Revita Review

Game: Revita
Genre: Action, Adventure
System: Nintendo Switch (Also on Steam (Windows & macOS))
Developer|Publisher: BenStar | Plug In Digital
Age Rating: EU 7+ | US Everyone
Price: US $16.99 | UK £15.29 | EU € 16,99
Release Date: April 21st, 2022

Review code provided with many thanks to Plan of Attack. 

A New Roguelike Enters the Station

Revita is a fast-paced twin-stick platformer with roguelike elements. If you’re new, a roguelike is a game where you generally attempt a run of the game but often fail due to the overwhelming difficulty. But with subsequent runs, you learn the enemy patterns and improve gradually over time the old gamer way. Your character doesn’t upgrade between runs but you can unlock new weapons and perks to use in subsequent runs.

It’s a game design that is about finding enjoyment in the journey rather than the overall goal of defeating the final boss. Revita has been in Early Access on PC for the past year and looks to make its jump over to the Nintendo Switch. I’ve covered many rogue-lite genres on this very site and despite this, the competition has never been stiffer with so many great titles available. Revita ticks all the boxes for a good roguelike however, it does have a unique mechanic that may be hit and miss with some gamers. 

Fight Depression

You play as a nameless child who awakens in the metro station with a touch of the video game amnesia. There seems to be a lot of that going around recently. Driven by a vague sense of purpose the child aims to reach the top of the clock tower. But it won’t be easy, you must access the top of the tower floor by floor taking out all the enemies and bosses along the way one lift ride at a time. The game is presented with a detailed pixel design and captivating soundtrack. While your character wields guns, there is no gore in this title making it suitable for almost everyone.

It’s a pretty good premise for a roguelike since every run you hop back on that metro train and return to the main hub area to re-tool and try again. As you progress you will rescue NPCs who return to the hub to assist you in your quest. Some of which will offer new weapons and items to unlock in future runs. There seems to be some small message towards mental health since the bosses are named after emotions like anger and depression. Yes, this is a video game where you can literally defeat depression which I have to say is pretty awesome. I’m probably totally off on the message but this is a title that’s open to the player’s interpretation. 

Ghost Bullets

The game plays like an arcade-style 2D platformer with twin-stick control. It begins by teaching you the basic mechanics literally one floor at a time before letting you loose into the main event. You can jump about, hang onto walls and even use a dash move to evade incoming enemies and projectiles. Shooting is pretty straightforward with a simple aim and fire mechanic. You start out with a pistol-like weapon but soon you unlock other variants like a machine gun, rocket launcher and laser. Each comes with its pros and cons, like damage and speed, but you can test this out before setting off. You can only take one gun on a run but it offers an incentive to replay and try something different.

I really liked that the guns are not traditional weapons and are present as more ghost-like entities. Controls are responsive and easy to use and the game even allows you to remap the buttons in the options if you want to adjust things. Levels are presented in bite-sized chunks with a few enemies giving the game a satisfying arcade kick to it. Along the trip upward you can also collect keys to unlock doors which will lead to rooms with chests, vendors and many other surprises. You can also find secret rooms, which I usually found by accident while shooting a wall with a rocket launcher. Then once you get to the end of the level it’s boss time, where you’ll likely die the first time. But after learning the mechanics you will see yourself through. Progressing just a little further each time. Within runs, you collect two currencies which can be used to unlock weapons, perks and cosmetics back at base. So far it’s the typical roguelike formula but let’s get to the game’s stand out mechanic. 

The Use of Health

The main mechanic of the game is the use of health. When you defeat enemies they drop souls which fill a small bar on the top left of the screen. You can then use a charge move which will either heal you half a heart per bar or add a quarter of a brand new heart per bar if you have full health. So avoiding damage is certainly recommended. The use of health doesn’t stop there. To obtain most perks and upgrades you need to exchange health.

When you start the game the balance for this seems pretty off since filling your soul bar requires you to defeat several enemies not really allowing the player much flexibility. It’s like it leans a bit too far into the risk-reward territory. This mechanic may not sit well for gamers looking for a more casual experience or something to pick up and play. But if you stick with it and can improve your skills the game starts to become pretty interesting. It’s a mechanic that certainly makes it stand out from the populated roguelike crowd.

Accessibility 

Revita comes with multiple accessibility features which will be very welcome for those that struggle with the core experience or just want to tweak things a bit. You are able to slow the game speed down, adjust the auto-aim and adjust enemy damage to be weaker or more severe. Additionally, you can switch off flashing images and have outlines over characters or enemies to make them easier to see. As well as accessibility you can compete in daily and weekly challenges to test your skill across the rest of the world. Even if you don’t want to check the leaderboards, performing these challenges does also net you more coins and cosmetics to unlock.

You can also unlock train tickets, which will grant you specific perks per run adding some extra incentive to replay. If the gameplay clicks with you Revita is a game that will have you coming back run after run. Most of which are quite short, well under 30 minutes, which will appeal to those with little gaming time. If you need to bounce off in the middle of the run there are save spots at the end of each boss encounter so you can pick up where you left off later. 

During the process of the review, it appears some of the Early Access bugs have taken the train ride over to the Switch version. But on launch, all of these appeared to be addressed. I didn’t encounter anything game-breaking when actually playing the launch build. The game ran well in TV and handheld modes. The latter is my preferred way to play. I did notice that even post-launch the developers are listening to player feedback and intend to update the game further which is always nice to see. 

End of the Line

I kinda liked Revita in the end. To begin with, I didn’t really warm to the use of health to obtain new abilities. But with time and further upgrading, it actually brought an enjoyable risky challenge to the experience. If you’re experienced with the genre it might take a bit of a grind for the formula to click. But if you’re new the accessibility features may make this quite an appealing jumping on point. If you’re hungry for a new roguelike challenge Revita is a train ride well worth taking. 

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot