Curse of Resthaven

The Curse of Resthaven has the vibes of Dredge but the looping structure of Slay the Princes or Expelled! Most of my first playthrough was utterly engrossing, but diminishing returns led me to abandon my second playthrough prior to its conclusion. Sadly, Resthaven fails to solve the curse of the narrative roguelite and could have benefitted from some design tips from Inkle.

Curse of Resthaven is a bold, ambitious, and confident second title from Hilltop Studios. It takes a quirky blend of genres and makes it feel like they are a great fit. The writing, art, and voice performances are outstanding. The score is a treat, and the time loop turns knowledge into real progress. My second playthrough is already progressing faster and, even better, is a genuinely distinct run. This makes chasing the final ending across all three available paths feel worth the time, no pun intended.

I was almost certain that a game bringing together so many different elements and styles wouldn’t manage to hold together until the very end — but I stand corrected! The mystery of Curse of Resthaven is absolutely worth unraveling!