let's Try Punishing: Gray Raven Part 1

let's Try Punishing: Gray Raven Part 1

**Punishing: Gray Raven (PGR)** is a free-to-play 3D action role-playing mobile game developed and published by Kuro Games, released first in China on December 5, 2019, Japan on December 4, 2020, and globally on July 16, 2021. Available on iOS, Android, and PC emulators like BlueStacks, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world where players control the Commandant of the Gray Raven squad, leading cyborg soldiers called Constructs against biomechanical enemies known as the Corrupted, infected by the Punishing Virus.

### Gameplay
PGR features fast-paced, hack-and-slash combat inspired by games like *Devil May Cry* and *Bayonetta*, with a unique "Ping" system. Players control a squad of up to three Constructs in real-time 3D battles, chaining colored Pings (orbs) to unleash skills. Matching three Pings of the same color triggers a powerful skill version. Dodging at the right moment activates a "Matrix" bullet-time effect, slowing time for strategic attacks. The game also includes a visual novel-style story, base-building mechanics for dorm decoration, and a gacha system to recruit Constructs.

### Story
Set around 2080–2100, the game takes place after the Punishing Virus, which emerged from a Zero-Point Reactor experiment, devastated Earth, corrupting humans and machines into hostile entities. Survivors fled to the space station Babylonia, and the Gray Raven unit is tasked with reclaiming Earth. The narrative, praised for its depth and cyberpunk tone, draws comparisons to *NieR Automata* and *Ghost in the Shell*, exploring themes of humanity and technology.

### Key Features
- **Combat**: Fast-paced, combo-driven action with strategic skill activation and dodging mechanics.
- **Visuals & Audio**: Stunning 3D graphics, smooth animations, and a dynamic soundtrack ranging from ambient to drum & bass.
- **Constructs**: Recruitable characters with unique abilities, voiced by notable actors (e.g., Yui Ishikawa, Ayako Kawasumi).
- **Base Building**: Customize dorms for a relaxing contrast to combat.
- **Events & Updates**: Regular events like *A Love Story Across Time* and collaborations (e.g., *Devil May Cry 5* starting August 6, 2025). New characters like Selena: Pianissimo and Vera: Geiravor were recently added.

### Reception
PGR has earned "generally favorable reviews" on Metacritic, lauded for its engaging story, optimized performance, and free-to-play-friendly gacha system, where players can acquire all characters with proper resource management. However, it faced criticism for its initial China launch due to misleading gacha rates and reward issues, and the global release saw backlash for fewer rewards compared to other regions, leading to a review bomb. Kuro Games addressed these concerns, improving balance and communication. Some players find the tutorial restrictive and the event overload complex, while others praise the combat depth and character designs. As of July 2020, it surpassed 20 million downloads.

### Additional Content
- **Panini: Gray Raven**: A short web animation on Bilibili, released October 27, 2020, based on PGR’s world.
- **Community**: Active on platforms like Discord, X, and Reddit, with fan sites like GRAY RAVENS providing guides and patch notes.

If you have specific questions about gameplay, characters, or events, let me know!