Five months since the PC 1.0 release emerged from 3 long years in early access, Graven launches on current-gen consoles in much better technical state. However, a more stable, optimised build with solid gamepad controls can’t offset several frustrating mechanics, persistent jank, and bugs that remain after several major patches. As a result, Graven on console remains just as flawed as it is compelling.
If this console release is your first exposure to Graven, it’s primarily a retro-styled, first-person shooter – though a big part of the negative reception it received during development was what many though Graven would be. It was often referred to a spiritual sequel to Hexen – think Quake-clone with a focus on wielding magic instead of firearms, and light puzzling mixed in with key-hunts – but ultimately emerged as an awkward hybrid of different genres. Everything comes together well enough in the first act – the one that benefited directly from early access feedback – but it slowly unravels in the later acts as infuriating mechanics, constant jank, and a succession of bugs take their toll on your patience.
Graven at a glance
Starting with the good, Graven has a great setting and premise, with the protagonist – a priest of the “Orthogonal Order” – regaining consciousness on a raft travelling through foetid swamps towards the plague-ridden town of Cruxfirth at the edge of the known empire. He was exiled for striking down a fellow priest attempting to sacrifice his daughter, condemned to death for breaching his oaths, and is now left stranded with his staff, the newfound ability to wield forbidden magics, and no idea if his daughter survived. With few options, he sets out to find redemption by aiding the townsfolk and investigating the nearby mansion archive of his order. Storytelling is kept to a minimum if you’re unwilling to read updating journal entries, but it’s still a great opening that kicks off a gruelling journey through Gothic-inspired ruins, mansions, and swamps; snow- and windswept mountain forests, an elaborate mechanical manor, and an imposing castle; and a desert city full of temples and catacombs slowly collapsing into sand-filled canyons.
If nothing else, Graven excels at creating a palpable atmosphere of malice and dread, with visuals that feel suitably retro, while retaining sprawling environments as detailed, dense, and vertical as you might expect from a modern title. The visuals are backed up by stiff but gruesome character models; over-the-top gore that’ll entertain those who miss the classic gibbing effect; creepy ambience and layered audio that’ll have you constantly checking corners in a panic; and an excellent soundtrack with several pieces that feature haunting choir-like chants. Given the gameplay is a mixed bag, the quality of the presentation is essential to making simple progression, platforming, puzzling, and secret-hunting so enjoyable as you explore every inch of large, interconnected zones and discover shortcuts back to the hub areas.
Of course, there’s no shortage of classic undead creatures, deranged cultists, and eldritch abominations standing in your way – but combat in Graven takes a long time to feel anything like the fast-paced classic FPS that supposedly inspired it. Even on the easiest difficulty, getting surrounded often means death, while ammunition, health, mana, and armour are in short supply for most of the opening half. Combat can be thrilling as you juggle resources and avoid damage, but it never feels particularly well-balanced as the game tries to straddle the line between a classic late-90s FPS; a ‘Souls-lite adventure that takes a chunk of gold essential for equipment upgrades when you die and respawn; and an immersive sim that rewards using elemental powers and a useful kick in combination with water or explosive barrels. Aside from the three major boss fights in well-stocked arenas – exercises in patience rather than aiming – combat is best avoided as you’ll want to conserve resources for when you find yourself a long way from hub towns and no desire to restart from the hub when you load save. If that design sounds engaging, it is – but only when it works as intended.
The console port and the current state of Graven
Returning to my opening line, Graven is in a much better technical state for the console launch. It’s not crashed on me in over 15 hours of play, while the performance on the Xbox Series consoles – even the Series S – is far better than I experienced playing the 1.0 PC release on an RTX3070 gaming laptop that can typically match Series X settings (something that should hold true for the PlayStation 5 version). It looks sharp and feels smooth on a 4K display, though you can notice rare drops in some hub areas and the odd stutter when loading into a new map zone. The default gamepad sensitivity has been refined and stronger aim-assist helps with smaller flying or scurrying foes. Sadly, customisation is limited and there are some unused buttons that should have been used for quick-swapping weapons or switching back to the magic tome without having to scroll through the hotbar.
Now I am a fan of some of Graven’s jank – like bypassing developer-intended routes with creative platforming and object stacking, cheesing tougher foes by getting them stuck, or watching enemy model’s ragdoll into the distance – but there are still balance issues, frustrating or inconsistent mechanics, and broken side quests. Some examples include how upgrading any melee weapon other than the staff still feels pointless, while using chain-lightning and the alt-fire of an upgraded Fletchant gun can still see you through the entire game. Another example is how enemy and item respawns remain a complete mystery. Enemies often respawn behind you for cheap shots; containers with health, mana, and ammunition don’t respawn until you’ve travelled several zones away, making some deaths doubly annoying; and I once fell into a ravine only to respawn directly above it and die repeatedly until I quit to the menu and restarted from the hub. Thankfully, I encountered no major issues with the primary quests, but side quests still break easily due to missing items or inactive puzzle elements.
Still as compelling and infuriating as ever
Wrapping up, Graven is a game I can’t stop playing, but I also can’t recommend it without caveats. The retro-styled, atmospheric presentation, exploration, secret-hunting, and even the resource-juggling combat are engaging – but the longer you play, the more frustrating it becomes as you deal with inconsistent enemy and item spawns, numerous cheap deaths, and the potential for broken side quests. It’s a shame these issues have not been resolved, as even if the second and third act don’t match the quality of the first, you can still see glimpses of what could have been an incredible hybrid of a game that caters to different playstyles. I’d still tentatively recommend Graven for fans of the genre, but I also can’t help but wonder how much better it might have turned out if the developer had reigned in the scope and focused on polish.
Graven was reviewed on Xbox Series S|X using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC and PlayStation 5.
Graven (Xbox Series) Console Review
Graven (Xbox Series) Console ReviewThe Good
- A stable and performant port
- The opening act showcases what could have been
- The atmospheric visuals, ambience, and soundtrack make simple exploration and secret-hunting rewarding
- Light immersive-sim elements allow you to circumvent barriers and exploit tougher enemies
- Entertaining jank with physics objects and ragdolls
The Bad
- Infuriating jank that’ll get you killed
- The second and third acts feel relatively underdeveloped and buggier
- Weapon balancing still favours just a few ranged weapons
- Side quests still break