Ravaged: The Apocalypse is Here

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Ravaged is a Vehicular FPS brought to us by 2 Dawn Games, a mixture of AAA and Indie developers. The game boasts fast-paced combat, amazing maps, and constant mayhem. The developers warn players that teamwork and skill are essential to play this game and warn noobs to beware! They also say that 2 Dawn Games is community focused and depend on the ideas and feedback of the community to make the game the best that it can be.

 

 

The world of Ravaged is a massive “What-if” scenario of our own planet. Our world, as we know it, has ended and is now a place of war and destruction. Two factions, the “Resistance” and the “Scavengers” are in a constant battle to claim what is left of the world’s resources. The Resistance wants to use them to rebuild society, and the Scavengers just want to make it their own. What faction will you fight for?

 

 

Features:

Vehicular Combat. The game currently has 10 vehicles you can drive. Most vehicles have multiple seats, so you can have teammates gun for you or they can just hitch a ride to the next capture point.

Beautiful maps. Very detailed and beautiful maps to play on. Explore what remains of the world after the apocalypse.

Choose Your Side. Choose which of Ravaged factions you want to fight for, each with their own particular style.

All Online. The whole game is online only. Up to 64 players per server makes for epic online battles between players.

Squads. Squad up with your friends and clan-mates while in a match. You can spawn on your squad leader to quickly get back in the action.

 

 

The feature list in Ravaged, while not the biggest, is pretty nice. It has nearly everything you could want in a post-apocalyptic shooter with a focus on vehicle combat. The lack of customization features is a bit saddening, though.

 

 

Graphics:

Ravaged looks impressive. That is the simplest way to describe it. The maps are huge and vastly detailed. You will find landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty (decapitated, of course) in them, which makes this alien world feel almost familiar. The graphics-style itself is very nice. The best way I can describe it is realistic-but-slightly-cartoonish. Similar to the graphics in Borderlands, but very much its own style.

 

 

As I mentioned, the maps are great. While playing, you will often find yourself just admiring the landscape. And let me tell you, walking around on the Statue of Liberty’s stomach while sniping enemies was a superb experience. I was astonished with how well designed the maps were.

 

 

The weapons, vehicles and characters are all wonderful. Each character feels like it has a personality and story behind it. The weapons worked well with each character and never looked out of place. Vehicles were a blast to drive around in – and not just because they go fast, they looked brilliant too.

 

 

I could go on and on about how mind blown I was with the graphics in Ravaged. It was one of the things that made me enjoy the game the most. It felt so satisfying being able to spawn as a Sniper, find a nice cliff and then look half-way across the map with my scope and see an enemy, line up the shot, and then watch him explode into a gory mess. The graphics just fit the game so well.

 

 

Controls:

Ravaged does not introduce anything new or different in terms of controls. It is your usual FPS control scheme that anyone who has played an FPS on the PC is quite familiar with. There were some things missing that I would have enjoyed having, such as the ability to lean from side-to-side to make shooting around walls more fun.

 

 

All the controls were smooth as can be, for both infantry and vehicles. There was not a thing I did not use or that got in the way. While I wish for what is not there, I am glad for what is. Overall, I was happy with the controls in Ravaged.

 

 

Customization:

This is where Ravaged really does not shine. Which, depending on what you like, can be a good thing or a bad thing. For me, it was a bad thing. I enjoy customization in my games, even my FPS games. Even being able to randomly gain weapons to equip would be preferred. Or even hats!

 

 

In Ravaged, you get to choose between 5 classes, which are your typical FPS archetypes. There is the fast-moving recon, the machine-gun wielding heavy soldier, the soldier equipped with an assault rifle, a sniper and an anti-vehicle and explosions specialist.

 

 

In terms of customization, what we get with Ravaged is the ability to choose what weapons we spawn with. Right now, the selection of weapons available are around thirty in number. Some classes get little-to-no choice in their weapons. I am hoping that the developers add in more weapons with future updates so we can at least have more of a selection in that area. But even with that, I am disappointed in this area of the game.

 

 

 

Community:

The community of Ravaged was actually pleasant. Most FPS suffer from horrible communities that do not really serve any purpose other than hate mongering. During my time playing, all of the players I came across were good sports and I never saw one insult. Everyone saying, “gg” at the end of the round was not uncommon and no butts were hurt at all. I did not think that kind of community could exist within an FPS!

 

 

 

Sound:

The sounds in Ravaged were fantastic. They really added to the atmosphere of the game and made you feel like you were really in a big battle with explosions and gun shots all around. Vehicle sounds helped make you feel like you were going fast, even though you were sitting in a computer chair staring at a screen. And the voice overs sounded like they really belonged in the Apocalyptic world that Ravaged is set in.

 

 

The only problem I had with sound was that when other people that were near me got hit, it would often sound like it was coming from my own character and it could get confusing. Nothing game-breaking, but it gets annoying thinking you are being shot and moving to avoid fire, only to find out that you were not really being shot at, but you now are being filled with holes. After a while you get used to it and can easily tell when it is actually your character and not that of someone else, but it is still aggravating none-the-less.

 

 

Gameplay:

The combat in Ravaged is incredibly satisfying – the hours flew by while I was playing. The first-person combat was fun and felt epic. And if First-person is not your thing, that is no problem for Ravaged – you can quickly and easily switch between first and over-the-shoulder perspectives. Gameplay is very team and goal oriented, which is made fun and easy due to the combination of tactics and action available in the game.

 

 

The game is marketed as a “Vehicular FPS”, which it lives up to. There is a completely fluid transition from infantry to vehicle combat (and back again if things get to hot). Each of the two factions in the game feature their own exclusive style of vehicles to choose from, so you won’t get bored with your options. The vehicles are a joy to drive and you won’t tire of the fast-paced combat they offer.

 

 

Skill – if you do not have it, you may have a problem with Ravaged. Just as it is advertised on the games website, the weapons require skill. There is bullet drop and velocity, so you have to time and compensate your shots if you want to hit a far-away target, just like in real life. You won’t find any aim-assist or hand-holding when trying to fire the unique weapons that Ravaged offers.

 

 

Ravaged is all about the action, and it does not disappoint. There are a few handy features to help make sure things keep going at a fast pace. Such as the ability to spawn on friendly vehicles. Or the fast vehicle re-spawn rates. The maps are designed to help promote action as well. The infantry-centric maps are big, but not so big that you feel like running around everywhere is a chore. And the vehicle-centric maps are sized to give you more than enough room so you never feel claustrophobic, but you never have trouble finding a fight.

 

 

Right now, Ravaged offers two game modes:

 

Thrust – A capture-the-point type game mode focused on infantry combat.

Resource Control – Ravaged gave its own spin on capture-the-flag, mixed with capture-the-point elements. This game mode is focused more on vehicular combat.

 

 

I played and enjoyed both. They were basically game modes that we are all familiar with from past FPS games, but with a skin that made them fit within the game’s theme. I am hoping that more game modes will be brought in with future updates, otherwise I fear that things will get repetitive.

 

 

In the area of gameplay, I only have one complaint. That complaint is the lack of spawn area protection. Because of this, spawn camping of the enemy’s main spawn is not uncommon and this can lead to frustration if you are on the receiving end.

 

 

Final Verdict:

With its neat character designs, vehicle-focus and fast-paced combat, I have no doubt that Ravaged will deliver the experience it advertises. I was very excited when I was given the chance to review Ravaged, but I had not actually heard much about it before I started reviewing it. I came in to the game optimistic and left bristling with excitement.

 

 

If you cannot tell by now, I really liked Ravaged. My only real complaint was the customization, but even without that you are able to get in to and enjoy the game without a problem. Like all FPS games, people will get bored of it eventually, but I feel that the game offers a lot and it will keep you occupied for a while, especially with the Dev promised DLC and updates. This is a perfect example of what an FPS should offer in terms of combat and maps and I am glad I got to review the game. I feel that Ravaged won’t disappoint, as it certainly has not disappointed me.

 

 

Graphics: 5/5

Controls: 4/5

Customization: 2/5

Community: 4/5

Features: 3/5

 

Overall: 4/5