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Ritual of Raven

Ritual of Raven

Spellgarden Games · released Aug 7, 2025

CasualSimulation

Ritual of Raven is a story-based farming sim - but you don’t do the farming yourself! Enchant Arcana Constructs to grow a magical herb garden, befriend a cute bunch of weirdos and use your witchy skills to perform powerful rituals to stabilize the portals that are causing trouble for the village.

83
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence

anchored at patch: “Quality of Life Patch 1 - Out Now for Ritual of Raven! ✨💟” (1y ago)

81%
At launch
89%
Steam all-time
74%
Press
92%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)7435
All-time Steam reviews89%83188
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)92%86227
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 28, 2025) · 227 reviews sampled · 208 total reviews in window · weighted 170.5 up / 14.4 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (18)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 77
    trust 72Dec 22, 2025

    Ritual of Raven proves to be a successful video game experiment, capable of shaking the foundations of a genre that too often lacks innovative ideas. The work done by Spellgarden Games delves deeply into the dynamics of interaction between the user and the world of Leynia, offering a vision that is different from the rest.

    read full review ↗
  • 81
    trust 70Aug 7, 2025

    While built on the general base of a farming sim, Ritual of Raven throws in some magic and rudimentary programming to help spice it up a little

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 70Sep 16, 2025

    Ritual of Raven offers a unique magic-based farming style that sets it apart from traditional simulation games. The story is mysterious and engaging, though some lengthy dialogues don’t serve the narrative. Gameplay is fun and flexible with cards and companions, despite some repetitive collection tasks. Calm music and beautiful art design add a special touch to the experience.

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  • 80
    trust 69Aug 16, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is perfect for anyone who wants to run their farm with a touch of magic and a generous dash of convenience. It impresses with its charming setting, unusual core mechanics, and a calm, almost meditative gameplay style. Technically solid on PC, visually appealing, and pleasant to listen to, it invites you to play at your own pace. It's not perfect; complex economic systems and extreme gameplay variety are missing. But the mix of automation, exploration, and character interaction has its own charm. And sometimes that's all you need for a successful evening.

    read full review ↗
  • 79
    trust 68Dec 3, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is an innovative and charming addition to the farming sim genre, clearly distinguishing itself from the competition with its unique programming mechanics. The combination of magic and automation is cleverly implemented and enjoyable, even if the game could occasionally have benefited from a bit more guidance. The Switch version is playable and well-suited for relaxed sessions on the go, but suffers from performance issues that will hopefully be improved by future patches. For fans of the genre looking for something new and willing to overlook technical shortcomings, Ritual of Raven offers an enchanting experience with plenty of heart. The game proves that even in the oversaturated farming sim market, there's still room for fresh ideas. And the witchy atmosphere, combined with the clever gameplay twist, makes it a highly recommended alternative for those who already know Stardew Valley and similar games inside and out.

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  • 65
    trust 66Aug 7, 2025

    In moments where you can dive into the mechanics on offer, Ritual of Raven really shines. Tinkering with the automations is fun and rewarding, providing a fresh spin on a well-worn genre. But the game doesn't encourage these moments, instead pulling you through a narrative in a world that doesn't feel fully realised. There are some excellent ideas here, but they don't form a compelling whole.

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  • 95
    trust 64Aug 1, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is a quest fest and a collecting paradise. The story bobs along like the cheeky raven, moving from one place to another, all guided, but with no time pressure. Creating enchantments to control the adorable pot-like Arcana Constructs is definitely a highlight, and although I have a couple of niggles with the game, overall, it’s cast its spell and I’m totally bewitched by it.

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  • 80
    trust 62Aug 5, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is a life sim that stands out with its story-driven focus and well-developed characters, offering a familiar yet engaging gameplay loop enhanced by unique mechanics like card-based machine programming and moon phase–sensitive plant care, all within a detailed 2D pixel world, though minor issues like an out-of-place alien, pricey decorations, and static museum items slightly detract from an otherwise memorable narrative experience.

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  • 90
    trust 61Aug 7, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is a much-needed refresh of the farming sim genre. It manages to mostly avoid the trappings of similar games while adding some great touches of their own. The writing is fun and engaging, the gameplay is addictive, I don’t even know how many times I just kept on playing because I needed to do ‘just one more thing’, and its world is gorgeous. I had high hopes for this game, and Spellgarden Games has duly delivered.

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  • 70
    trust 60Aug 7, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is a cute, sweet, characterful farming sim with a novel twist on the traditional farming mechanics of the genre. Outside of the story and developing and optimising your farm, there is limited depth to the rest of the game, but it’s still enough to make this something fans of the genre should take a look at.

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  • 80
    trust 60Aug 11, 2025

    Ritual of Raven is a delightfully charming game that celebrates the wonders of both the arcane and the feeling of community, infused with the intricacies of coding. Colourful and cosy, it’s perfect for settling down for a quiet night in. Puzzles and conversations could be explored a little more, but with playtime in double figures and a unique take on farming, there’s enough to keep you coming back for more. Thus it receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award, charged under the sun for a vitality boost!

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  • 80
    trust 58Sep 28, 2025

    Magic farming games have been a bit of a trend in the last five years, so I appreciate Spellgarden taking that and making it their own. Where the game truly shines, though, is through its personality, which is something that helps it stand out amongst the crowd. A lot of these games are devoid of an overarching narrative and let the gameplay do all the talking, but in Ritual of Raven, everything is endearing. The constructs themselves, the NPCs, the story. All of it. It truly feels like the game version of soul food: nourishing and warm.

    read full review ↗

…and 6 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Quality of Life Patch 1 - Out Now for Ritual of Raven! ✨💟
    Aug 28, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  2. An update for our demo 🥳
    Mar 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window