Roar of Revenge | PS4 Review

Coming at us like a Conan saga, "Roar of Revenge" introduces to us a story about a barbarian named Keel who is destined to stop the tyrannical rule of a lion-headed king known as Leomhann, and rescue his kidnapped brother. Instructed to seek out 4 fabled relics by the village elder in order to do so Keel journeys across the lands to find what he needs to stop his sworn enemy. Wielding only a sword, and collecting magic items along the way to assist Keel is able to navigate the danger, and puzzle ridden stages set before him. With his life on the line, and the weight of the world on his shoulders can Keel best the beast, and free the people?

Through four distinctly diverse kingdoms you will guide Keel as he faces off against fearsome enemies of mythological proportions, harmful hazards, and trek ending traps that lie in wait. Your weapon of choice is a two-handed sword. That and the relics you collect on your journey. With what you have on hand and in the way of relics along with collected items of magic origin you can open up previously inaccessible areas, and find alternatives to travel. Starting off with a classic 2D Metroidvania presentation 'Roar of Revenge' soon changes perspective, and gameplay focus to various things such as a shoot 'em up against dragons, a series of jumping puzzles made possible by winged boots, and even a swim through the underbelly of some ruins made complimentary of a mermaid's relic. Making what would have otherwise been a straightforward adventure more varied in nature.

While the goal is simple the getting from point A to point B is not so much. There are a lot of threats to health including some instant death situations where traps can end a run in a heartbeat. Killing enemies before they come in contact with you or attack you is the key to survival. That, and avoiding traps at all costs. With your trusty sword you can swing high, or crouch and swing the sword low for offense sake. When relics come into play later on you'll find they usually coincide with the change of environment, and will alter the way you do things. Be it flying, swimming underwater, or whatever. Utilizing the sword, and the relics is the key to overcoming the boss challenges along the beaten path.

For those of you worried about progress, and it being lost due to deaths you'll be glad to know that the game does offer Soulsborne style save points placed at key locations. These offer respawn points closer to where you died, and are plentiful enough as to not hinder progress too much. They're also the only source where you can refill lost health points. Making it imperative that you try your hardest not to get hit too many times until the next save point. In the way of objectives you'll find that at the end of each stage or map location lies a hidden relic guarded by a character or boss of interest. Getting the relic from them will bring Keel one step closer to being able to face off against Leomhann. Granting the hero the abilities needed to end his foe's reign of terror.

In the way of visuals and audio 'Roar of Revenge' takes on an 8-bit NES appearance with a decent color palette that changes with each stage. Often times mixing things up more than most traditional Metroidvania adventures. The music, within the game, is that of chiptune and also pays homage to the retro era of gaming it aspires to emulate. For those of you looking for extras you can turn on or off the CRT screen filter, and can also make the game easier through a checkmark toggle. Language options are available as well along with subtitle options. 

The Verdict ...

Interestingly "Roar of Revenge" outperforms the old Castlevania games of old. The very games that it seems to be inspired by. There are far less cheap deaths, and enemies all follow patterns that can be dealt with if minded. Even the flying ones. The only thing that will hinder progress is a lack of patience, and poor timing on the players' part. It's definitely not a hard experience compared to some NES classics, but it does still present a challenge, nonetheless. My only complaint, if any is the size of the screen. It seems to be scaled down to a 4:3 aspect ratio for retro sake, and while I understand that take on nostalgia I feel this game could have been better presented with a more modern indie look. That having been said I still think the game earns it's price tag. It is a budget Ratalaika Games title, and is developed well enough by SEEP. You definitely get what you pay for.