Read more than one review I’ve written, and you’ll know I’m not a fan of parrying. I don’t have the timing or patience to wait to be attacked and then unleash a killer counterattack that turns the opponent to dust. It’s always inevitably going to end in me biting the dust and getting quite frustrated at not being able to get it right. Why on earth did I sign up for Ricochet Raven? I’m not even a fan of birds. Why do you (I) ask? Because it’s cool.
Ricochet Raven follows our aviary friend as they storm through each stage, deflecting projectiles back at their assailants. A timer will fly by, indicating how long you’ve survived, and you’ll need to vault over ledges and whatnot, collecting relics along the way. That’s the basics, and once you clear a stage, you rinse and repeat, only the enemies might be stronger, faster, or speak fluently in multiple languages. To prepare you for these repeated runs, each enemy you defeat, or green slimy thing destroyed will award gems. These can be invested in four stats, invested in feathers that add random buffs and elemental attacks, or a teeny bit of health sold between each stage.
Those stats include radius, range, max HP and walk speed. Right, so max HP is obvious. Despite having wings, you can’t fly properly and are a bit wobbly in the air. Instead, the speed is good for flying through stages (well, not literally) and legging it, as progression ‘rewards’ with bosses such as a red goo that chases in Super Meat Boy style. As for the radius and range, well, that’s what makes this game so special and has me embracing the parry. For starters, the radius is an effective bubble that surrounds the raven and determines your reach. The range is like a cone of vision that is the area that connects a parry. How does parrying work?
Well, an enemy will shoot something red at you, and with the left stick, you will position your focus in anticipation of the attack. Everything represented by Ricochet Raven is in green, with a dark green area that connects the shot. Pressing the right trigger (when having a controller or on the Steam Deck) will repel back in the direction it originated, obliterating them in the process. If you’re feeling really clever or aiming for a particular location, you can redirect the parry with the left trigger and aim with the left stick. Beautiful! Oh, and while the raven doesn’t fly, it’s with their wings that they repel everything.
The levelling system is pretty darn cool and feels like you’re making progress early – and you do. The range and radius aspect seems OP at times, though it’s the actual mechanics and timing that are incredibly satisfying. You don’t need to be the type who counters everything, as mentioned, it feels right. So what’s the caveat? As I said, through each stage, the enemies randomly get stronger and may require multiple deflections, and when you’re being chased, it piles on the pressure. Naturally, you can speedrun a tad, but chances are you’ll be low on health, and the merchant between stages is limited in their supply. A further truth that hits hard is the resetting of skills each run, with no permanent upgrades evident.
Ricochet Raven is a slick-looking rogue-lite, and I have enjoyed playing this on the Steam Deck. It’s one of the best parrying experiences I’ve experienced in a game, and considering that’s the fundamental mechanic, it’s crucial that Kaosrio got it right, and they did. As declared, the challenge for me was the lack of health options and not having that vital loop of marginal gains. That didn’t stop me from repeat plays, however, and I can confidently say I wasn’t winging it.
