You can choose among a RK-44, 76-Eagle, SL-Defender, Signal DNR, Recon LRR, and AK-47, so you aren’t without some options. You won’t start with a boring pistol, however. Craving customization? Sorry, you won’t find much here. Opt for easy or challenging mode to get the party started, if parties involved pixelated people and a large-scale deadly game of capture the flag. Test your system at different levels to figure out the right balance. You can up your bot counts so more bad guys can hit the fields without lagging. The graphics are a nice bit of nostalgia, and feel familiar without being invasive, but the real perk is this: even slow computers can handle Ravenfield. Graphics are often compared to Upturned, another Indie classic. Some games turn sluggish as they gobble up all the memory. You’ll use your mouse to look around and fire at the baddies.

Practice your memorization skills before you hit the battlefield.

Reload with “r.” Want to know all the keyboard and mouse functions? Once the game loads, before you click “Play,” choose “Input.” Scroll through the long list. Use “c” to crouch down and hide from the enemy. Point and shoot using the WASD keys and the mouse. What's that leave you? A breezy, addictive first-person shooter without the gruesome violence, gore, and adult storyline featured in well-known, mainstream picks.

You won’t hunt for rare power ups or treasure, work for hours leveling up a character, or hunt for hidden maps within the world of Ravenfield. You won’t spend hours customizing a character with armor, shields, or class.

However, it also means no special gaming mechanics either. You won’t have to read through a novel-sized instruction manual or sit through a ten minute cut scene a la Call of Duty before you can get on with things. Ravenfield is a pick it up and play shooter. Ravenfield has the perfect blend of simplicity and customization to create a first-person shooter impossible to put down.

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