Swashbuckling RPG Raven's Cry is being re-named and re-released

It sure hasn't been smooth sailing for Raven's Cry, the high-seas piracy RPG that came out early this year. We first talked about it well over three years ago, after which it set (and missed) a few release dates before finally launching on Steam in January—an arrival greeted with borderline catastrophic user reviews. In many cases, that would be the end of it; the developer would hang its head in shame and either go bankrupt or start making mobile games. But Reality Pump Studios has decided to push ahead with a re-release of an updated version of the game under the new title Vendetta: Curse of Raven's Cry.

Reality Pump said that it is "excited to announce the completion and upcoming release" of the game, which is kind of an odd thing to say about something that's been out for almost a year. It acknowledged that things did not go well with the original version, saying that the project "has seen every game pitfall imaginable" since work began back in 2008, but added that the re-release will represent Raven's Cry "as it was meant to be seen and played."

The new website at vendetta-game.com provides a handy breakdown of everything that's changed, and the list appears to be extensive. Key points include the addition of new quests and enhancement of existing ones, more "dynamic" sailing with a time acceleration option, enhanced trading and skill system, a new Alchemy system, new videos and cut scenes, and completely redone English voice acting.

That's all well and good, but the big question is whether Vendetta: Curse of Raven's Cry will be sufficiently stable and bug-free to redeem itself in the eyes of the Steam community, which has buried it in overwhelmingly negative user reviews. The good news is that those players will have a chance to give it another shot at no cost, since the updated version will be free for everyone who bought the original. For everyone else, do as you will, but if I were you I think I might want to wait for some fresh player feedback before throwing any money at it.

A release date for Vendetta: Curse of the Raven's Cry hasn't been announced, but Reality Pump said it's close to being finished.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.