R.A.W.: Realms of Ancient War is a role-playing game with action combat. It is set in a fantasy world where dwarves, elves and humans are at war - and now another, dark power sends demons into this world. A powerful ghost makes the player character his avatar in order to defeat this power. Unfortunately no one knows this and so the player has to kill everyone met except the occasional quest giver.
This is a typical hack & slash game. The player chooses one of three classes (warrior, rogue or wizard) and mows down thousands of enemies in linear levels. This rewards experience points and after earning enough, the character levels up; although only once per stage. This rewards a point which is in turn invested into upgrading skills. Those skills are class specific with the exception of the incarnation ability which allows to take control over an enemy for a short time. Attributes only improve when finding and equipping better weapons and armor.
The control system changes depending on the used input device: direct control with a gamepad and indirect control (Diablo II-style clicking) with mouse and keyboard. A second player can join in at any time and automatically starts with the appropriate level - progress is only saved for the first player. When one character dies, it respawns after a few seconds with full health if the other player survives that long.