reviver header showing main characters carlos and felicia

Reviver Review

Game: Reviver
Genre: Puzzle, Visual Novel, Adventure, Indie
System: Steam (Windows, macOS)
Developers | Publishers: Cotton Game
Controller Support: No
Price: US $8.99 | UK £6.99 | EU € 8,79
Release Date: January 9th, 2025

A review code was used, and many thanks to Cotton Game.

Reviver is a 2025 narrative puzzle game developed and released by Cotton Game.

Reviver the diary
The diary

The Premise of Reviver

In Reviver, we play and observe the story of Carlos and Felicia as they and their relationship grow, develop, and change.

Gameplay

Reviver contains a series of scenes from the life journey of our two protagonists, from youth to old age. More than 50 puzzles and mini-games are woven into the storyline and affect the way the story progresses—in the present and in the future.

mini game from Reviver - red riding hood escaping the wolves
A mini-game

The game is divided into three parts, each chapter containing several rooms from different years. We have free reign to switch between the protagonists’ rooms. Usually, we start with two available years and unlock more as we solve puzzles and play mini-games. We switch between characters’ rooms by pressing a button on the upper left side of the screen. To switch between years, we need to drag the screen sidewise. Almost all details on the screen are interactable – whether with animation or some comment. The story comes together and changes in the diary of each character, as well as notes, cards, articles, and photos we find.

The first chapter of the game also serves as a tutorial to the gameplay mechanics.

a cozy room with big windows and a view into the garden
Felicia’s room.

There is an element of a point-and-click adventure game: we have an inventory and can combine items to make new ones. We can collect things in 1910 and use them in a room in 1908. We have one inventory, the same for the two characters and all the places and times we go through. It sounds like a lot, but we only get a few items for each chapter, so it’s not overwhelming. The inventory is always active on the bottom of the screen, and combining items is done effortlessly by dragging and dropping one item onto another.

Reviver is not a game that holds your hand – you progress by clicking on everything on the screen, although the diaries also contain hints about what to do next. The mini-games have no skip button and can be anything from solving ciphers to mazes. Hints about how to solve a puzzle can be found in the rooms themselves. Clicking outside of the puzzle or mini-game resets progress.

Reviver a room at the very beginning of the game
Carlos’ room

A Visual Fest

Reviver is, simply put, a beautiful game. It is done in a hand-drawn style that I like, so I am looking forward to the free wallpaper DLC that the developers have mentioned in their roadmap. The fact that the controls are simplified to the mouse makes the whole gaming experience immersive, not unlike going through a picture album. The color palette is warm, and the whole game has a very cozy-like feel.

It is also quite fascinating to look at the same room in different years and during different seasons. You can see the story progression and how the characters grow and change.

The soundtrack is excellent enough to warrant its separate release at some point in the future.

moving between the years
Moving between the years.

Some Other Things

Reviver has Steam achievements. As mentioned in the developers ‘ roadmap, trading cards will be added at some point. In terms of settings, we have the essential resolution and audio settings.

Conclusion

In Reviver, we follow the life stories of two main characters and shape their destinies through our choices. The game’s combination of hand-drawn style and immersive interactive experience creates a profound journey of love and choice. It’s a great little game, and I can’t wait to see what the developers will come up with next.

Final Verdict: I Like it a LotI like it a lot

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