Reventure
Review

Reventure (2019) is a running, jumping and flying game. Or, that's what it looks like. In fact, it's a game about discovering ways to die. The goal isn't the usual rescue the princess. Instead, you're on a scavenger hunt to discover the 100 different ways to die.

You repeatedly set off on a quest to rescue a princess from the Dark Lord in an open world environment. Whether or not you find and save her is beside the point though. You're actually looking for the game's humorous endings.

It's a parody of role-playing video games like The Legend of Zelda. As you progress you gain items that let you access more areas of grant new attacks. These are useful not really for helping you towards your goal, but in offering new ways to kill yourself or others. Or for accidentally causing the end of the world.

Each ending you discover has its own cutscene, before you are back at the beginning. Each one not only adds an ending to your gallery but cause the game world and your character to develop. If you rescue the princess you get a shortcut to the castle. If you die in the spikes, the next go you are covered in spikes. Some endings even see you replaced with a new hero -- as if nothing has happened.

By the end you will know the world inside out. It's substantial and has loads of hidden secrets. You need to discover these, and the hidden items that let you access them. Beyond its novel, the game develops a coherent story with an unexpected ending. And along the way, it not only pokes fun at adventure games but poses interesting questions about how we define success.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Reventure 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 17 months ago.