Drova - Forsaken Kin review - "An engaging Celtic RPG"

• Beautiful Celtic-inspired open-world
• Challenging combat
• Intuitive touch controls

Drova - Forsaken Kin is a lovely action RPG inspired by Celtic lore. Explore a vast open world full of wildlife, mythical creatures, and bandits, all of whom are just waiting to tear you apart. You’ll master skills like lock picking and prospecting, and battle menacing foes as you explore the legendary land.

Drova - Forsaken Kin Features A Simple Plot

You play as a nobody who finds themselves transported to the legendary land of Drova. After the death of wise Master Maeron, the sacred duty to deliver the powerful red crystal to the druids falls to you. 

However, the people have split into two factions, the Remnants and the Nemeton. It’s up to you which faction you choose to ally with. Either way, you’ll need to prove your worth before you’ll be allowed to join up. Overall, there’s nothing special about the main narrative. 

Ultimately, it’s the side quests and the distinct characters you’ll meet as you explore that really make the land feel alive. And from the traditional ‘clearing the tavern basement of rats’ to finding missing people, there are plenty of side quests to entertain yourself with. While they may not always be very inventive, the haunting landscape keeps you enthralled throughout.

Combat is Brutal

The world of Drova is full of dangerous foes. You’ll need to equip yourself with the best armour and weapons possible, keep your guard up, and attack quickly if you’re going to get the upper hand. Battle can really be brutal. Many enemies can take you down in just a few hits if you’re not prepared.

Be sure to make use of dodge and use your shield to block if you have one equipped. Blocking requires stamina and doesn’t prevent all damage, so you’ll want to use it wisely and switch between offensive and defensive moves strategically. And of course, there’s no shame in running away if you find yourself in over your head.

If you’re struggling, you can always go into settings, switch to explorer mode, and fiddle with the Additional Damage Dealt and Damage Received sliders to adjust the difficulty to your liking. This is a pretty nifty feature as it makes this compelling for long-time RPG fans as well as genre newcomers. 

Intuitive Touch Controls

Luckily, the controls are fairly intuitive once you know what you’re doing. Use the virtual joystick on the left of the screen to move. To the right is a series of buttons. Use the hand button to pick up and interact with objects, and the eye button to investigate footsteps and objects. 

When your weapon is unsheathed, the hand and eye are replaced with your primary and secondary weapons. If you find you’re not a fan of the default control scheme, you can always customise it in Settings. Further, it's fully controller compatible if you’re not a big fan of touch controls.

Drova - Forsaken Kin Won't Hold Your Hand

Unlike most modern RPGs, Drova isn’t into handholding. If you want to find the location of your next objective, you’re going to have to pay attention to what NPCs tell you and figure out where to go on your own. For instance, early on, you’ll gain a quest to search for a Woodcutter who recently left to join the Remnants. Selecting this quest won’t add a waypoint to your map. 

Instead, you’ll need to study the map and check any signs you come across for directions. While this may be infuriating for some, I found this lack of map-marked objectives refreshing. You really have to explore in earnest to complete quests.

Drova - Forsaken Kin is an engaging RPG with a beautiful pixel aesthetic. The unforgiving combat, vast open world to explore, and intriguing investigation mechanic combine to create a compelling experience. Further, the intuitive controls make it easy to dive right into this Celtic fantasy adventure. With its multiple weapon types to master and tons of creepy creatures to battle, it's an absolute masterpiece.