Fairytale roguelike ARPG Ravenswatch sees Steam surge as 1.0 lands

Steam roguelike Ravenswatch has left early access, and the player count climbs as people discover the endgame and new character Carmilla.

At first glance, you might think Ravenswatch is a game in the style of Hades – and there are certainly similarities to the immediate feel created by its camera perspective, movement, and rapid-fire dodges. But this fairytale roguelike is actually more of a Diablo-style ARPG that boasts a roster of nine flavorful heroes, each with their own unique playstyle and set of skills, as well as support for co-op multiplayer. After more than a year in early access, the Ravenswatch 1.0 launch has arrived on Steam, and its player count has leapt up as people jump in to see what’s new. If you’re tempted to join, you can even grab it cheap.

Ravenswatch is a game I’ve had my eye on for some time, but I made the decision to hold off until the full release. However, I had a chance to check out new Ravenswatch character Carmilla, who joins the roster as part of its full release, during a preview session at Gamescom. That brief hands-on was enough to make me very excited for this day to arrive, as it immediately clicked for me as a fan of both Diablo-style ARPGs and the best roguelike games.

Runs in Ravenswatch are broken up into three open-world maps. In each one, you’ll have three days and three nights – progressing in accelerated real time as you play – to level up, earn talents, and collect items before you must face the region’s boss. That means each level is a race against time, and you’ll have to study the map and decide which of the available quests, challenge areas, treasure chests, and so on you want to pursue to maximize your power level ahead of the climactic encounter.

To do so you choose from that aforementioned selection of nine characters, each of whom is inspired by figures of fairytale and legend. Perhaps you’ll opt for Scarlet, a bitten Red Riding Hood that transforms between human and werewolf as the day/night cycle progresses, giving her two distinct play styles. Maybe you’ll step into the shoes of the Pied Piper, lulling enemies with your melodies before unleashing a swarm of rats, or those of inventor Geppetto with his arsenal of distracting puppets and powerful bombs.

The result is something that manages to feel creative and unique – not quite the more linearly structured room-by-room runs of a Hades, and not the pure horde-crushing of a Diablo. There’s a ton of character and personality to the way each hero is designed, and some strikingly diverse ways to approach the action based on your abilities. That style extends into the quests, too; one has you collecting straw to build a house for the Three Little Pigs, then defending it against attack for as long as you can, for example.

Version 1.0 introduces Ravenswatch’s final boss fight, along with its endgame, and marks the arrival of the aforementioned ninth playable character Carmilla. There are also more than 15 extra talents for heroes to learn, new skins to unlock, achievements, and an improved end-of-run screen to check your stats. If you’ve been playing in early access, you’ll also notice improved social features and voice chat, along with some additional quality-of-life upgrades, bug fixes, and balance changes.

The launch has certainly sparked a response from players – Ravenswatch has leapt up dramatically to a peak of 5,816 concurrent players since the 1.0 update arrived on Thursday September 26, its largest count since April 2024. Reviews are currently ‘very positive’ too, with 80% of users recommending it. I’ll certainly be hopping in to check out the full release over the weekend, and if you’re tempted to do the same then you can take advantage of a Steam sale to grab it at an extra discount.

Ravenswatch is out now on Steam. A 20% discount available through Thursday October 3 means you’ll pay just $19.99 / £16.79 if you buy it now, down from its usual price of £24.99 / £20.99. Just head here if you’re curious to take a look.

Alternatively, take a look at more of the best games like Diablo – or perhaps even check in with the real thing, as the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred release date creeps ever closer.

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