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0 Drova – Forsaken Kin is an upcoming single-player, action-RPG adventure from game developers Just2d. It’s a souls-like action game with mysticism and grim undertones from Celtic mythology. Drova was first teased three years ago and is still being developed. It is set to be released sometime this year on PC. We were invited to take a close look at the game before release. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to go on a deep dive into the lands of Drova.
A Pixel RPG Game With Tonnes Of Soul
Do you like a challenge and love the souls-like genre? Is it not easy for you to buckle under the relentless weight of all the attacks thrown at you?? Following getting a good beating while playing Dark Souls & Elden Ring I’ve decided it’s not the genre for me. Let me know what your favourite game in this genre is in the comments below!
Gameplay
When getting started with the game you are welcomed with a basic character creator. Here you can customise your pixelated character who you’ll be guiding through these harsh lands. I chose a grizzled look in an attempt to look as badass as possible. I keep doing this hoping that in some future game AI enemies will start paying attention to my unhinged appearance and keep their distance. You are given the option to adorn yourself with a buff to make the game easier in some aspects. I chose a ring that granted more HP as this will be helpful when HP is taken ruthlessly with games like this.
You are introduced to the story by way of a cutscene where you learn that your tribe unearthed a red glowing gemstone. The druids in the tribe manage to uncover a location from the gemstone and set off into the woods to discover more. Our curious client follows them into the dark forest. It is here I was greeted with the gameplay screen and the tutorial on how to navigate the lands. I chose to use a mouse and keyboard with the mouse pointer being the way you are facing/looking and the WASD keys being how you move around. The right mouse button allowed you to focus your sight looking past the undergrowth which I thought was clever. Soon enough I was traversing through the dark and fog tracking the footsteps of the Druids.
Becoming the Unlikely Hero
You manage to catch up with the Druids where the head Druid is slain. His apprentice enlists you to take the gem to the Druids at Nemeton where all will be revealed. You are suddenly teleported to a far-off place to start your journey into the unknown with nothing by way of armour or weaponry. You are mostly left to explore without any sense of direction other than a path. Eventually, you come across other travellers who guide you to your ultimate destination. The dialog options are fairly simple leading to a much larger reply dialog from whoever you talk to.
The exploration eventually brings you to the woodcutter’s camp. Here you are taught how to fight more effectively with abilities that are built up through successful hits and dodges. Here you can also collect various mini-quests to help the residents of the camp. These ranged from finding items for recipes, finding lost items, and uncovering mysteries surrounding things being stolen. With each quest, the main camp leader gives you armour upgrades which are vital in a game like this.
A Treasure Drova of Skills
As the game advances you can upgrade your skills including spells but only when being taught by those willing to teach you. I found this to be another clever addition separating it from the usual click-a-button skills tree. As upgrading your skill is very sporadic, avoiding encounters can be just as beneficial as going for a full frontal attack. You are eventually given a hand-drawn crude map showing the general direction to locations in the world. You can buy more detailed maps once you progress further down the main path. I found this to be another unique touch to the game.
Along the path, earlier in the game, the enemies you face range from rats, giant mosquitos, and rabid dogs which if not dealt with properly can whittle down that HP bar. As you explore further down the path the enemies grow in size and difficulty. Often I’d encounter some and after a single hit I knew I had ventured too far. It was time to retreat to increase my skills further. At the end of my time with the game, I discovered a larger settlement with a battle arena and a plethora of quests. I can only assume it grows even more in size and complexity as you advance.
Graphics and Audio
The pixel-art style of this game is absolutely beautiful encapsulating impressive detailed environments and characters while giving us a gloomy foreboding colour palette. The animations of the game from its characters, trees, bushes, and enemies are also well made giving the world life. Certain animations look awesome like when you dash, your silhouette gives a supernatural aspect to it. The complexity of the areas that you explore grows bigger too. The sound and voiceovers had just as much detail put into them. Each character had their own attitude and was voiced well. Sound effects throughout the game add to the immersion but don’t distract you from the game’s aesthetic.
Longevity
My time with Drova: Forsaken Kin is going to be a long game on release but I’m not sure about replayability as it’s a linear story without much room for change. My time with the preview was great and I am definitely interested in seeing how it develops.
Final Thoughts
This demo showcased the game well and I can’t wait until it is released fully. The pixel look of the game along with its theme containing mysticism and ritualistic magic was very alluring. If the game continues to grow and has more of a story and in-depth quests, I can imagine it being an amazing game overall.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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