I love it when a game has multiple endings. Not only does it give you a reason to play through the adventure all over again, but it gives the narrative an additional twist – it’s good value for money too, which is always a plus given how short some modern video games can be. Well, Reventure has one hundred endings. One hundred.
Yeah, it’s going to take some time to see them all, but Reventure’s charmingly bite sized escapade ensures that you’ll have a blast as you uncover each one. It’s brilliant.
The game puts you in the role of Tim, a hero who wakes up to head on an adventure to save the Princess of the Kingdom. We’ve seen this before, right? Well, this story has more than one conclusion and it doesn’t take long before you realise that your mission isn’t just to ‘save the Princess’, but to see how many different ways our hero’s fate can play out.
Reventure is a simple game that’s easy to pick up and play, with the controls proving basic throughout: you can run, jump, and use any items you find. You’ll collect a lot of different items across your many adventures, some of which are essential for any adventurer (like a sword and shield) and some of which may just seem a little unusual (like a chicken). They all tie into the game in different ways though and you’ll need to tinker with them all to uncover the many endings in the game. Carrying items does come at a price though, with the player’s movement hindered if they’re carrying too much. And I thought being over encumbered in Elder Scrolls was bad…
It does help add a puzzle-like element to the game though. After all, some of these items are essential to progress to different areas to unlock new endings, so you’ll have to work out ways to get around whilst having restricted movement. That being said, uncovering endings in general is like a puzzle – whilst some are easy enough to come across, others will demand you think outside of the box a bit. Or, you could uncover it by complete accident, with Reventure never failing to surprise players with its many twists and turns.
Endings can occur in so many different ways, some of which will be expected and some which will come from nowhere. My first ending came when I used the sword I just found to kill the poor old man near it. I know, I know, it’s cruel, but I had to make sure the sword worked, right? Of course, Reventure isn’t afraid to have a bit of a sense of humour with its endings, so not only did it mock me for killing the old man but it also mentioned that I stole his wallet too. It’s silly, but it made me laugh.
That silliness creeps into the majority of the endings and some of the ways that your journey can end aren’t too flattering. Sure, some are heroic and there is certainly no shame in being slain by a dragon, but death by tripping on a rock? It’s zany as heck, but I loved it. That being said, whilst I’d love to divulge details about all of the many endings you can uncover in the game, doing so would spoil the experience. Reventure is at its very best when you’re uncovering its endings for the first time yourself, so I won’t detail them here. Just know that you’ll be dying. A lot.
Of course, the game can get a little bit repetitive over time – you are doing a lot of the same things over and over after all, with it only taking a minor change to the adventure to unlock different endings. Fortunately, small shortcuts are added to the game across subsequent playthroughs, with the world around you changing depending on your actions. There’s nothing too major and most of them are just there to help you save time by giving you easier access to an item or a shortcut to reach a location, but you will begin to appreciate them as your playthrough count starts to creep higher and higher into the double digits.
It isn’t just shortcuts that will come with new playthroughs, mind. Depending on how your last adventure ended, you might find yourself with an all-new hero or a completely different appearance. These tie into the endings perfectly so I don’t want to spoil anything here, but don’t be surprised if some of your actions have some morbid repercussions. It’s just another charming feature that makes Reventure all the more enjoyable.
Summary
Who would have thought that a concept as simple as Reventure’s could make for such a brilliant gameplay experience? I got completely hooked to the game from the moment I started playing, with the wonder and charm of uncovering each silly outcome always bringing a smile to my face. It’s just so easy to pick up and play, whilst the addictive nature of unlocking each possible ending kept me playing for hours on end. It’s brilliant.
Reventure is simple, charming, and jolly, and has quickly become one of my favourite games on the Nintendo Switch.
Developer: Pixelatto
Publisher: Pixelatto
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PC
