Revita
A procedurally generated platformer about grief and memory recovery.
Revita is a side-scrolling platformer with twin-stick shooter controls and pixel art graphics, released in 2022. Developed by BenStar and published by Dear Villagers, the game follows an amnesic child trying to regain their memories inside a clock tower. Its levels are procedurally generated, each themed around one of the five stages of grief. Players can sacrifice health to gain advantages like extra damage, and restore health by defeating enemies.
BenStar, the lead developer, is based in Germany, with the rest of the small team spread across the world. After an early access period in 2021, the game launched for Windows and Switch on April 21, 2022, and later for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 20, 2023. A physical edition by Red Art Games was announced in 2023. On April 5, 2023, a major update called Revita 2.0 was announced, promising quality-of-life improvements and system overhauls, but development was halted on October 4, 2023, due to financial issues, leaving the game in limbo.
Critics gave Revita positive scores on Metacritic. Push Square praised its unlockable content, music, art, and gameplay. TouchArcade called it a good but not revolutionary game. Nintendo World Report liked the art and unlockable content, but noted a lack of early-game direction and found the health-for-bonuses trade-off restrictive.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Revita
- Developer
- BenStar
- Publisher
- Dear Villagers
- Engine
- GameMaker
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch / Windows / PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X/S
- Released
- Switch, Windows WW · April 21, 2022 / PS, Xbox WW · April 20, 2023
- Genre
- Platformer
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Revita was developed by BenStar, a developer based in Germany, with a small team from around the globe. The game entered early access in 2021 before Dear Villagers released it for Windows and Switch on April 21, 2022. It later launched for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 20, 2023. A physical edition published by Red Art Games was announced in 2023.
Gameplay centers on an amnesic child navigating a clock tower, with each procedurally generated level themed around one of the five stages of grief. Players can trade their health for bonuses such as increased damage, and health can be recovered by defeating enemies. On April 5, 2023, Revita 2.0 was announced, promising quality of life changes and major gameplay overhauls, but development was halted on October 4, 2023 due to financial concerns, leaving the game in a state of limbo.
Reader's Guide
Revita received positive reviews on Metacritic. Push Square praised the amount of unlockable content, music, art, and gameplay. TouchArcade described it as not revolutionary but a good game. Nintendo World Report praised the art and unlockable content, though they noted that the game provides little direction in the early game and found the system of trading health for bonuses stifling. The game's significance lies in its unique integration of grief stages into level design and its risk-reward health mechanic, which drew both praise and criticism. Its development history, including the halted 2.0 update due to financial issues, marks it as a notable indie title that achieved a multiplatform release but remains unfinished in terms of planned updates.
Did You Know?
- Revita's levels are based on the five stages of grief.
- Players can trade health for bonuses like increased damage.
- Development of the Revita 2.0 update was halted due to financial concerns.
- A physical edition was announced in 2023, published by Red Art Games.
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