In a world filled with lackluster RPGs from AAA studios, Drova deserves a standing ovation for the believable and immersive experience it has crafted. A masterful execution of the Piranha Bytes formula, delivering a near perfect zero to hero, underdog fantasy. This is the worthy successor to Gothic that I have been waiting for – It is my personal GOTY. I’ve listed many points in several categories in an attempt to showcase just how amazing and well-designed Drova is.

• Simple, but passable character creation, allowing you to adjust appearance and gender
  
• Characters brilliantly capture human nature during times of struggle. Some will lie, cheat, and steal from you, backstabbing you at the first opportunity, while others will support you and vouch for you when you least expect it. Even guards, those charged with keeping the peace and protecting you, will demand protection money, either willingly or by force
  
• Characters are realistic – Believable dialogue, lives filled with routine, and actions (and reactions) that feel natural
  
• You can pat ALL the animals
  
• Dialogue guides you, without holding your hand. Lines like “stay on the main roads and don't venture into the forest" subtly convey the dangerous realities of Drova. Similarly, early on a notable warrior warns of a nearby enemies, saying "I couldn't take more than 1-2 at a time”. This isn’t a passing comment. Ignore it, and the game will teach you firsthand that enemies are tough without specifically stating it. This experience makes the threat feel so much more understandable, setting a barometer of how high you will need to climb before you can fight them
  
• The main storyline is well written, immersing you in a world falling apart. It highlights many of the issues and personalities which come of it. It, in conjunction with all the other elements, crafts a living, breathing world

• With no voice acting, Drova may not be for those who dislike reading. As dialogue contains hints and tips crucial for progression, coupled with the lack of quest markers, reading is essential to move forward
  
• The world design is designed to these instructions are easy to follow. For example, blood trails and corpses highlight danger, hinting that there are powerful enemies nearby through visual cues
  
• Drova trusts you to find your own way, offering no GPS map or quest markers. This lack of guidance can disrupt the flow should you miss key dialogue or visual cues
  
• Unlike others in the genre, Drova isn’t filled with needless collectibles or tedious crafting
  
• You’re guided without feeling constrained (effectively being railroaded without realising). While free to explore, the world will punish you if you’re ill-prepared, encouraging you to return when ready
  
• The artistic direction, colour palette, and sound design work together to create intentional tonal shifts, emphasising what’s to come without directly revealing the dangers ahead
  
• Enemies and resources don't respawn until you progress to new acts, and even then, it's not a full restore, rather, only a select few return. This prevents mindless farming overleveling, maintaining the on rails design. Some may view this as a drawback, to me however, it helps to further enhance the organic discovery of the world
  
• Quests are asymmetrical, presenting plenty of unique approaches and choices, encouraging out of the box thinking. With branching paths and multiple solutions, Drova offers plenty of replayability
  
• Despite offering abundant choice, at no time does Drova overwhelm you, ensuring that your inner completionist won’t be inclined to save scum to experience every option
  
• The Hewer (miner) questlines perfectly capture the essence of multiple approaches, offering plenty of choices and outcomes, and do an excellent job highlight the politics of the area, setting the stage for the rest of the game
  
• The game doesn't tell you how to solve these quests, instead, you solve them through critical thinking and logical observation. Drova respects your curiosity and intelligence, leading to a deeper experience that makes you more receptive to, and familiar with, the game world – It feels natural
  
• Writing is morally grey, without a distinct right or wrong in most cases. This leads to meaningful choices with visible consequences, fleshing out the world – You will live with the impact of your decisions

• The real-time combat may appear simple at first and is mostly average (in the beginning), but as you improve your skills, its nothing short of rewarding. Featuring basic, heavy, and special attacks, along with timing-based combos (similar to the game Morbid - defend, parry, dodge), with variations depending on weapon sets, affecting attack speed and recovery
  
• Enemies with varying degrees of difficulty are placed where it makes sense for them to exist, offering unique engagements, thanks to their AI behaviour and diverse movesets
  
• Enemies have a poise bar, which when depleted, stuns them. You have a focus bar, which once filled, is used for active abilities. Additionally, there are powerful, one time use scrolls for magic
  
• Levelling is unique, with abilities and learning points being tied to prowess levels. Simply put, you must first master the underlying trait before unlocking additional skills, and you must find a trainer skilled enough to teach you these skills. This system is both organic and rewarding
  
• As you grow more proficient, build options expand. As you become stronger, the skill system makes the progress feel tangible – Both through improved combat ability and visual design
  
• Eating food to heal is implemented perfectly. Rather than providing a one-time boost, your satiety level reduces as you take and recover from damage. While it could slowly expire for added realism, it's nice that it doesn't
  
• There are multiple difficulty settings, which is brilliant for accessibility

• No crypto bro content or NFTs
  
• No microtransactions
  
• No lootboxes
  
• No GaaS weirdness
  
• No horse armor
  
• No QTE cutscenes
  
• No AI generated content
  
• No cut content as DLC

Games nowadays are often filled with features simply because the industry standard. It’s as if developers stopped asking “Why are we adding this?” or “How does this enhance the players experience?”. The team at Drova however, had a clear vision and understood exactly what was required to bring it to life.

Drova is a game made with love. It’s a masterful execution in world building, storytelling, and game design. This is my Game of the Year – Congratulations, Just2D, Piranaha Bytes would be proud.

If you enjoyed my review and would like to support me, I would love if you followed BSR for more bite sized reviews.

Follow our curator page: IndieGems if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

[i] In a world filled with lackluster RPGs from AAA studios, Drova deserves a standing ovation for the believable and immersive experience it has crafted. A masterful execution of the Piranha Bytes formula, delivering a near perfect zero to hero, underdog fantasy. This is the worthy successor to Gothic that I have been waiting for – It is my personal GOTY. I’ve listed many points in several categories in an attempt to showcase just how amazing and well-designed Drova is. [/i] [h1]📝 Characters, Dialogue, & Story [/h1] [list] [*] Simple, but passable character creation, allowing you to adjust appearance and gender [*] Characters brilliantly capture human nature during times of struggle. Some will lie, cheat, and steal from you, backstabbing you at the first opportunity, while others will support you and vouch for you when you least expect it. Even guards, those charged with keeping the peace and protecting you, will demand protection money, either willingly or by force [*] Characters are realistic – Believable dialogue, lives filled with routine, and actions (and reactions) that feel natural [*] You can pat ALL the animals [*] Dialogue guides you, without holding your hand. Lines like “stay on the main roads and don't venture into the forest" subtly convey the dangerous realities of Drova. Similarly, early on a notable warrior warns of a nearby enemies, saying "I couldn't take more than 1-2 at a time”. This isn’t a passing comment. Ignore it, and the game will teach you firsthand that enemies are tough without specifically stating it. This experience makes the threat feel so much more understandable, setting a barometer of how high you will need to climb before you can fight them [*] The main storyline is well written, immersing you in a world falling apart. It highlights many of the issues and personalities which come of it. It, in conjunction with all the other elements, crafts a living, breathing world[/list] [h1]📷 Audio, Visuals, World Building & Quest Design [/h1] [list] [*] With no voice acting, Drova may not be for those who dislike reading. As dialogue contains hints and tips crucial for progression, coupled with the lack of quest markers, reading is essential to move forward [*] The world design is designed to these instructions are easy to follow. For example, blood trails and corpses highlight danger, hinting that there are powerful enemies nearby through visual cues [*] Drova trusts you to find your own way, offering no GPS map or quest markers. This lack of guidance can disrupt the flow should you miss key dialogue or visual cues [*] Unlike others in the genre, Drova isn’t filled with needless collectibles or tedious crafting [*] You’re guided without feeling constrained (effectively being railroaded without realising). While free to explore, the world will punish you if you’re ill-prepared, encouraging you to return when ready [*] The artistic direction, colour palette, and sound design work together to create intentional tonal shifts, emphasising what’s to come without directly revealing the dangers ahead [*] Enemies and resources don't respawn until you progress to new acts, and even then, it's not a full restore, rather, only a select few return. This prevents mindless farming overleveling, maintaining the on rails design. Some may view this as a drawback, to me however, it helps to further enhance the organic discovery of the world [*] Quests are asymmetrical, presenting plenty of unique approaches and choices, encouraging out of the box thinking. With branching paths and multiple solutions, Drova offers plenty of replayability [*] Despite offering abundant choice, at no time does Drova overwhelm you, ensuring that your inner completionist won’t be inclined to save scum to experience every option [*] The Hewer (miner) questlines perfectly capture the essence of multiple approaches, offering plenty of choices and outcomes, and do an excellent job highlight the politics of the area, setting the stage for the rest of the game [*] The game doesn't tell you how to solve these quests, instead, you solve them through critical thinking and logical observation. Drova respects your curiosity and intelligence, leading to a deeper experience that makes you more receptive to, and familiar with, the game world – It feels natural [*] Writing is morally grey, without a distinct right or wrong in most cases. This leads to meaningful choices with visible consequences, fleshing out the world – You will live with the impact of your decisions[/list] [h1]🎮 Combat, Skill & Gameplay Systems [/h1] [list] [*] The real-time combat may appear simple at first and is mostly average (in the beginning), but as you improve your skills, its nothing short of rewarding. Featuring basic, heavy, and special attacks, along with timing-based combos (similar to the game Morbid - defend, parry, dodge), with variations depending on weapon sets, affecting attack speed and recovery [*] Enemies with varying degrees of difficulty are placed where it makes sense for them to exist, offering unique engagements, thanks to their AI behaviour and diverse movesets [*] Enemies have a poise bar, which when depleted, stuns them. You have a focus bar, which once filled, is used for active abilities. Additionally, there are powerful, one time use scrolls for magic [*] Levelling is unique, with abilities and learning points being tied to prowess levels. Simply put, you must first master the underlying trait before unlocking additional skills, and you must find a trainer skilled enough to teach you these skills. This system is both organic and rewarding [*] As you grow more proficient, build options expand. As you become stronger, the skill system makes the progress feel tangible – Both through improved combat ability and visual design [*] Eating food to heal is implemented perfectly. Rather than providing a one-time boost, your satiety level reduces as you take and recover from damage. While it could slowly expire for added realism, it's nice that it doesn't [*] There are multiple difficulty settings, which is brilliant for accessibility[/list] [h1]😇 Other Notables (from the Devs themselves) [/h1] [list] [*] No crypto bro content or NFTs [*] No microtransactions [*] No lootboxes [*] No GaaS weirdness [*] No horse armor [*] No QTE cutscenes [*] No AI generated content [*] No cut content as DLC[/list] Games nowadays are often filled with features simply because the industry standard. It’s as if developers stopped asking “Why are we adding this?” or “How does this enhance the players experience?”. The team at Drova however, had a clear vision and understood exactly what was required to bring it to life. Drova is a game made with love. It’s a masterful execution in world building, storytelling, and game design. This is my Game of the Year – Congratulations, Just2D, Piranaha Bytes would be proud. [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44931904-Bite-Sized-Reviews//]If you enjoyed my review and would like to support me, I would love if you followed [b]BSR[/b] for more bite sized reviews.[/url][/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote]