Realms of Ancient War

Overall, R.A.W. – Realms of Ancient War is the closest thing to Diablo 3 on consoles so far.

A decent hack and slash RPG that does little to stand out from the rest of the crowd, but it's still a fun ride while it lasts.

Decent fantasy fare with loads going on an loot drops aplenty. [Issue#91, p.80]

Realms of Ancient Wars is a game. It's not particularly buggy and it's far more playable than last year's Daggerdale debauchery– in fact, you may even enjoy it for a piece of brainless weekend entertainment. But that's it, completely. It's a game. There's nothing memorable about it and you'll likely finish it and forget about it just as quickly as I have. You might pick it up if you can't find something else to play, but that seems unlikely given the flood of similar, better releases.

There are many hours to be spent with R.A.W and the gameplay, along with the presentation and that certain feeling you get with looting make it an enjoyable experience, yet only when over a frustrating opening twenty minutes. So much so, that it is easy to dismiss the game early on. However to do so would rob you of a competent game that doesn't set the world alight, but does grow on you the longer you play.

It's not the most spirited or original game, but Realms' raw intensity and chaotic excitement will keep you playing.

With a been-there, done-that aesthetic and a middling run time, it's hard to recommend this game at the full $15 price. If you have a co-op partner or can find it on sale, it's probably still worth a run through.

With enough issues to dissuade all but the most gluttonous of dungeon crawler junkies, this game seems to think that old school just meant less is more. It isn't. R.A.W. will likely turn you off with missing features, awkward design choices, and loot with no luster.

As far as I remember it's the most sluggish hack'n'slash I've played in last five years. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.66]

Realms of Ancient War delivers the basics of action RPGs without any noteworthy hook to make things interesting.

R.A.W. Realms Of Ancient War is a mediocre game. The price is too high and the gameplay has many problems.

Perfectly fine in execution, its refusal to deviate or break the mould holds back its ideas from becoming fully realised and providing real character or polish.

On its surface, Realms delivers the experience it promises. However, a closer look reveals too many missing elements that come standard in comparable games. Realms is like a first-person shooter without a reload button. The game works, and you still get to shoot, but you're going to notice that button is missing and it's going to frustrate you to no end.

Controls are simple, character development is just doing enough to keep things interesting. From a technical point of view this hack&slay would leave a solid impression if you wouldn't encounter invisible level borders that restrict you. But what annoys me most is the completely useless experience system, where the points you get seem to be dished out at random.

In every review the main question is 'why would the consumer buy this?' For R.A.W. Realms of Ancient War that is a hard question to answer. Yes, it is an action RPG like great titles such as Diablo III and Torchlight II. But no, we wouldn't recommend this game to anyone.

There's not a single reason to spend your time or money on this dilapidated adventure. You'll be much better off with Torchlight, Crimson Alliance or Dungeon Defenders.

If R.A.W. was some oldie hack and slash which I'd gotten from the bargain bin for three bucks to finish it in one miserable weekend's sitting, I could surely present you with some redeeming arguments. Like, it was only three bucks, the game's a decade old and so on. But it is neither.

R.A.W is a waste of time, energy and money, as you get very little value and content, and no reward other than a sore thumb and a sour attitude.