Diluvian Ultra
Diluvian Ultra
Game
Game2024
GRAVEN
Developer Slipgate Ironworks™
Graven is a 2024 first-person shooter game developed by Slipgate Ironworks and published by 3D Realms and Fulqrum Publishing. Graven incorporates elements of the action role-playing game and immersive sim genres to create an "action-adventure puzzler". From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
235 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
35
Rotten
66 positive · 124 negative
95% range 28–42%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 66 | 124 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 4 | 34 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
559 of 1,095 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
34% recommend · 64 yes, 125 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 189 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (818 of 1,536 positive).
Many players say Graven is a flawed but unique game that is often misunderstood due to genre confusion. [1][2][3] Some reviewers praise its level design and atmosphere, while others criticize bugs and lack of polish. [4][3][5] A significant number of players report game-breaking bugs and an abandoned development state. [6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
Graven got a lot of people confused about its genre and intentions. Many gave it a bad review because they wanted the game to fit their own definition of a preferred genre, rather than judging it for what it actually is. The game is neither an immersive sim nor an RPG — definitely not a boomer shooter, and certainly not a strict “Hexen spiritual successor.” Anyone expecting one of those genres will likely be …
- [3]
For me as an old fan of Hexen/Heretic series, Graven turned out to be quite awesome gaming experience. In fact, I stumbled upon this game by accident when I used "Hexen" as a search keyword in Steam Store. PROS Level design is absolutely gorgeous, especially during the first act. Verticality is used to a great extent. And that clocktower looming in the background as seen from many vantage points within the swamp …
- [6]
It has a game breaking bug at chapter 2. I found this 21 HOURS IN! I pulled a lever before turning a furnace on first, and this caused my game to not give me the item the lever should have given. Now I am stuck, because I can't pull the level again. And there is no patch for 8 months, so I have given up waiting for a patch. The game is kinda nice, cryptic as all hell. I think it's cryptic as the original Hexen. But …
- [7]
This is a game with an extremely strong core that I want to recommend, but good conscience won't allow me to, thanks to having two separate files softlocked. Even before that, Graven's immediate impression is one of a retro game with more modern design, but the elements cribbed from both eras are baffling. It does the whole "drop things when you die and go retrieve them" schtick, which is particularly obnoxious when …
- [8]
So I guess they just decided, "yeah that's good enough" Been in early access for YEARS, and I've been following the updates the entire time. Suddenly, the game just goes 1.0, and now there haven't been any updates since, in over a year. Wtf? Game is entirely unfinished, early access is such a scam in this case - they just took the money and ran
Summarised from 34 of the 239 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked GRAVEN talk about level design and atmosphere are praised by many; those who didn't talk about game-breaking bugs and softlocks are common. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Graven received "mixed or average" reviews for the PC version, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received weak approval, being recommended by only 21% of critics. PC Gamer described the game as a spiritual successor to Hexen II.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 235 · most liked firstWould have been a very nice lovechild of the Boomer Shooter+Heretic/Hexen lineage, but it's pretty much abandonware. Would love to say it's playable (to some extent it is), however even basic features are missing like a map. And I don't mean a neat, shiny, 3D polished map, but something like classic Thief series' map would go a long way to be able to navigate in the cookie cutter sections of the levels. Shame, it's fairly close to be a great game, but misses that additional 6-12 months of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Graven got a lot of people confused about its genre and intentions. Many gave it a bad review because they wanted the game to fit their own definition of a preferred genre, rather than judging it for what it actually is. The game is neither an immersive sim nor an RPG — definitely not a boomer shooter, and certainly not a strict “Hexen spiritual successor.” Anyone expecting one of those genres will likely be disappointed. But for those who enjoy interconnected level design with unlockable…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tomorrow at 1pm PST I'm hosting the KH2 Power Hour with Mr. Graven Riku Gallagher where we discuss his thoughts and feelings on the game! I have questions and factoids and a power point all lined up so everyone tune in to watch me gently bombard him with information ☺️
neutral · AI labelView post →This showed promise until they ceased working on it part way through.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I honestly believe the devs were infiltrated by a saboteur. Hear me out. The deliberation in which almost every single aspect of the game gets torpedoed by baffling design decisions feels just way outside the normal realm of coincidence / time constraints / incompetence. Cases in point -> Weird difficulty spikes. Even on the easiest setting, some enemies will just insta kill you despite a full health bar. Irritating weaponry. Do you want the small crossbow or the big crossbow? How…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a somewhat cautious recommended. Whilst it can be fun and more engaging than the glut of simplistic but oh so flashy indie shooters that seem to be the norm these days, it is a flawed product that can be irritating in places. Graven is a first-person mixture of melee and ranged combat, with exploration, platforming and some mild puzzle elements. Generally all of those things are done reasonably well, though it tends to stumble in enough little ways that it lessens the experience.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has a game breaking bug at chapter 2. I found this 21 HOURS IN! I pulled a lever before turning a furnace on first, and this caused my game to not give me the item the lever should have given. Now I am stuck, because I can't pull the level again. And there is no patch for 8 months, so I have given up waiting for a patch. The game is kinda nice, cryptic as all hell. I think it's cryptic as the original Hexen. But a game breaking bug like this just makes me want to quit.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a mixed bag. I'd say overall Graven is a good game, it has pretty good level design, an alright story and a bunch of exploration to do, but it's also full of little problems and bugs that makes the game a bit unenjoyable at times. The fact that you lose some gold on death and that there are a couple of instant death traps that you can't always see coming the first time makes them pretty frustrating, escpecially if you had some armor on, wich is pretty valuable in term of gold and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so now I need a Launcher to start the game where you promote to buy your games outside of steam cheaper. and with this launcher the game is not starting so I have to make a go around to launch the launch without launcher? is this legit? dear steam support?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Update installed an obnoxious game launcher on my PC. Shameful.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game now comes with spyware/ malware.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think people confused this for a boomer shooter, which is why the rating is mixed. The game is much more of an immersive sim like system shock - you make your way around a semi-open map using various tools to defeat enemies. Combat encounters can typically be approached a number of different ways, and magic is more of a support tool than a direct weapon. So, if you expectations are set correctly, Graven is a ton of fun. The music and atmosphere are excellent, the combat is very satisfying,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Now that the first game of Mythic Bastionland by @bastionland.bsky.social is in the bag and I don’t have to hide it from my players anymore… The Realm of Valesant! Hex tiles designed by the Graven Guild from the #HextonHills range, #3DPrinting done on my @bambulabglobal.bsky.social on my X1C
neutral · AI labelView post →This is a game with an extremely strong core that I want to recommend, but good conscience won't allow me to, thanks to having two separate files softlocked. Even before that, Graven's immediate impression is one of a retro game with more modern design, but the elements cribbed from both eras are baffling. It does the whole "drop things when you die and go retrieve them" schtick, which is particularly obnoxious when your drops are used to buy upgrades and you can't always get all of your…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First things first: absolutely loved the game. But the review format implies the consensus of whether or not you should recommend it, and recommend it I cannot. I couldn't get why so many negative reviews. And then I faced a hardlock. And then another one. And then a third one. And I got why people hate it. It is a shorter game, that combines very stylish PS1 graphics (with frankly amazing character and enemy design) with DOOM-like shoot-em-up, and elements of rogue-lite. It is just gorgeous…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Chose the default option "Graven" from the launch options, only to have it open a launcher with discounts for other games in their catalog, where clicking to close and launch the game didn't do anything. Cool, cool.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't buy this game. Despite the negative reviews and warnings, I went ahead anyway. I loved the look of the game, and thought the immersive qualities would see me through any average gameplay (as has been the case before - Hexen, Heretic, etc., etc.). I don't mind an average game if it transports me somewhere atmospheric. That is not the case here. It's terrible. Amateurish. Boring. Dismal. Don't waste your money (even on sale) - it is MUCH worse than the 'mixed' reviews imply. What a shame.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I guess they just decided, "yeah that's good enough" Been in early access for YEARS, and I've been following the updates the entire time. Suddenly, the game just goes 1.0, and now there haven't been any updates since, in over a year. Wtf? Game is entirely unfinished, early access is such a scam in this case - they just took the money and ran
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →** UPDATE: as of 18/Nov/2025, Fulqrum decided to add a proxy launcher to their catalog, including Graven. Besides the audacity of displaying their own store inside Steam - like a trojan horse with malware - the launcher doesn’t even manage to start the game. ** I have mixed feelings about this game, but in the end I can’t recommend an unfinished product—even at a discount—especially with so many great alternatives available (for example, Blood West). The game clearly needs at least one more…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have put a lot of hours into this game and it is fun and has many good, nostalgic moments. The action part is full of adrenaline and the graphic style helps with the nostalgic feeling it wants to appeal to. The weapons upgrades also provide real changes in game play which is nice. But this is about as much as I can say about the good parts of this game. The main two issues I have are with the puzzles and game breaking bugs, all sprinkled on top with frequent crashes. The puzzles sometimes…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game. For the first few hours, I was having a pretty good time and honestly wondering why it had a "Mixed" rating on Steam. Sure, the weapons didn't feel great compared to other boomer shooters. The magic system was both ineffective and cumbersome. There were some questionable design decisions, like the game automatically spawning you at the most recent checkpoint when you die, regardless of whether that checkpoint is in a safe area or not. There's no quicksave or…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GRAVEN is an under-baked, torturous, bug ridden mess that suffers from a variety of head scratching creative decisions from the devs. This game is ONLY for fans of hardcore dungeon crawlers and slow-paced fantasy fps. So why am I recommending it? Because the world needs more fantasy fps and dungeon crawlers and the game at least succeeds in being a unique experience, even with its flaws. And believe me, there are MANY flaws. When a game requires you to read a pinned steam forum post…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →added a trash and annoying launcher nobody asked for.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Levels are a confusing mess. Way too much backtracking. No clear indication of your objectives. Combat isn't fun. Puzzles and secrets are unrewarding. No sense of progression. Just. Nah.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Buggy and abandoned. Played co-op, crashed every 60 minutes on both Windows and Linux, then got to chapter 3 and experienced a game breaking bug with some pressure plates that wouldn't open a door. Shame, as when it worked it wasn't a bad experience. Avoid unless it gets patched further.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#GRAVEN Hub 2 for #screenshotsaturday https://store.steampowered.com/app/1371690/GRAVEN/ #leveldesign #lowpoly #gamedev #UE4
neutral · AI labelView post →Something needs to be done about this poor game, the potential is there but the devs got rushed out of office before they were really able to polish it. Chapter 1 rules, and after that it just falls apart. The coop actually works, but again as soon as you get to Chapter 2 the game breaks, and it just gets worse after that. Not to mention the new and worst addition, a 3rd party launcher. Shame on 3DR for crunching this amazing concept and amazing atmosphere right into the garbage can.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed Act 1. Then Act 2 introduced an enemy that runs 5x faster than you, infinitely respawns, multiple repawn at a time, takes one shot with your good gun, then if you run out of ammo (which you will because they keep respawning), takes 8 hits with your melee weapon. Devs, why???
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The start of a game is a developer's opportunity to make a promise to their players, to let them know what to expect from the rest of their game. It was as such admirably honest of the Graven developers to make their first mission about wading through sh*t while unblocking a sewer. Save your time and money on this one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly a great game that does not deserve the hate at all. Yes there are bugs and yes some parts feel rushed but none of that is game breaking. It is definitely worth an attempt; I suggest using the auto saver from the guides in case you get a corrupt save which never happened to me thankfully. Solid game all around but the ending was stupid; they are just setting themselves up for a sequel which isn't necessary and probably won't happen anyway. I wish the kicking actually sent weaker enemies…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do NOT trust Slipgate Ironworks. -Another faiLure after Phantom Fury, Wrath, ROTT Reboot and Kingpin Reloaded. -I got stuck in the geometry twice in 30 mins. Had to reload. -Broken textures and seams. -Invisible walls. In a game released in 2024. -Slow base walk speed. -Worthless Jump Height. -Civvie11 was right, this game sucks so bad. -So glad I only paid $2.29 on sale from Fanatical.com -Pass
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →80 hours in, I want to love it, but they refuse to finish the game, they refuse to open up the code so people can fix it. This game deserves so much more.... if it was 5$ sure I would not feel robbed of time and soul.... just release the code(for modding) already, I'll even buy that for 40-50$.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For me as an old fan of Hexen/Heretic series, Graven turned out to be quite awesome gaming experience. In fact, I stumbled upon this game by accident when I used "Hexen" as a search keyword in Steam Store. PROS Level design is absolutely gorgeous, especially during the first act. Verticality is used to a great extent. And that clocktower looming in the background as seen from many vantage points within the swamp area nicely adds to the atmosphere. Musical score is awesome. Very…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Broken game. With my first profile I got locked on act 1 library dungeon lift bug on 6th hour into the game. I liked the game enough to restart with a 2nd profile. I got locked again on act 2 boss not spawning on 24th hour. Game doesn't allow multiple saves so you can go back to a save that was before triggering a game breaking bug and retry. Don't buy it, don't invest your time on it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As of writing this review I have only ever negatively reviewed ONE other game, and it was a partly ironic review within itself. GRAVEN is visually the peak of its genre, aesthetically coherent, mechanically diverse, and overall an auditory pleasure to behold. Yet, despite its "diverse" mechanics, it accomplishes exactly none of them successfully. The melee combat is simple but fluid, yet enemy design discourages close-quarters encounters. The magic is visually quite dope, but resource scarcity…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game was alright, combat was difficult but something I could handle. I loved the art style and overall theme, but I just ended up getting confused and lost easily. I spent an hour back tracking and going in circles trying to find the way forward, ended up having to look up a guide online and realized if I had to look up a guide this early in the game, then it was not for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game was in early access for an eternity, now it's out - with zero changes based on player feedback, a relatively short campaign and bad designs. Avoid.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Customer support non-existent. Innovative soft blocks. >Play for 6 hours >get soft blocked with floating green stone in attic with no floor My 3 dollars never felt so wasted. KEK.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#armoryrecap #fabtcg Huntsman 2-1 CC R1 vs Maxx 🗡 @professor-whitetop.bsky.social I was happy to see Tanner back on Maxx, but I don't believe I was a warm welcome xD R2 vs Marlymm 🗡 @collapsingtrap.bsky.social Great game, almost got fatigued myself if it werent for big numbers + Graven Call 1/2 ⬇️
neutral · AI labelView post →You exit the game and it respawns you in the city with the previously unlocked areas having randomly locked doors again, enemies everywhere that again, randomly respawn, and without a map or something, the multiple interlocking routes make it a disorienting mess. Core gameplay and atmosphere is cool, but after trying to continue the next day, I just got incredibly annoyed and frustrated, not wanting to continue at all.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got sick of constantly getting lost. No map makes the game suck. Don't recommend.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Graven is actually a pretty good game when it works. I liked the atmosphere, exploration, level design, and most of what the game was trying to do. The combat could be better, but overall I was having a good time. Then my save completely broke. I died, clicked “Save and Quit,” and when I loaded the game again, I was in the correct location but the game acted like I had started a brand-new playthrough. All my weapons, items, and money were gone. I had 0 coins and 0 weapons, which means I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't recommend buying this at full price. And even with a discount, I don't think it's worth it. Graven had potential. However, due to feels like a tiny budget and the lack of a proper dev team, it turned out to be completely unremarkable, with a huge number of bugs (even steam achievements don't work) and terrible optimization. On top of that, game has been abandoned and is no longer recieving any patches.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is an utter disaster and further proof that Slipgate Ironworks™ cannot create a decent game. The physics engine is completely broken, which is a fatal flaw given how heavily the combat and puzzles rely on it. Because the game lacks manual saves or frequent checkpoints, a single physics glitch can instantly wipe out 20 minutes of progress. The combat is equally tedious. Even basic enemies are unnecessary damage-sponges, and a restrictive stamina system turns every encounter into a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back wood brush ape developers broke the coop of the game with garbage 3rd party launchers to sell more of there trash at a discounted rate while cutting out steam. Don't support these dog water drinkers.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game looks great, but unfortunately the gameplay is horrid. Tier 1 enemies knock you down with 3-4 hits, navigation is bad. If you quit out of the game, and then try to resume, you won't continue from the same place you left off. I wish i could give this game a proper try, but it's just not fun to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is unfinished. Someone had good really ideas, however execution is flawed. Be prepared to encounter many bugs, unfinished animations and level design.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →5/10, can't recommend this one, which is a shame because the premise is interesting + good graphics and details + great atmosphere - no map, backtracking is very frustrating - stamina meter for some reason - no manual saving - glitches and bugs - softlocks - vague hints
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →dosint have a save system
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Watchin the Game Awards with Graven! Double the Clowns Double the Fun www.twitch.tv/nikutsune
neutral · AI labelView post →Overall I liked this game. Heard about this in some boomer shooter list. I think it is more like Turok than Doom. In addition you get some roleplay mechanics like character stats and weapon upgrades.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What can I say, that the others have not said. This is what happens when a bunch of studios that really really really want to sell you nostalgia mess up. This game really wants to be Heretic/Hexen. And it's obtuse and hard to follow as these old games. But unlike them it's not fun... The combat just outright sucks. Before I gave up I had a staff that I upgraded to max, a sword that I upgraded, a tiny crossbow and a big crossbow. The staff and sword should feel nice but are inconsistent.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →0/10 Softlock on start. Lost all weapons, items and money after quit and loading save. Even forced weapons (staff and spellbook). The game is not worth $10, $30 is out of the question. Eat ♥♥♥♥, dear devs.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Preordered the game. I was incredibly excited, and honestly, I would still love to play it, but getting 2 files softlocked has frustrated me to the point of dropping the game. Both of these softlocks happened in the first act of the game; if the trend were to continue and I was softlocked 5 hours into a file, I would be pretty pissed off. So, I'll avoid that inevitability.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →3D Realms has returned to kill all the fun we were having with all the larger studios gone
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I did write a really in depth review of this game as I love it, 10/10, really gave me Hexen II vibes and took me right back to the 90's with the amazing late 90's early 3D art style which is stunning. However I decided not to bother to post it as at the end of the day despite me not having a single problem with the game the developers were totally lazy and did not fix issues that can ♥♥♥♥ you right over and hard lock the game. There is a guide on how to avoid this on forum pinned at the top…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of those games that is worse than flat-out bad games because of how much potential is there. Sadly it is mostly wasted and buggy.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No ! Just nope Multiplayer needs improvement on side that u should be able to play 2 characters with 2 diff independant safe files. Currently the host character gets copied when someone joined which is not fun and it doesnt allow for fun coop. The recent update is uneeded and it addes a launcher for some reason that also links to some 3rd party online game store ... Other then that, the game as idea is good, inspired by hexen and heretic and it has good art style but the reasons above make it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →IT'S TIME!! Join me and Mr. Riku Graven Gallagher for the Niku - Riku Power Hour Summer Game Fest! www.twitch.tv/nikutsune
neutral · AI labelView post →Was working on the balance sheets over my lunch break, thought I'd post the (current) list of Arise core classes. There's 2 more classes (Caller & Marksman) which aren't slated to be part of the early playtests. Also 2 more Devotions (Graven Iron & First Flame), which are... probably splats tbh.
neutral · AI labelView post →
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