Ritual
of Raven

Ritual of Raven is a farming game like Stardew Valley but here you use cards to program the inhabitants of the farm to help you grow and harvest the plants. It's an intuitive and approachable way for beginners to learn automation. It stands out for the simple card-based instructions, bright characters and narrative that ensure this gentle programming game stays on the side of fun.

---

You play a young witch, who discovers a magical book in an abandoned house that contains a recipe to bring back its owner after a spell has gone wrong. You set about collecting the ingredients you need by setting up a cosy farm, befriending the locals and growing plants. You give instructions to each resident, adding simple cards, such as "Move to Position..." "Plow", or "Water", to create chains of actions that are then performed. You can also loop actions and experiment to find the best sequence of actions for maximum efficiency.

Along with farming, you talk to the other inhabitants of the forest around your farm, who can offer you helpful advice or a simple conversation. You unlock items to decorate your farmhouses in the retro, pixel art style of the game. Throughout, it's an experience that focuses on inclusivity and diversity within its cast of characters, and you meet people of different magical species, sexualities and races.

It blends the classic farming-simulation with simple coding elements to create a space where you can freely explore the basics of programming in a low-stakes and enjoyable environment.

---

Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Ritual of Raven 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Ollie Robertson and updated yesterday.