This is a basic overview of the open world of Ravenbound, and we explain how it shapes the player’s experience of choosing encounters and navigating the island of Ávalt.
The Gameplay Loop, and a Mix of Genres
Ravenbound is an action-heavy roguelite where players can freely choose their next encounter.
However, this isn’t the open-world game where you get lost in a side quest for hours. It’s an open-world roguelite, which means pretty tight loops and a focus on getting a build ready for the boss. The open world mainly offers more strategic choices on how to shape what cards you draw and what risks to take.
The gameplay loop for Ravenbound mainly consists of deciding where to go based on what cards you want, killing enemies, drawing cards, reevaluating, and going for the next fight until the risk outweighs the reward, and it’s time to face the boss.
We chose an open-world format to give players more control and flexibility in their gameplay experience. By opening up the world, we allow for a more dynamic and non-linear approach to encounters. This helps keep each run feeling fresh and varied, as players can experiment with different routes and strategies in their pursuit of success.
As we continue to develop Ravenbound, we’re looking forward to expanding the content and opportunities available in Ávalt. Our primary focus has been on establishing a strong foundation for the game and creating an open world that properly supports the core gameplay experience. We envision the world of Ávalt growing and evolving alongside our community, and we’re excited to adapt and shape the game based on player feedback and engagement.
If you have any ideas as to what you’d like to see in the game, please share it in the forums. Your feedback really does help us shape the game.
Raven Towers
Traversing the world is an integral aspect of Ravenbound, and the Raven Tower system is designed to facilitate strategic choices for players.
Converting back to Raven form puts players in a bird’s eye view, enabling them to get an overview of their surroundings and enter almost like a planning mode. The system emphasizes the importance of making thoughtful decisions and taking advantage of this unique perspective to plan your next move effectively. As the world of Ávalt expands, the need for this system will increase, and these moments of downtime will create more identity to the regions you are in, and how they affect your run.
