By William Bernard
John Romero is usually not a name one would associate with Facebook, but rather with the 1990’s and the emergence of first person shooters and 3D gaming. Titles such as Doom, Quake, and even his ill-fated Daikatana, have sealed his name in the game developer hall of fame. So it might be surprising for many to find out that Ravenwood Fair, a game that could be superficially described as Frontierville with anthromorphic animals, is actually the next brainchild of Mr. Romero.
Ravenwood Fair has you clearing out a haunted forest in order to build and develop a fairground. After selecting an avatar (either male or female) you are placed onto your respective plot of land. It will be completely over-run with trees, so the first order of business will be to start clearing away stuff in order to make space for placing down fair attractions. Much like Frontierville, virtually every action you take will result in an explosion of coins, food, and energy which you must pick up quickly before they disappear. The bevy of quests will slowly ease you into the game, and soon enough you will have a bustling little fair filled with games, attractions and hopefully, plenty of visitors.
One interesting aspect is that these visitors, unlike in other Facebook simulation games, can be interacted with directly. By clicking on them, one can engage in a brief and simple dialog, which adds a little bit more flavor to the overall game. There are plenty of hidden cultural references in Ravenwood Fair as well, and one can’t help but grin when they are discovered.
One issue with the game play we found was that it was sometimes easy to end up wasting energy clearing trees because the forest is so densely packed together that mis-clicking became almost routine. In a way, this seemed like an almost purposeful element to the design, as the game does provide the player with plenty of energy as well. In fact, one can even convert other resources into energy at a fixed ratio. This is extremely welcome as it doesn’t feel as if the game is necessarily forcing players into the cash shop to get anywhere at a meaningful pace.
Ravenwood Fair is technically competent, and we did not run into any trouble whatsoever with the game. Graphically and aurally the game is also quite competent although absolutely nothing stand-out. Still, it’s a lot of good fun to watch your fair working its magic, as the bevy of rides, attractions, and games all have unique animations.
Socially the game is not as well rounded as its contemporaries, although it does include the bevy of default options including visiting friend’s fairs and gifting. The game also tends to be quite spamful if you allow it, which thankfully can be turned off though.
Overall, Ravenwood Fair is a great business simulation game with a unique setting. While it may not stand out as tall as its contemporaries, it’s an extremely competent and very enjoyable effort. Don’t let the cute anthromorphic animals fool you; there is a level of complexity in Ravenwood Fair that even core gamers would enjoy.
[Download the file here Tukko Rating - Ravenwood Fair]
[Tukkolabs]
Tukko Rating – Ravenwood Fair
By William Bernard
Ravenwood Fair has you clearing out a haunted forest in order to build and develop a fairground. After selecting an avatar (either male or female) you are placed onto your respective plot of land. It will be completely over-run with trees, so the first order of business will be to start clearing away stuff in order to make space for placing down fair attractions. Much like Frontierville, virtually every action you take will result in an explosion of coins, food, and energy which you must pick up quickly before they disappear. The bevy of quests will slowly ease you into the game, and soon enough you will have a bustling little fair filled with games, attractions and hopefully, plenty of visitors.
One interesting aspect is that these visitors, unlike in other Facebook simulation games, can be interacted with directly. By clicking on them, one can engage in a brief and simple dialog, which adds a little bit more flavor to the overall game. There are plenty of hidden cultural references in Ravenwood Fair as well, and one can’t help but grin when they are discovered.
One issue with the game play we found was that it was sometimes easy to end up wasting energy clearing trees because the forest is so densely packed together that mis-clicking became almost routine. In a way, this seemed like an almost purposeful element to the design, as the game does provide the player with plenty of energy as well. In fact, one can even convert other resources into energy at a fixed ratio. This is extremely welcome as it doesn’t feel as if the game is necessarily forcing players into the cash shop to get anywhere at a meaningful pace.
Socially the game is not as well rounded as its contemporaries, although it does include the bevy of default options including visiting friend’s fairs and gifting. The game also tends to be quite spamful if you allow it, which thankfully can be turned off though.
Overall, Ravenwood Fair is a great business simulation game with a unique setting. While it may not stand out as tall as its contemporaries, it’s an extremely competent and very enjoyable effort. Don’t let the cute anthromorphic animals fool you; there is a level of complexity in Ravenwood Fair that even core gamers would enjoy.
[Download the file here Tukko Rating - Ravenwood Fair]
[Tukkolabs]