The presence of dark fantasy stories is vast. It feels like I have read stories that have tackled your typical fantasy setting from every angle. I've seen it tackled from the perspective of kings, children, the hero, and, in this case, the villain. On its face, there isn't anything new or exciting about Clevatess. If you've seen any dark fantasy story before, you have read this one. Still, Clevatess is a perfect example of why the trope works so well, even today, showcasing that just because something has been done before, that doesn't mean that you can't execute it to the best of your ability.

It takes a while to figure out what kind of story Clevatess is telling. The first couple of chapters try to balance the worldbuilding and exposition with emotionally rich character moments that act as the core of the series. We're finding out about this new land, this kingdom, and these magical materials, but also getting some character introspection from the main character Clevatess, who later goes by Clen. This series handles its exposition very clunkily. Despite almost every chapter having a narrator that will break down the literal law of the land at the beginning, some chapters are just filled with characters explaining how mechanics work, even in situations when they arguably shouldn't. I am not a big fan of stories that have characters expound on a situation that they should already know about for the audience, and a lot of these chapters are filled with that. Bandits talk about their base to each other when they should already know what's going on, and villains break down an entirely new world-building mechanic before attempting to kill somebody like they're a Bond movie villain. It's a little bit frustrating and goofy, which I could totally get behind if the story weren't also trying to be so serious.

This is not a goofy tongue-in-cheek adventure. It is a dark fantasy, and it will really emphasize the use of the word “dark.” This story has gratuitous violence, characters contemplating suicide, explicit rape, and child abuse. When the story puts those elements at the forefront and can deliver them more organically, that is when Clevatess is at its best. It's still simple because sometimes this information will be delivered just by having Clen ask another character, as the whole story is about him discovering more about humans. But I will take the simple yet in-character explanation over an out-of-place and complicated one.

Those moments of introspection are where the story is at its strongest. Alicia's conflict is interesting as she wrestles with the impossible nature of her situation. She wants to be the hero she was raised to be, yet is forced to follow the very demon that killed her. Contrast that with Nell, who is just a sweetheart and the perfect drop of levity in this harsh world. Clen commands so much presence, even when he is reduced to a frail human form, and I love the way he bounces off everybody. He can be very unintentionally funny in looking down on humanity in his matter-of-fact way of speaking. However, you really do get the sense that he is trying to understand everything around him. There is one chapter where he asks a woman to explain why she goes about things the way that she does. It's heart-wrenching, but fully believable in the realm of the story, and I can feel Clen growing more empathetic with each new encounter.

Not only is the writing strong during these segments, but so is the art direction. During action scenes, things get very cluttered, and I'm not a big fan of occasional moments where the art will present an action scene from a weird perspective that doesn't match the vertical nature of the WEBTOONS app. But I like how the presentation makes this feel like something out of an old fantasy book. There are a lot of spaces in between panels to let individual character portraits take center stage. It's an approach that emphasizes quality over quantity. The designs are very detailed with contrasting colors. I love the sketchiness and thick black lines that all the designs have to really help make them pop. This feels like an adventure story that I would read from an old book I would find in the back of a library, which completely matches the overall aesthetic. We don't get to see much of Clen's demon form anymore after he takes on a human disguise, but the way that he commands so much presence as a beast is also very inspiring.

Although Clevatess isn't really covering new ground in these first handful of chapters, I was surprised at how invested I was by the time I reached my chapter quota. I wanted to keep reading because I was starting to get invested in the plight of the characters. I have seen this premise before, and the story tries to build its world clunkily. But I liked Clen as a character and think the story is at its strongest when it narrows those discoveries through his perspectives. When it's at its best, the story is gripping, emotional, and highlights some of the strongest elements that you can find in a classic dark fantasy. If you're in the mood for something modern yet nostalgic with a strong aesthetic, there is a lot of faith to have in Clevatess.