Ravva and the Phantom Library Review: Ghosts, Books and Cute Little Owls

Me and sequels have a funny history. While I’m always excited by them, I’m also wary, since so few sequels can stand higher than what came before them. And though that trend is more pronounced in cinema than videogames, it’s still pretty consistent. Despite that, I decided to take a chance on the sequel to Ravva and the Cyclops Curse, titled Ravva and the Phantom Library. Featuring the titular owl wizard armed with four summoned creatures. This time, they’re on a quest of discovery, not rescuing their mother. It involves a supernatural library, angry ghosts, and an unknown antagonist. And though sequels and I have a fraught relationship, this sequel proved to be the exception and was superior to the first game in every way.

Library Of Magic

The game starts by telling the legend of a mystical library that moves across the world, spreading hidden knowledge in its wake. As if that wasn’t compelling enough, the story says the books contained within literally transport their readers into their very pages. Cut to Ravva exploring the woods with their familiars, only to get drawn deeper by an ethereal creature. This leads to the opening level, which teaches players the basics. Pressing the L/R shoulder buttons lets Ravva cycle left or right through Ravva’s familiars or staff, while Y or A fires them off, and B lets Ravva jump. Ravva is joined by the same four creatures from the last game, and they work the same exact way. The green blob belches projectiles at a sloping angle, the blue drop fires freezing scythes just above Ravva’s head, the orange demon spews a stream of projectiles upwards, and the yellow cyclopean doesn’t attack but instead reveals hidden secrets in a wide radius.

Not to be outdone, Ravva can fire magical bullets Mega Man style in front of her. These can be powered up with a staff item up to three levels, though taking damage reduces Ravva’s power level by one. Ravva can also find some other temporary power-ups, such as a winged double jump, an invincibility bubble, and one power-up that increases Ravva’s pretty minimal run speed. Besides these, the main new gameplay mechanic is called Fusion. Though it’s not explained in-game at all, here’s what I was able to figure out.

Well Armed Wizard

Ravva will find three other spirits trapped in crystalline prisons, and by freeing them, they’re added to your inventory, and pressing X activates them. Each of the three seems to be some combination of Ravva’s other companions, and they’re thus quite powerful. One hurls giant violet boomerangs, one rapidly punches in front of you, and one explodes everything nearby. The only downside is these spirits only last for a little while, and while you’re using them, Ravva’s other spirits cannot be selected. So the Fusion mechanic is best saved for boss battles or to get Ravva past tricky platforming. There are also some blocks and foes in the game that can only be destroyed by Fusion monsters.

Once you get through the forest level, Ravva encounters the library, only to discover that it’s haunted by mischievous ghosts moments before getting sucked inside. The library serves as the main HUB area. Each of the game’s levels takes place inside a mystical book, other than the final standalone boss battle. While you’re free to play the levels in any order except for the final boss, it’s recommended you tackle them in the numbered order visible on their spines. They tend to ramp up bit by bit, and this helps the player get used to the game at their own pace. Further helping the player is that Ravva and the Phantom Library features three difficulties to pick from, though I only tried the Normal difficulty.

One of my favorite things about the game is that it takes a more puzzle platformer approach than the first entry. This means it’s more slow-paced and isn’t broken up by endless portals of foes or annoying bats that chase you through platforms. There are also optional objectives in each level – defeating all the foes, revealing and destroying all the ghostly blocks, finding all the secret areas, and collecting all the coins. I’m not sure if fulfilling these objectives for every level unlocks anything, though apparently, there’s a special ending you can unearth. I will say collect all the coins you can. The game doesn’t mention that the number of coins you’ve found translates to how many powerups you can take into the final battle with you.

Another neat element in Ravva and the Phantom Library is that Ravva will face other blocks that can only be destroyed by specific monsters. There are purple brick blocks that only your magical staff can destroy, multicolored blocks that can be destroyed by the green blob, blue drop, and orange devil, and even a pointy enemy you have to freeze first and then shatter. Lastly, there are sneaky blocks you have to reveal with Ravva’s cyclops before destroying them. I really enjoyed experimenting as I played and felt this was a feature that was sadly missing from the first game.

Supernatural Threat

Whereas the first game only featured one true boss, the sequel has several. In fact, every level features a ghostly boss battle at the end, and while some are more interesting than others, they’re all varied and entertaining. There’s a ghostly miner, a regal eyeless king, twin jesters, and even a giant walrus clad in draconic armor. Best of all is the final boss, which I won’t spoil other than by mentioning it features different phases and poses a real challenge to young Ravva. My only complaint about the bosses was that they’re all able to withstand more damage than I would like, especially the aforementioned walrus, who I must have been attacking for a solid 5 minutes straight before they finally gave up the ghost (pun intended). This would have been easily fixed by a life bar visible on the screen, but it’s a minor quibble.

Beautiful Books

Like the first game, Ravva and the Phantom Library features gorgeous, detailed pixel art that’s full of personality and makes Ravva even more endearing. I took a screenshot of every cutscene as I played, just to look at it again. Likewise, the in-game sprites are robust and perhaps a bit more well-defined than in Cyclops Curse. The game also does a great job of giving the individual levels more flair and distinguishing them from each other with distinct color choices. My favorite was the toybox level full of oranges, reds, and purples. Musically, the game was pretty quiet, and some boss battles even lacked a real track. Altogether, though, the aesthetics win the day once more.

I don’t have many real complaints about the game, but here are some small curiosities. It stood out to me that this time around, every time Ravva is referred to, it’s as “they / their.” I checked the first game, and it doesn’t ever refer to her in a gendered way. While I have nothing against the choice, I also wasn’t sure if it brought anything to the adventure. And while I did enjoy the gameplay much more, I would have appreciated a small in-game tutorial for the Fusion mechanic, as well as somewhat less tanky bosses. Not to mention an ability wheel to speed up the attack selection process. On the plus side, the game makes the smart choice to vastly extend the super short time limits from the first game, even though I don’t feel time limits are required in either entry.

Turn the Page Into Adventure

All in all, Ravva and the Phantom Library is the superior sequel in pretty much every way. The smart focus on puzzle platforming makes it less stressful, and each level is distinct and fun to explore. Throw in some eclectic bosses and an attractive visual aesthetic, and you have a game any fan of retro-styled games can enjoy. While the plot of the first game perhaps had a bit more urgency to it, overall, I really enjoyed this adventure.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available on: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X|S; Publisher: eastasiasoft; Developer: Galope Studios, eastasiasoft; Players: 1; Released: December 20, 2023; ESRB: E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence; MSRP: $9.99

Editor’s note: The publisher provided a review copy to Hey Poor Player.