Morkull Ragast's Rage creative premise and artistic direction suggest ambitions that its execution ultimately fails to match
In a gaming landscape filled with Metroidvania titles, Morkull Ragast's Rage attempts to carve its own niche through fourth-wall-breaking humor and hand-drawn visuals. While it shows flashes of promise, this debut effort from Disaster Games Studio ultimately struggles to fully realize its potential.
At its core, Morkull Ragast's Rage tells the story of its titular character - the god of death and darkness who has been overthrown from his realm, the Ragast, by Galat, the god of war. What sets this narrative apart is Morkull's awareness that he exists within a video game. His ultimate goal isn't just to reclaim his throne, but to break free from the digital confines of the game itself and wreak havoc in the real world.
This premise sets up an intriguing meta-narrative that occasionally delivers clever moments of self-referential humor. Morkull's interactions with you ranges from threatening (like promising to harm puppies if you don't complete the game) to sardonic commentary about game design and developer choices. However, these fourth-wall breaks feel inconsistently implemented, with long stretches of standard gameplay between the meta moments.
When it comes to gameplay, Morkull Ragast's Rage adheres closely to established Metroidvania conventions. You explore interconnected areas, gradually acquiring new abilities that enable access to previously unreachable locations. The basic movement toolkit includes wall-jumping, air dashing, and double jumping, complemented by combat abilities unlocked through a skill tree system.
Combat revolves around a straightforward combination of light attacks, heavy strikes, blocking, and dodging. You collect souls from defeated enemies, which serve as currency for purchasing new abilities. However, death results in losing half of your accumulated souls, adding a risk-reward element to exploration.
The upgrade system, while present, feels somewhat underwhelming. Many of the unlockable abilities fail to significantly alter the gameplay experience or provide meaningful tactical options. Some upgrades even feel counterproductive, potentially making certain combat encounters more difficult rather than enhancing the player's capabilities.
The game's hand-drawn visual style is immediately striking. Characters are distinctively animated, and while the opening areas lean heavily on purple cave aesthetics, later environments showcase more creative artistic direction. The background art, in particular, demonstrates genuine artistry, creating a sense of scale and atmosphere that enhances the gothic fantasy setting.
The same cannot be said about the user interface which shows signs of incomplete development. The upgrade tree can be difficult to navigate, while the map system - crucial for any Metroidvania - lacks the clarity needed to effectively guide exploration. These issues create unnecessary friction in what should be basic gameplay interactions.
Where Morkull Ragast's Rage stumbles most notably is in its technical execution and overall polish. The game suffers from frequent difficulty spikes that feel more arbitrary than carefully designed. The placement of save points can be frustrating, often requiring you to replay lengthy sections after death. The game's camera feels too tightly zoomed, making it difficult to anticipate upcoming hazards or properly gauge platforming challenges.
Despite these shortcomings, there are moments when Morkull Ragast's Rage shows glimpses of what could have been. Some of the later level designs demonstrate creative platforming challenges, and certain boss encounters, when working as intended, deliver satisfying tests of skill. The soundtrack, while not revolutionary, provides appropriate atmospheric accompaniment to the action.
At $17.99, the game offers about 5-6 hours of content for an average player, though this can vary significantly depending on skill level and completionist tendencies. While this length feels appropriate for the price point, the inconsistent quality of that content makes it a harder sell. The game feels like it needed more development time to smooth out its rough edges and fully capitalize on its interesting ideas. As it stands, Morkull Ragast's Rage is a mediocre experience that, despite its moments of charm, fails to leave a lasting impression in an increasingly crowded genre. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a code provided by the publisher. Morkull Ragast's Rage is available on Steam, PS5, Switch, and Xbox.
