This is one of those titles that you should not play unless you know what to expect going into it. On the surface, R.A.W. is another Diablo-style hack & slash RPG lootfest wherein you slay endless waves of strikingly homogenous minions and swap gear out for marginally better gear. In this respect, R.A.W. succeeds where many others succeed and fails where many others fail; gameplay is satisfying (if repetitive at times), programming is relatively bug-free, and the story is... well.. there's a story at least, some games don't even have that. What R.A.W. provides for Steam, however, is all of this formula that can be enjoyed both with a controller and with a local friend. If you own at least one 360 controller, you and a friend can enjoy quite a few hours of good old mindless RPG baddie slaughter. Overall, I'd give this game a 6.5/10; solid gameplay, proper controller support, and local multiplayer often outshine the game's general lack of ambition.

En enjoyable if average hack and slash. I played and beat the game while listening/watching podcasts/vids so it's a really good for multitasking since it's basically just brainless smashing of baddies across different stages.

RAW has good variety and I had fun the whole way through using a very tanky build for my warrior with an escape skill if I ever got surrounded by too big of a mob (which was really only an issue early on in the game, properly built the warrior basically becomes unkillable at higher levels).

So if you are into hack and slash and diablo-likes this game will scratch that itch quite suitably. The game is nothing special but it doesn't have to be to be a fun time waster. And it looks fairly nice from start to finish. I didn't quite like it enough to replay it with the other two classes but that's more on me having a huge backlog than any fault of the game itself.

So give it a go when it goes on sale or comes up in a bundle. I'm surprised the game is rated this low but it seems the worst thing a game can do is be mediocre and thus forgettable but it still has all the genre staples to satisfy those that are looking to slay hordes of baddies.

I'm five hours in this game and I have to say:
I must be an alien from another planet to differ from the overall opinion about R.A.W. - It might be a guilty pleasure, but I like it. The game is simple, you aren't doing much more than slashing through waves over waves of enemies and take their mostly not so spectacular loot.
I wouldn't say it's too repetetive judged by the level design, which has quite the variety from each area. There's sand levels, ice levels, fairy forests, dark jungles, castles and a weird meta ghost world. And that's not even all. Enemy types could be more diverse, but at least there IS change to it - plus smaller and bigger bosses.
You have three classes, I'm playing as warrior - and the levelable skills are satisfactory in my eyes. You can choose to be more defensive or more of a battle type.

I don't about the story, but from what I understand it's okay to have a reason for all the monsters and quests.

The game is very linear, don't expect any open world / sandbox feeling.

If you search for a pure action RPG with lots of monster killing and dig a nice graphic style, then you might wanna try this out. You liked Greed: Black Border? Then definitely try this out. You want a lot of open world feel, a great variety of quests, a lot of voiced over dialogue? Then you might wanna skip this.

Oh: You should play this with an Xbox 360 controller, if you have one. It plays GREAT with it ;)

OK, I do not write reviews, never have and probably never will again. I do not understand why everyone seems to put this game down. If you configure the game (Not a separate program like someone stated) and set the controls correctly it works just great. It doesn’t crash, it doesn’t lag and it plays on windows 10 just fine. So, make this my first review, the games fine to play. So, go and Hack and Slash till you’re feeling good or bad or whatever.

My buddy and I had a great time playing this one together... took us about 25 hours to get through the whole thing, and we didn't fret too much over finding every little nook and cranny, but we're probably a little more methodical than most (i.e. slow). We played a couple areas multiple times to beef up a bit for the next area, but not enough to be annoying. I detest games that make me do the same stuff over and over. The game is nothing super-duper regarding story, graphics, sound, gameplay... but it all was perfectly okay IMO, and most importantly, it was fun and kept us playing. And I'm kinda tired of the "this game sucks unless it has 34 stats to compare on every item and 17 branches in each skill tree of 20 different classes" mentality in all the ARPGs these days... I don't really think that makes a game MORE FUN. If anything, it kinda turns it into a "job". Replay value? Grinding the same thing over and over provides little or no replay value (to me). Anyway, the combat can be tough at times (usually due to certain mobs catching you off-guard), but in general, the game is rather easy once you get the hang of it. There are some of the skills that work in tandem between the characters different characters. There was a "suck all the enemies to me" skill on one of our characters, and a "BOOM goes the neighbors" skill on our other character, and the combo just seemed to never get old when we got the timing right.

If you like games Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, Grim Dawn, Torchlight, etc., or maybe you're just tired of over-statting and grinding, or you just wanna get a friend and go hack and slash and blow up stuff with magic... then this is likely be a good fit for you.

Use gamepads... everything is laid out to take advantage of an XB-compatible pad. I appreciate how they made this work. It reminded me of LotR: War in the North, which I really liked as well (an others hate on because there's not 34 stats to compare and 20 classes and 17 branches... blah blah blah).

This game is definitely worth it for a Diablo-style romp with friends. Didn't play single-player, so that might be a different story. I find that ARPGs are generally better co-op anyway, especially if there aren't any NPCs or summoned companions to force the fights away from the "everything on the screen just shoots and chases ME"... BORING!

Anyway, get this puppy on sale, and grab a friend or two, some gamepads and put it up on the big screen...

WHAT TO EXPECT: Pretty graphics. Linear but replayable levels. Solid, if repetitive gameplay. Limited character creation. Decent range of skills. Decent range of equippable items.
ACHIEVEMENTS: ONE BROKEN. ONE GLITCHED.
STATUS: COMPLETED.
WHEN TO BUY: ONLY ON SALE.

More info below....

Realms of Ancient War is a solid if average ARPG set in a familiar style fantasy world. Choose a character from: Warrior, Mage & Rogue. Move through 26 or so replayable levels killing a variety of animal, humanoid and etheral/undead enemy types. Face a few bosses and demi-bosses. Perform limited sub-quests. Gain experience to spend on a variety of unique upgradeable skills. Equip characters with a variety of armor, weapons and jewelry. Open chests. Trade with a vendors for unwanted items to buy ones you do. Get to the end of the level to make the next one available. Rinse and repeat.

+ Solid KB/M controls.
+ Simple well designed interface shows everything perfectly from quick slots and their associated hotkeys.
+ Good inventory design with equipment slots and general area for other carried items.
+ Use of Soul gemstones provide player lives. Are great for average ARPGs like me.
+ Levels can be replayed in any order to grind gold, experience and or items and purchase unique items at traders.

- No manual saves. Checkpoint locations and frequency is good though only reusable at certain times.
- One broken achievement - Eternal Hero. One glitched achievement - Critical Hit, requires Rogue character.
- Coop achievement requires an Xbox compatible controller to gain.
- Trader interface has no mass-sell option and is devoid of hotkeys making it tedious to use.
- Only local coop is available but its stable.
- Must be replayed 3 times; once with each class to get the final achievement.
- No camera controls means fixed view.
- Experience is limited to one character level per game level. So once you get it dont expect to be able to farm xp on the same level.

* 3 standard archtype characters to play: Warrior, Rogue & Wizard.
* Very basic level design. Almost all maps are overly linear though.
* 12 or so skill types for each character. Can be upgrades three times each. Pre-requistes required.
* Pretty above average graphics. But present a dark, sombre ambience which is perfect for the setting.
* Okay selection of sounds gives action the proper audio impact.
* Solid background music track that changes depending on the gameplay taking place.
* Small but significant item economy with sporadic traders allows unique items and potions to be purchased.
* Solid model animations. Pretty and unique spell animations.
* Stable on Win 7 Pro & Win 10.

When compared against other games of its type, Realms of War is a solid if average to above-average ARPG. Its gameplay feels very arcadey and repetitious but there is some tactical value in position, and repositioning your character and choosing the right ability at the right time.

Its probably more suited to hardcore fans of the genre that dont mind taking a drop down from quality titles such as Grim Dawn, Titans Quest or the like. In addition its virtially linear gameplay is perfect for casual players if played on easier difficulties especially given the simplisitic quest system. Though the ability to replay levels over and over any time is great for grinding out extra gold and items if you need them.

All aspects of game production are solid when evaluted together but overall the game is an unremarkable experience. Note that the one broken achievement requires three playthroughs; one with each character type. Its not the sort of game that I would want to play three times in a row. My second playthrough as thief waited 4 years to be started. However given the decent range of individual character abilities there is some scope for replayability. Unfortunately the game is limited to local coop. I would imagine this game would be much more enjoyable played with a friend, sitting on a couch with some munchies nearby.

You probably noticed that I used "solid" alot to describe many aspects of this title because all-in-all Realms of Ancient War is to generic for my liking. Though it did kind of grow on me during my second playthrough when I wanted a brainless ARPG that wasnt too taxing. I expect most gamers would find it quite bland and boring. Which is why I would prefer to neither recommend or not recommend it. If you are still interested I would suggest only getting it on sale and only if you really, really dont mind playing what is an average if well-made game. If thats the case then dont expect too much and you wont be disappointed. If you are a completionist stay away as you wont be able to complete achievement. No support will be forthcoming as the developer is defunct.

EDIT: Broken - Eternal Hero achievement may be glitched rather than broken. Unverifed.

If you found this review enjoyable or helpful and want to read more of my detailed write-ups, you can find them here.

7/10
An ok game.
Fun but nothing special.
They really overdid it with the spiders on every level.
Also no map was annoying.
Having said that I kept playing to the end so can't be bad.
A nice little dungeon bash if you can grab it in a steam sale as I did then a bargain :)

I think a lot of people are unfair when they review this game, mostly because they review it thinking of it like a Diablo clone. In all honesty, R.A.W. is more of a Gauntlet clone, but with some more RPG elements thrown in.

The game is mostly a slogfest. Kill enemies, maybe do a random quest, reach the next area. Most likely get one experience level on the way (there is an experience cap per area and once that has been reached you barely get any experience).

Is this a problem? Not really. Sure, the game might feel sluggish at times, but overall it actually keeps on going pretty well. And except for the beginning when I didn't use the compass enough I never really got stuck anywhere. (Oh, and there's no map in the game, only a compass which shows the general direction you're supposed to go.)

Overall: Not a bad game. Not the best game in the genre, definitely not the worst. Just don't go in hoping to get a Diablo game, then you'll be disappointed.

RAW - Realms of Ancient War (2012)

So this is one of those games that should be a negative review, but i'll say I enjoyed this game so i'll give the game the benefit of the doubt.

Realms of Ancient War is a hack and slash game, comparison to games such as Titan Quest, Diablo and Torchlight. You can choose from one of three characters to play as, the most basic bread and butter of classes - The Warrior, who likes big weapons and armours who likes to take the fight to the enemy, The Rogue, who likes to sneak around and attack from the shadows with daggers and The Mage, who favours the arcane arts like fire and lightning to destroy enemies. All three of these classes are fine to play as. They perform the role they wish to perform to fit the chosen playstyle. You can level up and choose from new abilities and passives, some unique per class and some universal ones everybody has access to.

RAW is a very basic game. Very, very basic compared to these games. I can say if you want to improve the game, borrow elements from the other games. For example, if you enchant your weapon with fire damage, you don't actually do fire damage in the traditional sense like damage over time like you would expect. I'm pretty sure the enchantment only added a base extra flat damage to your current damage. There is legendary gear in the game but the game doesn't actually tell you something is legendary, you kinda just have to hope you get something. Not even the unique named weapon I found with the warrior was a legendary, it was just a random normal weapon. The weapons and gear are pretty basic, nothing amazing or writing home about.

The story of the game is fine, no real complains there. Now lets get down to it. I see people call this game boring and generic. While I don't like to call something generic in general, I prefer to call this game basic. It's a very basic hack and slash game. Basic classes with weapons and armour to complete the jobs with, basic skills, nothing super mind blowing or unique. Now yeah you can see this as generic, but this game released the same year Diablo 3 released - A game that was so heavy hyped up it was unbelievable. It would take any company balls of steel to release a hack and slash game in the same year Diablo 3 released, no matter who you are. This is why I call this game basic - it feels like a company's first attempt at a hack and slash game and I like the game for that. There is effort in this game - the world looks very nice, small details can be seen everywhere you look and the end credits got amazing concept art. Each playable character looks unique. The game can be seen as stiff in the movement and weapon attacks, but I don't think that's really a problem - look at Diablo 2 - That game is stiff by today's standard but its still highly enjoyable (and er, well better then this game lets be real).

Now of course there are some glitches as the game ain't polished very well. My most notable problem was with the rogue who sometimes failed to register a command and tried to get to a target instead of attacking, costing me my life. The last achievement is also bugged and won't unlock (complete the game with all three classes). There are solutions for this achievement on the Xbox, but that trick doesn't work on Steam. A real shame. This game was made by a studio called Wizarbox - this was their last game as they closed studio in 2012, so a fix for the game will never exist unless some crazy smart fans make a patch happen but I feel this game is lost to the ravages of time.

So to sum things up - I enjoyed this game, the basic gameplay, classes, story and abilities are fine but nothing game changing. If you want to experience the last game of a closed company, it's a fine game to kill a few hours. But i'm gonna be real here - Torchlight, Titan Quest and Diablo kicks this game ass. Of course i'm gonna recommend those games instead.

6/10

Positives:
Simple hack-and-slash, no bugs, no glitches.
Small short easy linear maps (from 5 minutes to 20 minutes).
3 typical RPG classes: warrior, wizard, rogue.
No annoying bosses with tough mechanisms.
You can possess elite mobs to kill other mobs.
Typical clear top-view of many RPGs.
+-10 hours for each class to complete the game.
Difficulty levels.

Neutrals:
Ambient music was OK (but repetitive).
Very few texts and conversations.
Mobs spawn out of thin air, it can make sense for some chtonic mobs, but for normal races it was just a cheap trick to alleviate the game engine (imho), but it's fun to fight them.

Negatives:
Story and lore are quasi inexistent, Steam achievements are broken (finished the game with 3 classes and didn't receive the relevant achievement), some item and lore names are ridiculous "Northern, Southern, Western Realms", "Southern Gem", "Southern shield", etc. when you loot in the Southern Realm.
Side-quests didn't make sense for the most part and were super short.
You'll get good items that you can wear only levels later.
You'll get 1 level by map so you get very quickly your level with first mobs at the beginning of the map then the XP bar doesn't move at all until next map which was a weird decision.
Few different mobs models.
Very cliché: humans, elves, dwarves. Elves live in woods and use a lot of bows, dwarves attack you with pickaxes.

Conclusion:
Don't play it if you expect a super itemized epic adventure with a convincing universe, deep lore and fantastic complex skill progressions, but if you want to relax and kill monsters on small linear maps without puzzles or big annoying bosses and don't bother about complex skill trees, just want to have fun and try the 3 archetypal RPG classes, then I recommend it. I envoyed it, finished it with 3 classes and I rate it at 7/10