Live, die, try again in Revita Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Live, die, try again in Revita Shudder. Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Published on 30 Mar 2021 6 comments Revita is a very hard blend of roguelite and twin-stick shooter, which I am terrible at but quite enjoying. Breaking down those two terms a little, it offers procedural scrambling of enemies in amidst persistent progress - you die and die but eventually you will get somewhere - and you aim with one stick and move with another. Interminal Developer: BenStar Platform: Played on PC Availability: Out now in Early Access But it's not top-down like a lot of twin-sticks. It's a side-on 2D platformer, and one with a control scheme that at first took me quite a lot of getting used to. Enemies come at you quick in the game's small arenas, so keeping your distant is crucial. Revita maps a jump and dash to the left bumper and trigger respectively, in the standard control method that it encourages you quite strongly to use. I am a slow learner with new things, and this has left me feeling a bit lop-sided. I switched to a more standard control layout briefly, but while that put jump and dash on face buttons it messed up aiming for me. So I am powering through with the standard layout as I was told to do. Watch on YouTube There are two things I already love about this game. One is the art style, which uses chunky pixels to create a world that I am eager to explore. The main hub area so far is a train station, and the first boss I fought - I don't think I was able to win - hangs out in a clock tower. The only thing I love more than train stations and clock towers is elevators - I am weird - and that's how you move between levels. Revita, throw in a lighthouse and I am yours for life. The second thing is the main hook, that revolves around exchanging your health for things. Every few levels you come across a shrine that allows you to exchange as many hearts as you want - and as you can spare - for an upgrade that will make things easier or more interesting. Maybe it's a shield, maybe it's a new kind of shot or a damage boost. At other times you'll come across treasure chests that ask you to sacrifice a heart if you want to open them. Balancing this out is a system that reminds me a little of Hollow Knight: you can exchange the essence you collect from downed enemies for extra life. Okay, now I've typed it out that's exactly the system from Hollow Knight. You even have the same sense of inward shuddering as you charge the exchange by holding down a button. Revita is hard. I am nowhere in it, but I'm still plugging away. I'm still waiting for the controls to click - I'm sure they will. And I'm still riding the train and the elevators. Living, dying, trying it all over again. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 28 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store