Dreadful River

Games about protecting royalty are a dime a dozen, with most falling on their sword in much the same manner of a loyal soldier. However, recent SureAI release Dreadful River looks like it might have an interesting enough concept to curry it further than some of the competition out there.

In Dreadful River, you are present in a realm that is being invaded. The Eternal Crown, a key part of this kingdom, is at threat of being lost. Your job? To take on the role of the King and his most loyal guards and to go and protect the Crown. As you make your way down the river on a raft, you will face off against foes, you will strengthen your group, and you will meet new allies along the shores. Can you save the Eternal Crown and win this war?

An intriguing idea that needs more growth

The main thing with Dreadful River is that it is currently in Early Access, so many features which are planned are not yet present. What is there, though, is a solid game with an encouraging gameplay loop. As you explore down the river, you will find yourself being waylaid by enemies and meeting allies in equal measure. As you go, you gain experience, strengthen your team, and gain new abilities and equipment.

The world itself looks pretty fresh, as you make your way through temperate climates to snow-kissed landscapes. As you move along through the scenery, though, you will need to keep a close eye on your supplies. Each time you start the game afresh, the rivers course – and the dangers that wait – change.

In many ways, this is akin to something like Darkest Dungeon II. There is a definite similarity in the way that you need to get used to always taking on a new journey, albeit often with a similar group.

A fun concept that can be expanded upon (7.5/10)

There is much to love about Dreadful River, with an interesting combat system that gives you many options. You can rush headlong into battle, or you can take a more calm approach and evade enemies. As you work your way through the river, you will get used to everything from archers and javelin skirmishers to magicians and other threats.

Each successful fight brings the chance for progress in the way of new gear and abilities. This keeps the gameplay loop fresh, as you get used to changing your skills, growing your ability list, and maintaining your supplies. Already, there is enough to do in Dreadful River to make sure you have more than a few successful runs.

Pros

• Excellent art style looks great and makes it easy to know what is going on at all times
• Gameplay is exciting enough to keep you coming back, with fun combat and progression
• Unicity in each run, at least for now, keeps each run you do feeling quite unique

Cons

• Not enough content past the medium-to-late game at the moment, though this could change