Ravensword: Shadowlands is a role-playing game created by American indie studio Crescent Moon Games. It is the successor of Ravensword: The Fallen King. It was released originally only for iOS and Android compatible devices, but later was also released to Windows, due to it being greenlit on Steam.[1]
| Ravensword: Shadowlands | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Crescent Moon Games |
| Series | Ravensword |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Ouya, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, |
| Release | Android: March 21, 2013 Windows, macOS, Linux: December 6, 2013 Ouya: June, 2014 PlayStation 4, Xbox One: April 9, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
Gameplay
editThe game has received many comparison to open world role-playing games in the Elder Scrolls series of games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.[2][3][4]
Combat has three main types, with exceptions. Two, melee and ranged, are equipment based. There are various melee and ranged combat styles. Each style has separate skills and equipment, that are individually trained. Magic also has different spells, but all are trained similarly using similar equipment and the same skills.
Speedrunning
editIn 2022 the game received some notoriety when it was featured in the charity speedrunning live stream ESA 2022. The 4th fastest speedrunner is TharBeFungus with a time of 41 minutes and 21 seconds.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | iOS: 76/100[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| TouchArcade | iOS:  [6] |
Ravensword: Shadowlands has been generally well received by critics. It has received a 76 out of 100 rating on review aggregator Metacritic based on 12 reviews.[5] TouchArcade strongly praised the game, giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 score and stating that "its hard to believe I'm playing a game of this caliber on iOS...Other than a few minor glitches, Ravensword: Shadowlands is the real deal, and is an excellent open-world RPG with a decent story, ample content, deep character customization and beautiful visuals".[6] Slide to Play awarded the game a 3 out of 4 rating, stating that the game was "...a beautiful game that stumbles often, but only because it reaches so high" and concluded that it was ultimately "not as polished as a game like Skyrim, but there’s plenty here for an action RPG fan to love."[2] Gamezebo also compared it favorably to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, stating "If you're going to borrow, you may as well borrow from the best...The open world aspect of Ravensword: Shadowlands is one of its big selling points, and it is fun to explore some non-linear adventures on your iOS device. It does have some limitations though, as there are physical barriers out in the world that prevent you from reaching certain parts of the map as freely as you might think."[3] Pocket Gamer described it as "...as big and open an RPG as you're likely to get on iOS" but cited uneven combat as a major weakness of the game, describing it as both "frustratingly punishing and ridiculously easy" at certain points.[7]
AppSpy was more negative towards the game, stating that the difficulty and glitches overshadowed the game's technical feats.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Steam Greenlight::Ravensword: Shadowlands". steamcommunity.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ a b "Slide to Play | All About iOS Gaming". Slide to Play. Archived from the original on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
- ^ a b Tylwalk, Nick (20 December 2012). "Ravensword: Shadowlands Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ Games Master UK March 2013, p.92
- ^ a b "Ravensword: Shadowlands for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ a b Ford, Eric (2012-12-19). "'Ravensword: Shadowlands' Review – A New Benchmark in iOS Open-world Gaming". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ "Ravensword: Shadowlands". www.pocketgamer.com. 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ "Ravensword: Shadowlands Review". appspy.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2023-05-27.