Developer: Spellgarden Games
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Switch
Genre: Simulation
Publisher: Team17
Ritual of Raven is a cosy, story-driven farming simulation game that comes with a magical twist. It was developed by Spellgarden Games and published by Team17, launched on August 7, 2025, for PC and Nintendo Switch.
From the moment Ritual of Raven boots up, the menu music sets the tone beautifully, creating a calming, subtle and inspiring feeling that draws you in. The game allows you to customise your character, allowing you to be creative and pick to your heart’s content from devil horns to frog hats. I especially loved being able to pick from three different voice options, adding a small but meaningful touch of individuality.
Ritual of Raven is a single-player game where you play as your own made-up character. The adventure begins as you step through a portal into an unfamiliar world, greeted by Sage, your new mentor. She introduced you to magic that has taken over the world while also revealing a mystery that her familiar, Flufferstoop, has gone missing. As her apprentice, you have been tasked with learning the ropes of witchcraft while helping to solve the mystery and recovering Flufferstoop.
The controls for Ritual of Raven are smooth and responsive. The tutorial deserves praise as Sage patiently walks you through mechanics in a hands-on way, and whenever a new system is introduced, a helpful instructional video pops up providing clarity. The gameplay allows for comfortable gameplay with no noticeable delays, making both farming and exploration feel fluid.
The art style is a whimsical pixel art with a polished user interface. A standout feature is the Book of Shadows, which serves as your grimoire. Designed like a scrapbook, brimming with detail and personality, making every interaction feel like you’re flipping through a real, magical journal. The overall aesthetic is overwhelmingly charming and consistent, perfectly reinforcing the game’s cosy and magical vibes. The biomes like sparkling crystal forest, gloomy swamps, and cosy villages are drenched in pastels, purples and soft magical hues that tie the game together and make it so aesthetically pleasing. While customisation is limited, the strong worldbuilding, whimsical style, and rewarding gameplay loop make up for it.
Another one of the game’s standout features is its audio design. Even though the characters don’t speak with full dialogue, but rather through sighs, murmurs, and echoes, it surprisingly enhances the mood and emotion behind each line of the text. The background music of environmental sounds such as chirping birds, rustling wind and woodpeckers tapping brings the magical world to life. The result is the feeling of the world being tangible, dreamlike and deeply atmospheric.
Now, the gameplay for Ritual of Ravens was something I found enjoyable. What sets this game apart from other cosy sims is its twist on farming. Instead of manually tending to crops, you’re able to use tarot cards as programming tools. These cards act as the brains of magical statues that instruct them to plant, harvest and gather ingredients for the needed rituals. This game is like programming, as you are commanding the statues to perform tasks. What could have been tedious feels engaging and rewarding with complexity and satisfaction that grows over time as you unlock new cards and strategies. The automation system is extremely cleverly designed to balance puzzle-solving with the cosy farming vibes.
Besides this creative aspect to the game, what’s even more interesting and compelling is the story. The story is heavily focused on in this game, which gives players something to look forward to, and I enjoyed it the most. It is up to you to solve several townspeople’s issues and find the missing portal keepers, where you are required to perform rituals. What Ritual of Raven does so beautifully is really sell the magic world. The whimsical, mystical vibe that you get from this game is perfect, especially when collecting your ingredients for the ritual or interacting with your familiar.
I think what was lacking a bit was the ability to do things besides farming and carrying out quests. Even farming is not entirely done by yourself, and once you figure out the ‘code’ to tend to lands and crops, things become more manageable (almost like an automated system to begin with). I do wish there was more to do besides farming, like maybe other elements of quality of life, yet this game is still good for a relaxing, chill game.
Ritual of Raven is a cosy yet compelling game, especially fitting for those who have ever daydreamed about being a graduate student turned magic apprentice. If you are looking to play a game that features mechanics outside of the traditional farming realm, then Ritual of Raven is for you. A stunning, magical twist where you get to interact with others and enjoy a fun experience.
Overall: 7/10
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