of hexen and heretic back in the day and this looks like a nostalgia shot to the arm

What a GORGEOUS looking game

I will obviously still give this one a try since I bought it in Early Access but waited for it to be finished. However from what I can tell from your video, I might have a trainer on for infinite stamina. There's so many games, and not only in the FPS genre, were stamina is more of an annoyance than a mechanic.

Never pre-order, never buy day 1, and never purchase microtransactions.

Ah yes, Slipgate Ironworks. The developer that almost knows how to make video games. Their games always look so good and feel so bad. That Phantom Fury demo was just awful and I don't know what we were supposed to get from it other than a warning not to buy the full game. PLEASE KEEP THEM AWAY FROM CULTIC. Jason Smith has got that one covered.

I've seen others complain that there is no map in the game. When the EA version launched, there was most definitely a map - it was mostly worthless because it didn't show anything but we all figured while in EA they'd fix it and make it work and um nope they just got rid of it. Which sucks.

Slipgate is quickly becoming the boomshoot equivalent of AAA companies of releasing broken, disappointing games (they also did the terrible Kingpin "remaster").

This is a game to give a couple years of big feature and balance updates and community patches, and it could turn into a gem, it has all the potential

i really miss when you had ruins head pop up with tbe swagged audio

The fact that they billed this thing as a spiritual successor to Hexen is mindboggling. Aside from the fantasy aesthetic, it doesn't play anything LIKE Hexen. SGIW seems like they're incapable of making good games unless another studio is involved in the production too.

for me the worst part is the useless backtracking in huge, empty levels

The lack of a map doesn’t bother me, cuz I’m not a btch The stamina thing sounds annoying though…

I like games like Thief, System shock, Hexen, Arx Fatalis, Legend of Grimrock 1+2 and all its awesome mods. So I'll happily bring out a notepad to jot down suspicious things I want to come back to. I strongly urge everyone who might be interrested to just try it themselves.

The game 25 EUR in my region. There was no need to make it 15 hours long, people would have been happier with shorter, but more polished experience.

OK, Following the intro with Krusty saying "What the hell was that" absolutely killed me because I literally had the same response the moment I saw your character die. LOL

Easily one of those games where the gameplay is so boring the visuals and the art style are the only thing keeping you playing it, thank god i got it for 3$

Awe man. It sure would be nice if these studios had the time and money to fix the game up over the coming year or two. It sure would be nice if Embracer Group wasn't weeks away from shuttering 3d realms.

Very different perspective from Splattercat's and Mortismal's. Still valid, just different. To each their own I guess.

"Dumb as a bag of bricks, they're about as abundant and hit about as hard" 😁 English isn't my first language, so maybe that's why I especially enjoyed that bit... Anyway, too bad about Graven. I was gonna try it, but oh well.

Im surprised i have not seen a comment saying the guns and gameplay look similar to the old Painkiller series

I really appreciate the warning as this is precisely the kind of game I gravitate towards, and this one has all the hallmarks of one that seems great until the 2 hour threshold is crossed and you can't get a refund.

Another 3DR tire fire...

"way back in 2021" is a phrase that doesn't feel real

Kinda funny to watch this right after SplatterCat's video, where he actually praised it for stuff like the spells being for utility and not just another gun. Honestly it looks like it just needs a balance patch or two and it'll be an actually good game!

As someone who recently finished this game. It is like the definition of a mixed game that I have ever played. So many interesting and visually cool places and ideas that's just bogged down by puzzling design choices and tedious combat. I'm very glad I got it in that 2nd Retro FPS Humble Bundle... Bundle cause I would be pretty peeved if I had spent full price on it. (Thankfully Wrath has seemed to come out pretty well)

- Inspired by Hexen - Confusing where to go next Sounds about right.

“We have Amid Evil at home” Amid Evil at home:

It's fitting the first clip you used was the Simpsons because Graven sounds like something Professor Frink would say.

So electricity freezes and freeze stuns. Genius. Pure genius

My biggest complain about this game is how enemy being stunned actually doesn't prevent them from doing very vile shit. Notable examples: magical dudes with crossbows in first area. You would think that stunning them with lightning incapacitates them, but they will gladly throw poison bolts at you even while stunned! That's BULLSHIT!

My dude, your really ruffled some feathers with this review on the Steam discussions. 😂 I love the concept of this game and it was one of my most anticipated titles of the past few years, but I cannot help but agree with your criticisms. Case in point, the lack of a bloody map!

Have you played Blood West? If not you should definitely check it out.

Man, the constant fuck ups at SG/3DR makes me very very worried for Tempest Rising. I need a new CnC game like you wouldn’t believe.

Those spells don't look upgraded which can wreak havoc when they are upgraded and stamina can be regained through health potions for high intensity moments

I like the art style . I like how it has a specifically old school feel

7:55 Major patches needed I think

What a shame, the artstyle and design of this game is fantastic

Looking forward to Gman playing Palworld

My biggest issue with this game is the constant crashing that can completely wipe your save game.

Question for you Gman: I'm willing to overlook the traversal and map issues. The combat looks pretty fun and challenging. Worth buying for that alone?

I had high hopes from the demo a long time ago and was hoping the early access would be the good kind....but I dunno seems not the case

The most similar thing to a shotgun crossbow in history is the chinese Chukonu crossbow, which shot multiple arrows at once.

Fuck, we need a modern Hexen soon... seeing some the footage used in the video brought the itch back.

This game looking this nice is still enticing the f out of me

being surprised by the fart reverb sound in every video always makes me smile

when i got the green crystal and started going back to check all the walls i couldn't break before only to realize they just had ammo and sometimes a potion, i pretty much completely checked out.

The Krusty opening joke is amazing 😂😂😂

The decline in quality is the result of there being more "boomer shooters" than actual Boomer Shooters that came out in the 90s.

I left a review in Early Access back in June of 2021. It's unfortunate to know that almost everything I mention back then has not been address. You can read the review here: "So the art style and atmosphere are perfect. And this definitely has a kernel of something good. However, it's not quite blossomed yet. I do think the devs are onto making a great game but a few tweaks could really set them down a path for excellence. Yes I definitely recommend this game but I also want to offer any ideas to help improve the experience. These are my critiques so far: I absolutely hate that I cannot save my progress mid-quest. If you quit the game mid-quest you will have to start it from scratch. That's very ANTI-FUN. They already have a spawn checkpoint when you die while playing BUT it does not save progress. I think this needs to be reworked ASAP. My next critique is that combat is rather boring. This could be due to it being early game and my weapons have not been upgraded BUT the enemies are almost silent when in combat. They hardly make grunts of pain or aggression. Their animation and behavior is very jank. I would recommend the devs look at the game 'Blood' (1997) which I'm sure they are familiar. In Blood, you can FEEL the impact your weapons are having on enemies. I also feel like the range of melee weapons is a tad too short. I often swing at an enemy point blank and no hit is registered. The enemies are also missing that X factor. They need something that makes you think 'wow' Whether that's glowing eyes, haunting SFX, more decomposition... ect. I don't know what the right answer is but I know they need work. I hope this is not an issue with weapons too. Obviously its hard to judge the early-weapons but I hope to be 'wowed' by later weapons. I would recommend Amid Evil. I do find it annoying that I have to cycle past my staff after getting the sword. The staff is useless after get the sword. So unless you can upgrade the staff later in the game I would recommend being able to sell or drop it. OR combine it with the spellbook and have the staff shoot the projectiles Another issue I had was the low ammo capacity. The wrist bolt continuously runs out of ammo and I found myself breaking out of the 'fun-zone' to BACKTRACK and collect ammo. It's a weak weapon so why does it need such low ammo capacity? Switching weapons is very slow. Especially opening the book for spells. The map is way too vague and empty of labels/landmarks. Making it an absolute CHORE to navigate and route with it. I found myself not using it at all. The HUD could be slightly bigger and more unique. Again where is the X factor? Impress us! You obviously have phenomenal art team, why are they playing so safe? I didn't even realize stamina was a thing. I thought running was glitched in the game. Eventually I noticed the bubble on the HUD. Don't get me wrong, I do really like what I've seen so far. Especially the art, level design, music, and atmosphere. I would just like to ask the team, "What are you going to do to stand strong among the giants of games like Blood, Heretic, Hexen, Dusk, Amid Evil, Wrath, ect?"

I love Graven. There is something they nailed with the atmosphere that is nostalgia inducing for some reason. Now it's far from perfect, it does feel like unpolished, you have good points except: there is actually a map...

@2:39 Gezzer watching lawyer reacts videos on his free time.

I can see the appeal of having no map in a survival horror game where you're meant to be lost or whatever, but something like this, that essentially plays like a boomer shooter, doesn't suit that kind of obfuscated design.

17:39 > What PEAT actually is Peat is Scotland's lifeblood, basically. They warm their homes with it, they use it to roast malt for beer and whiskey, I wouldn't be surprised if they cook it and maybe even eat it raw. What PEAT actually ISN'T is this game rendition of it: ultra-flammable and explosive shit, akin to black powder.

Great review! This just solidified it for me, I'm not playing it. Tried the early access version and it was tedious as hell. "Breaking boxes + subpar combat + getting lost constantly" - the game.

Haha, I love that the QR code was custom. And the fact that it had a typo seems fitting while reviewing Graven.

Neat.

Man I was so looking forward for this game, it was like the closest I could imagine of a modern Hexen

This game is a good representation of devs losing themselves in their own minds, ignoring completely the feedback... it has a very good idea, that a lot of people liked and wanted to have fun with, but they just decided to go what they first wanted to do until the end even if was obviously a bad idea... like yeah they cleary want you to use the spells more as tool than a way of combat, but my question is why? If ends up being unfun just abandon this idea and go with fun idea. Same with the stamina.

My only complaint on the game is the stamina bar really. Its pretty good!

Games being unfinished is sadly the norm these days and I can't stand it for the life of me

I feel like there was a missed opportunity to turn that discharge/not touching that your mom joke with a ten foot pole into" I couldn't if I wanted to because it conducts electricity" ;)

That trick with ghost visibility would be cool if it worked with eye tracking

I was really looking forward to this game, but it's demo changed my mind VERY quickly. The spells always seemed so sad to use -- only as puzzle solving abilities or minor CC instead of a really powerful part of your toolkit. The weapons also.... eh.... I'm kinda happy someone else mirrors my opinions. My friends thought I was just complaining, but I really thought there was some missed potential.

The 2 Wrath levels I played on early access were really good. Hopefully the game comes out great.

Metroidvania shooter is actually a pretty dope concept. I'd like to have some suggestions if games like that exist (besides Metroid Prime ofc)

Ice spell should create ice patches on solid ground for mobs to slip on. That's 101.

This is exactly what I imagined a Hexen re-boot to look like. Also, even with all the problems, you can't deny the fact that the game looks amazing.

A game coming out of early access just means they're raising the price by 50 to 100 percent.

Aw man that game looks so cool!

Flechettes are small blades in ammo.

Matt McMuscles on suicide watch 💀

Played the demo of this for 30 minutes and wasn't impressed

9:50 Or the Queen Alien from AVP2.

You think you can just slip that Cybernator OST by us during the Ad Read? Busted!

when hexen doesnt tell you where to go it's great..when graven does the same thing...he complains lawl. what a fkin hero

Hey Gman you should totally review the old ps1 army men games, especially the ww2 ones. Thanks.

So many of these retro games have no map to try and be 'old school'. It was getting lost in those games which I hated most. Anyway did the original Doom have an automap? It's been so long since I played the shareware version and being so clueless I wouldn't have known it existed. It's not maps that are the problem these days, but the big stupid arrows and markers which turn it into follow the big X and repeat.

i like the cybernator ost thrown in there

That frost spell is hilarious, because even Witchaven actually allows the player to outright freeze opponents, not just slow them down. How do you make an ice spell this lame?

You havent played Fortunes Run yet Gman? I hope to see a video on it in the future, cause its a damn good game, kinda hard and takes a bit to get the hang of but its VERY good! And I havent seen many people talking about it, which sucks

The last time you and Jarek uploaded a review about the same game on the same day was Evil West and you 2 had both different opinions. This time however you two point out what is bad and I like that. If you guys happen to review a same, you should maybe consider doing a collab video. That would be unique and awesome

Unless they changed it from early access there definitely is a map and quest journal???

when i saw it on early access on Splattercats channel i thought it had promise until i saw who the dev/producer was and realized it wasn't going to improve and would likely be worse at launch.

13:27 The most overpowered foot in gaming history ? You forgot Issacs stomp from dead space.