I haven't been into single-player games or ARPG's in many years as I've become more of a social gamer as I've aged, but my friend in the review section "Seduction" wouldn't stop yapping about how good Drova was, so I gave the game a chance. I found that after the first hour or so I wasn't really feeling and understanding the game, so she had me stream the game and noticed that I wasn't paying much attention to the small minute details or the dialog of the NPCs. I'd become an autopilot Andy and wasn't appreciating the world building. After some redirection on how to approach the game it quickly became one of the best single-player experiences I've ever had so far, and I highly recommend Drova to anyone with patience and an appreciation for a thoughtfully crafted masterpiece.


For me, Drova isn't a game that I want to play at all times. I think to really appreciate the game you need to get yourself into the right mindset; which will be different for everyone. If you're feeling tired you'll miss out on important details and if you're too hyped up you'll rush past content without noticing carefully placed details. In Drova everything feels like it was placed with a purpose, you'll pass by something and think nothing of it but 10 hours later you'll be back in the same area and find out that you missed a huge detail.

The world building and story is an absolute masterclass, for a studio of this size to out perform AAA studios is just incredible. I often feel in games nowadays that they're safaris, you just go in a linear direction and never look back. Drova is one of the only games to give me the vibes I felt playing World of Warcraft as a little kid back in 2004 where every zone, every detail mattered and that you'd always revisit content in a meaningful way. There is very very little space in Drova that isn't utilised to its fullest potential, you'll revisit the same areas and learn something new, find something new or have new information that brings you back to the area, but in a way that makes sense. You don't feel like you're there because the developer wants you to be for some menial reason, but because it makes sense for the story, it's a natural part of your journey.

As for the design of the game, it has a dark gritty theme and style that made me feel very cozy and at home, the transition between colour palettes, music and zones of the game felt extremely natural and comfortable, there's never a moment that it felt jarring, or out of place.


Drova has a bit of a learning curve if you haven't played an ARPG for awhile, but it isn't a steep curve and you can adjust very quickly. The way your attacks work and the behaviour of the NPC's is extremely well designed; it is completely skill based, there isn't gimmicks where the mobs bug out, or unpredictable animation locks that cause you to die.

Weapons and Combat: I highly* recommend that you try out all of the weapon types before settling in on one weapon type, and that you try the weapons out in different combinations. I was playing a Spear & Shield build and had another friend who was playing the game stream their game play to me. They were using just a Spear without a Shield and had different abilities than I did, and were able to have a completely different play style. Where I was poking & blocking, he was doing quick attacks and dashing away. I decided to remove my shield and try a similar play style and I liked it so much that I swapped my shield to my secondary weapon slot permanently (sword & board).

It's important to keep in mind that you play a style that you'll enjoy and that suits your approach to the game. I watched my friend Seduction play a dagger build that was far more rewarding in the damage output, but it required a lot more care and precision on movement in game play than what I experienced so far. For me, I don't know if I could pull off her style nearly as well, so I stuck with the spear.


I wish there was an option for multiple specialisations, or a way to reset your skill points. It felt amazing to find a new weapon that was way stronger than my previous weapon, but I would never try them out because I had already invested heavily into using my spear.

Options for Armour are very limited in the game, and from what I understand depending on the choices you make you may miss the opportunity to see what they are. If you don't have enough disposable time for a second/third play-through it can really leave you wondering what you missed. At a key point in the game I used one of my bottom saves so that I could go back later and see what I missed, but about 14 hours of game play later I unfortunately saved over that slot on accident.

If you've made it this far into my review, thank you! I don't leave reviews often, but this ones been itching at me. If Drova sounds like a game you'd enjoy please buy it. The developers have been very responsive to community feedback, and I'm excited to see their next release(s) with the reception they've received.

Have a wonderful day!
Sincerely, Dak