Revita is a new roguelike that is finally getting its 1.0 status update. The game was released in March 2021 into early access for PC. Besides getting an official launch on PC, Revita is also making its console debut via the Switch. It received positive feedback from the fans during its early access phase, which is a good sign.
Patches helped update the game's many issues as well. How does this newest patch fair? Was Revita ready to be called a finalized game, or should it have remained in early access just a bit longer? There are positives and negatives to argue on both sides of the coin.
7 Best: Assist Options
There are no difficulty options in Revita, which should come as no surprise for a roguelike such as this. However, there are some assist options. The most noteworthy one is the ability to decrease or increase damage. This can be lowered down to 50% or raised up to 200%. There is an aim assist option as well, but it does not seem to work all the time.
Finally, this may not be an assist option exactly, but players can customize the controller to their likening. All of these things, whether they work fully or not, are much appreciated.
6 Worst: Hearts Are Everything
There are many currencies in the game. The biggest one used in dungeons is health. Hearts can be used to buy items in the shops that pop up. They can be used to upgrade items, open chests, or receive a blessing from the goddess statue.
Using any of these facilities will come at a huge cost. Should players invest in an item or keep their health? Having a roguelike do this can feel like a low blow. The genre is already stacked against the player enough. Does health really have to be brought into all of this?
5 Best: Building Up The Station
There is a hub world in Revita which is not uncommon in a roguelike. This is the train station. Here, players can switch out their weapons, talk to NPCs for fun, or get new stuff. NPCs can be unlocked in the dungeon. There are random rooms in the dungeon which will contain a Lost Soul. These Lost Souls can be reawakened if players use a heart on them. Again, another case where health is the currency.
This is one instance where players should use their hearts no matter what. It’s fun to go back to the station after death, knowing that something new should be awaiting them. There is even a building mini-game associated with the station.
4 Worst: Not Much Progression
The overall reward system is lacking in Revita. Besides hearts being the currency in dungeons, there are two currencies used for the station. There are coins and then there are materials. Both of these currencies can be used to purchase new things such as decorations to make the station feel more like home. Items can be unlocked too, but they are not permanent. Items, once unlocked, will have a random chance to appear in future runs.
That’s it. There is no way to permanently increase stats meaning that Revita is almost a true roguelike where players must “git gud” with real-world experience instead of grinding for it like in an RPG.
3 Best: Weapons And Relics
Players will begin the campaign with a normal pistol. After each run, a new gun may appear in the station. It depends on how far players make it into the dungeon. There are seven in total, ranging from other pistols, like one that shoots lasers, to slower but more destructive weapons like the shotgun and rocket launcher. These can be switched out in the station and will forever be unlocked.
Items cannot be equipped in the hub world, but they are still cool. From relics that will boost stats to sub-weapons, there is a lot of variety in Revita. It's just too bad that the gear cannot be customized more before starting runs.
2 Worst: Cursed Items
Nobody likes getting cursed items in a game, especially in a roguelike. There are cursed chests awaiting players in the room right before a boss fight. Revita strongly hints that players should take this handout for the fight ahead.
It is fine to get cursed items in these chests because players know that will happen. However, getting a cursed item in a normal chest or at the goddess statues is not okay. If this game gets any patches post-launch, removing cursed items from everything except the allocated cursed chests should be a priority.
1 Best: The Pixel Art
It should come as no surprise that an indie game like Revita is using pixel art. It may be the standard, but sometimes it is hard to nail that classic aesthetic down. Thankfully, Revita does it in spades. The characters and enemies look great and are well animated.
There is a monster dictionary in the game which shows them off in a more casual manner. Using this dictionary can be useful as well as the book details drops and things like that. Even the title screen looks great. The art, overall, is a chef’s kiss.
Revita was released on April 21, 2022 and is available on PC and Switch.