GRAVEN Continues Trend of 3D Realms Sticking to What They Do Best

Over the weekend, fans of retro-inspired FPS games were treated with a two-day event from 3D Realms called Realms Deep, which featured announcements and interviews with New Blood Interactive, Running with Scissors, Nightdive Studios, and more. Leading the charge was a project from the 3D Realms portfolio, a fantasy game bathed in low-poly nostalgia called GRAVEN, which looks a little bit like Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, mixed with Hexen and a dash of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. GRAVEN is being developed by Slipgate Ironworks and will be published by both 3D Realms and 1C Entertainment. It was also confirmed that the game will be released on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch in 2021. 

In GRAVEN, players take on the mantle of a disgraced Priest of the Orthogonal Order. According to a recent press release, the game’s plot is driven by the Priest’s adoptive daughter being sacrificed by a heretical member of the Orthogonal Order, which drives the man to retaliate and leads to him being exiled to the burning sands. Following this life-changing event, the Priest prays for peace but is interrupted by a higher power known as The Creator who begins to give him commands to hunt down heretics responsible for plagues and interrupting the natural order of the area. 

When it comes to many of these retro-inspired shooters though, the gameplay is the star of the show and it looks like GRAVEN is built for player expression and finding clever solutions to problems. Judging by the trailer shown at Realms Deep, it looks like players will be interacting with various townspeople to get quests that lead to other areas. Along the way, they’ll learn spells and gather unique weapons like the wrist crossbow. Where things get interesting is how the spells interact with objects and the environment. The video, unfortunately, spends a lot of time messing with barrels and setting things on fire but if the developers managed to get a whole slew of interacting systems it could have plenty of entertaining applications. 

From the press release, there will be more than 30 weapons and spells so there should be plenty of tools to tinker with. Interestingly enough, GRAVEN will also feature split-screen co-op and there is also online co-op that allows for up to four players. Usually, these sorts of games feel best as a single-player experience but co-op does have a tendency to make things more fun with friends. Maybe we’ll see other online options too later on, as many classics had things like Deathmatch. Regardless, it seems like the people involved with GRAVEN are passionate about the title and the legacy they’re building from. 

“GRAVEN began as a game we had often dreamed of. What would a spiritual successor to a Dark Fantasy series such as Hexen, have looked like if it was made in 1998 in the original Unreal engine?’ We think the answer is GRAVEN. We hope you do too.” - Frederik Schreiber, vice president of 3D Realms and Game Director on GRAVEN

Oddly enough, I am still playing catchup with a lot of PC classics. I’ve only played Hexen briefly but I do enjoy games that carry it as an inspiration. Out of all the games shown at Realms Deep, I think that GRAVEN is one that goes beyond the niche interest of retro-inspired games and it could end up being a popular fantasy title for general players. Either way, I know that GRAVEN is a title I’ll be keeping track of. 

Find more information about GRAVEN, check out the official Steam listing. For more retro-inspired shooters, check out our essay on why DUSK is a must-play shooter or our coverage of the early days of the Halo/Portal inspired Splitgate: Arena Warfare.