Early thoughts on Ravenfield, the single-player Early Access FPS

Thanks to GOL follower 'archtoasty', I have been able to check out Ravenfield [itch.io, Steam], the new battlefield-like single-player FPS that's now in Early Access.

Note: The version on itch.io is currently out of date.

The developer of the game didn't want to give out a review key due to how early on it is, so this is not going to be an in-depth review. That will come once the game is further along in development for sure. I will keep checking up on it on each major patch to see how it evolves over time.



The game currently only has skirmish modes, with a campaign to come later. So I messed around for a lot longer than I thought I would in some skirmish battles. It's surprising really, for a game that looks ever so slightly like an asset flip, it's actually rather good, hilarious even.

It really does feel like a low-poly version of Battlefield and that's quite an amazing feat. Driving along on a little buggy, when an AI friend jumps on the back and starts firing at people as I drive around, it is pretty impressive with how it feels.

Seeing aeroplanes dogfight, whilst some form of AA fires up at them is also quite a fun sight. There's a lot of awesome little things going on that do make me somewhat adore it.



It also ends up a little like paintball, with red and blue blood splattered quite literally everywhere. It does end up looking quite funny due to this, especially when you arrive at an enemy base and it's just covered in it.

The bots, when set to Challenging difficulty are actually quite good, which really helps keep my interest in it. I've died countless times from helicopters, being run over by some form of vehicle or being shot in the head.

If it had online multiplayer, it would absolutely turn into my go-to FPS. It's a god damned shame they won't do it. My real fear with this game is that after a few days my interest in it (and yours) will just end up vanishing without being able to play with friends. I really hope the campaign is going to be something special to make up for it, if not it's going to be a massive shame. I don't mean to put a downer on it, but there's only so much you can do against AI by yourself until it wears a bit thin.

Also, considering the size of some maps, the AI taking all the vehicles constantly becomes extremely irritating. I've ended up walking large distances feeling a little miffed at my comrades. Some sort of command system would be nice, to tell my AI friends where to go, or to come pick me up.

If you don't mind the fact that it will only ever be single-player, go ahead and grab it, as you won't be disappointed! It's darn impressive for what it is. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.