Haven est une experience artistique de dingue. Je suis tezllement fan de tout dans ce jeu. L'histoire est belle et prenante, les graphismes sont uniques et très beaux, la musique transporte dans l'univers de ce jeu, qui nous racconte l'histoire d'un couple qui ont fuit leur planete pour vivre une vie paisible entre eux. C'est magnifique. Jouez. En plus il y a eu la lgbt update où on peut etre lesbienne ou homosexuel donc BANGER EN VRAI
Seemed really cute but it got grindy fast
its a cute story, and i loved exploring
I've complained before that Persona 5 was a bunch of mini-cutscenes that are way too short and ultimately only create superficial plot. Haven uses a similar structure to Persona with short slice of life events but with a single change: there's only two characters and every event relates to the two of them. And boom! The game is only ten hours long but it gives its story more depth and manages to create something meaningful.
I really enjoyed playing through this game and it is a solid example of slice of life in video games. I strongly appreciate how they don't hold just make the entire concept of a physical relationship disappear like many games do, in the spirit of puritanism, but instead they freely refer to it, just like traditional French works.
I do have to complain that the gameplay is too simple and gets repetitive very fast. What's more, the controls of your most common action, moving, are pretty bad. The game hardly renews itself: every map is the same with exactly the same things to clear out and every so often you have to fight a few monsters to clean the area. It doesn't help that you'll usually miss one spot or a monster which is not obvious, which just makes things more tedious.
The environment variety is also poor: there's only four biomes and 90% of the game is in the same one. There's more variety to monsters and I did feel like I was progressing through the combat until I unlocked everything, knew how to deal with monsters and then some of the last battles were just tedious too especially when I had to clear multiple groups per map.
A lot of the game's rhythm relies on the pacing of slice of life events that come up throughout the adventure or when you go back to base. The slice of life is a genuinely enjoyable experience, however most of the game is spent cleaning similar islets of the grasslands, looking for that one last hidden thing to clear the islet and hearing the same repeated overworld dialogues.
I really enjoyed playing through this game and it is a solid example of slice of life in video games. I strongly appreciate how they don't hold just make the entire concept of a physical relationship disappear like many games do, in the spirit of puritanism, but instead they freely refer to it, just like traditional French works.
I do have to complain that the gameplay is too simple and gets repetitive very fast. What's more, the controls of your most common action, moving, are pretty bad. The game hardly renews itself: every map is the same with exactly the same things to clear out and every so often you have to fight a few monsters to clean the area. It doesn't help that you'll usually miss one spot or a monster which is not obvious, which just makes things more tedious.
The environment variety is also poor: there's only four biomes and 90% of the game is in the same one. There's more variety to monsters and I did feel like I was progressing through the combat until I unlocked everything, knew how to deal with monsters and then some of the last battles were just tedious too especially when I had to clear multiple groups per map.
A lot of the game's rhythm relies on the pacing of slice of life events that come up throughout the adventure or when you go back to base. The slice of life is a genuinely enjoyable experience, however most of the game is spent cleaning similar islets of the grasslands, looking for that one last hidden thing to clear the islet and hearing the same repeated overworld dialogues.
Alguém pode ser a Yu do meu Kay, n aguento esses boiolas 👉👈😥
Can choose to have main protagonists as both girls... Bought.
Joking aside, very cute game. It's not that difficult and the story is basically about a couple living off of the grid in a star-crossed lover relationship. Boring at times but at least you get to see cute scenes between the two!
Joking aside, very cute game. It's not that difficult and the story is basically about a couple living off of the grid in a star-crossed lover relationship. Boring at times but at least you get to see cute scenes between the two!
Nice chill game. OST is incredible and exploration feels great. The writing is a bit too lovey-dovey for my tastes, and the combat becomes fairly redundant due to how simple it is up to the final fights.
Gameplay is average and kind of boring but this game has such a special ending for me.
Haven (2020): Muy agradable sorpresa. Me encantan los juegos en los que las mecánicas se encargan de la narrativa, y en este caso funciona de maravilla. Tiene sus pegas, y un mapa o similar lo habría mejorado mucho, pero en general me ha parecido una experiencia muy tierna (8,10)
I ended up getting all achievements in the game which is surprising since i have only done that with 3 other games.
A story of two lovers settling on a shattered planet to escape their arranged marriage. A game I wanted to play, but never would have without the push from Game Pass. Great soundtrack, horny weirdos, lizard pets. So long, Kay and Yu. You guys got it made.
the best way I can describe this game is lovably clumsy. the combat, visuals, music, and voice acting are all at worst clunky, yet Haven's highest high is only somewhere around "above average" quality.
the combat could've been a lot more interesting, or at least engaging, if there were a few more options or moves other than a couple of attacks, a defense, and an 'end battle' move all of which take a lot of time to charge up. the combat and crafting UI also aren't the most intuitive things and take some getting used to. the game has you picking up and collecting various resources on the planet which you can use to either cook or craft which, again, because of the clunky UI ends up being more of a tedious task since you can only craft one thing at a time and every time you make something, a short cutscene plays. this ended up with me bringing next to no items on exploring since I didn't want to sit for 10+ minutes crafting despite only having 3 resources to craft with.
the characters were the highlight of the game since it really feels like you're getting to know them along with each other as they deepen their relationship further while being stranded. they genuinely feel like a couple who care about one another and who have their own interests and conflicts which they bring into the relationship. the game does attempt to bring more intrigue and mystic into the game, but anything remotely interesting outside of Yu and Kay's relationship is pretty much brushed aside, so if you're not feeling anything towards the two leads, there's not much else here for you.
all in all, despite how clunky the actual game part of the game is, I still enjoyed playing Haven and getting to learn more about Yu and Kay's world and lives.
the combat could've been a lot more interesting, or at least engaging, if there were a few more options or moves other than a couple of attacks, a defense, and an 'end battle' move all of which take a lot of time to charge up. the combat and crafting UI also aren't the most intuitive things and take some getting used to. the game has you picking up and collecting various resources on the planet which you can use to either cook or craft which, again, because of the clunky UI ends up being more of a tedious task since you can only craft one thing at a time and every time you make something, a short cutscene plays. this ended up with me bringing next to no items on exploring since I didn't want to sit for 10+ minutes crafting despite only having 3 resources to craft with.
the characters were the highlight of the game since it really feels like you're getting to know them along with each other as they deepen their relationship further while being stranded. they genuinely feel like a couple who care about one another and who have their own interests and conflicts which they bring into the relationship. the game does attempt to bring more intrigue and mystic into the game, but anything remotely interesting outside of Yu and Kay's relationship is pretty much brushed aside, so if you're not feeling anything towards the two leads, there's not much else here for you.
all in all, despite how clunky the actual game part of the game is, I still enjoyed playing Haven and getting to learn more about Yu and Kay's world and lives.
played with ex, dunno if it was the game or her that I couldnt get to like it lol
画风不错 游戏本身玩不下去
That almost made me consider looking for a girlfriend. Almost.
save me male kay from game haven (2020)
male key from game haven (2020) save me
male key from game haven (2020) save me
unique and fresh
Très cool, on est direct plongé dans un univers dont on ne sait rien, de qui sont les persos à d'où est-ce qu'ils viennent et comment c'était là-bas. Les 2 persos sont attachants et touchants car ils sont très humains. La mauvaise fin est HORRIBLE mais dans le bon sens du terme. Et la bonne fin a rien de transcendant mais est satisfaisante. Et puis c'est cozy et tout moi j'aime bien. C'est peut-être trop mielleux par contre.
Legalzinho, com potencial de ser um pouco melhor, talvez investindo mais no romance, até pq a gameplay é ruim e n acho q seja possível melhorar.
it's...........pretty boring.
fiquei mais baitola que o normal e minhas metas de relacionamento subiram dps desse jogo
If you're like me and see the mid reception of this game and think "well, the graphics are pretty and it seems pretty chill, so I'll try it out", this review is for you.
I tried so hard to like this game, but it is the definition of style over substance and is one of the biggest indie sophomore slumps I've seen.
Haven is a video game where you check boxes. Mindlessly glide around a bland land mass of colored grass and clean up gunk, fight the same 5 enemies over and over with a shallow combat system, and gather ingredients to cook recipes that don't offer any useful bonus other than checking a box.
Aside from the co-op, this game doesn't have anything to offer. If you want to spend time with your significant other, turn off the fucking TV and go for a walk. This game isn't worth any level of eye strain and while the interactions of Yu and Kay are a rare great example of good communication and mutual respect in a relationship, they're too horny and childish to enjoy listening to.
I struggle to think of one thing I actually enjoyed from my time with Haven. The art direction is bland, the music is forgettable, and the gameplay is straight up bad with zero variety in strategy. The relentless backtracking and loading screens (paired with fast travel that requires consumables) are tedious and kill the pacing. Even the one unique selling point, the relatively emotionally intelligent protagonists lean way too hard into typical anime tropes with a (excuse while I puke) "western" twist. Maybe the story is a positive, ad there's some good sunday school morals at play here, but the pacing to get there (in a 10 hour game, no less) is brutal.
I rate it two stars in a vaccum, if there are no other games vying for your time, this is just flawed and boring rather than offensively bad, so I'll give it that as a win.
I tried so hard to like this game, but it is the definition of style over substance and is one of the biggest indie sophomore slumps I've seen.
Haven is a video game where you check boxes. Mindlessly glide around a bland land mass of colored grass and clean up gunk, fight the same 5 enemies over and over with a shallow combat system, and gather ingredients to cook recipes that don't offer any useful bonus other than checking a box.
Aside from the co-op, this game doesn't have anything to offer. If you want to spend time with your significant other, turn off the fucking TV and go for a walk. This game isn't worth any level of eye strain and while the interactions of Yu and Kay are a rare great example of good communication and mutual respect in a relationship, they're too horny and childish to enjoy listening to.
I struggle to think of one thing I actually enjoyed from my time with Haven. The art direction is bland, the music is forgettable, and the gameplay is straight up bad with zero variety in strategy. The relentless backtracking and loading screens (paired with fast travel that requires consumables) are tedious and kill the pacing. Even the one unique selling point, the relatively emotionally intelligent protagonists lean way too hard into typical anime tropes with a (excuse while I puke) "western" twist. Maybe the story is a positive, ad there's some good sunday school morals at play here, but the pacing to get there (in a 10 hour game, no less) is brutal.
I rate it two stars in a vaccum, if there are no other games vying for your time, this is just flawed and boring rather than offensively bad, so I'll give it that as a win.
This review contains spoilers
In Haven, a couple are (space)ship-wrecked on planet KG5X8-A1 (also known as Source). They are on the run from the Apiary (a dictatorship) where they would be forced apart if they ever returned. They must try and solve the mystery on Source, while also ensuring they don't let the Apiary know they are on Source.
Gameplay - 6/10
The gameplay at first is pretty good. It isn’t too tedious to collect resources, in fact I never had to worry about running out apart from a few select times. Finding big upgrades was really neat and despite the fights being turn based they were, for the most part, pretty good. Like most turn based combat games though, the outcome is sometimes already decided for you BEFORE you even go into the fights due to the fact it is impossible to block attacks. This makes some fights incredibly boring, and others down right unfair (not that the game is hard, it's just in the unfair fights I would've just gotten into a fight with low health). However, during some fights I did actually find it quite intense which is new for me (I rarely play turned based combat games). The duel combat system is great, albeit somewhat clumsy at times (which is probably the point). The gameplay would be significantly more fun if you played with a partner, but unfortunately I don't have one yet. The game includes a number of ways to travel quickly, unfortunately sometimes this doesn’t help and you are still forced to travel quite far. One item that shows interesting promise for speeding up travel in frequently visited areas is unfortunately unlocked so late into the game, that I found it impractical to set it up and never actually ended up using it. The travel time in this game is extended considerably due to the simple fact that, every time you go to a new islet the game forces a save that takes several seconds which adds up to a LOT of time over the course of a game. I think it added up to around an hour (edit: or TWO) in total, which is insane! At the 10 hour mark, the game did start to get a bit boring but fortunately it didn't overstay its welcome too much. One more thing to add as well, the game holds your hand way too much sometimes. Other than that, the game did pretty well considering its turn based. However, I definitely wouldn't want to play a sequel unless they majorly spiced it up.
Story, World and Characters - 8/10
Okay, so... this would be a 10... but unfortunately I am probably not the target audience. This game is best played if you have been in (or are still in) a long-term committed relationship, as apparently there are a lot of relatable moments (among other things) but that is more hearsay to me. It is also, I'm sure, even better if played with an actual partner. The couple in this game apparently represent what an actual relationship looks like (unlike most media), and I hope they are right because if they are wrong the game has just f***ed up my view on relationships even more. If I find out they are wrong, I will come back and "Not Recommend" the game. Anyway, knowing that entering that building or picking that plant up could trigger a unique cutscene or dialogue is what kept me going. It was great learning more about these two, and seeing wholesome and funny moments flourish. I'm fine with the sexual content within the game, as nothing is actually shown however I was not aware of it when I bought the game (despite the warnings) so it was a bit of a surprise. You definitely would [b]not[/b] want to play this game with someone [i]other[/i] than a partner, like a sibling, because that would be way too awkward. I am fine with the game's ending where you split the bridge. I am not sure what the other ending entails though.
Graphics and Audio - 7/10
The sound effects are fine, but the fact that the ENTIRE game is voiced is incredible and elevates this game to a new level. The voice acting alongside the 2D art design, creates a stunning experience... which is unfortunately ruined (only a bit) by the 3D world. Unfortunately, the game's graphics are dragged down by the 3D world. Some of the animations are awkward and involve a lot of character clipping, I am not sure I preferred the extremely cartoon aesthetic (it made all enemies less intimidating) and the game needs better anti-aliasing (especially indoors). I actually looked up to see if there were any mods addressing this issue, but didn't find any. Fortunately, I got over it in the end... for the most part. The music if fine, but unlike most people I don't think it is incredible. Some of the music sounds samey, but it didn't actually get annoying. Although, I would have liked for it to quiet down at times (like during cutscenes). If they fix the anti-aliasing it would be an 8, if they fixed the janky animations at times it would be a 9.
Replayability, Value for Money and Extra Content - 5/10
There is a fair bit of side content with most of it being wholesome moments but there are a few optional bosses. Cleaning up the rust does get very tedious at times, because it can be hard to find the last few bits. I got most the achievements, the only one I really have issues with is the "Thar she blows" achievement because it is bullshit. I waited 50 minutes for it spawn (I would sleep every now and then and waited on the beach for 20 minutes... WHERE TIME IS APPARENTLY FROZEN) and by the time it did fking spawn I was hungry (because it only spawns at night) and I didn't have enough charms to sustain myself (because I can only craft them from the nest and I wanted to fight something other than AFK boredom because you can't run the game in the background). I then proceeded to get KO'ed (my only KO of the game), and then it didn't fking respawn when I came back. I would be fine with this achievement it stayed spawned in, in the place where you left it (or it was more clearer as to how to get it to spawn) but other than that it just doesn't seem worth it to wait 60 more minutes for it spawn. I have better things to do in my life, than feel empty and dead interesting (seriously though I have an addiction, I need help). Value for money is alright, especially when it is on sale but I doubt I will ever replay this on its own. There isn't much replayability here, especially because I am already bored with the combat.
Innovation, Impact and Technical Execution - 7/10
The game runs well, and there are few bugs. However, I can't hold E and D on my keyboard at the same time so I had to change the keybind at times and also during cutscenes the black borders left a pixel gap where it touched the edge of the screen so I could see slightly behind them on the edges. As someone who has sht himself clothed more times than has played turn-based combat games, I thought they innovated quite well with the two person fighting co-op turn based system. I liked how I could block for one person, while charging an attack to be ready at the same time.
Overall - 66/100 - I Feel Nothing...
This game was fun at first, but I probably shouldn't have almost 100% it, I should probably finished it as soon as I got the option to. This game is best played with a partner in co-op, or at the very least once you have been in a long term committed relationship. As for someone who has never been in a long-term committed relationship, this didn't make me feel longing for love like some people it just left me feeling void and empty inside, but I feel that a lot. Anyway, I got s** to do (loads of work is piling up so I gotta go do that for the next 3 weeks straight). I also stayed up until midnight again, which is unhealthy, but I am doing cardio now alongside the gym and feel great! (Even if my legs hurt.) I'm going to lay off on the video games for a bit now. Thanks for reading (even if numbered ratings systems are floored), have a wonderful day.
Gameplay - 6/10
The gameplay at first is pretty good. It isn’t too tedious to collect resources, in fact I never had to worry about running out apart from a few select times. Finding big upgrades was really neat and despite the fights being turn based they were, for the most part, pretty good. Like most turn based combat games though, the outcome is sometimes already decided for you BEFORE you even go into the fights due to the fact it is impossible to block attacks. This makes some fights incredibly boring, and others down right unfair (not that the game is hard, it's just in the unfair fights I would've just gotten into a fight with low health). However, during some fights I did actually find it quite intense which is new for me (I rarely play turned based combat games). The duel combat system is great, albeit somewhat clumsy at times (which is probably the point). The gameplay would be significantly more fun if you played with a partner, but unfortunately I don't have one yet. The game includes a number of ways to travel quickly, unfortunately sometimes this doesn’t help and you are still forced to travel quite far. One item that shows interesting promise for speeding up travel in frequently visited areas is unfortunately unlocked so late into the game, that I found it impractical to set it up and never actually ended up using it. The travel time in this game is extended considerably due to the simple fact that, every time you go to a new islet the game forces a save that takes several seconds which adds up to a LOT of time over the course of a game. I think it added up to around an hour (edit: or TWO) in total, which is insane! At the 10 hour mark, the game did start to get a bit boring but fortunately it didn't overstay its welcome too much. One more thing to add as well, the game holds your hand way too much sometimes. Other than that, the game did pretty well considering its turn based. However, I definitely wouldn't want to play a sequel unless they majorly spiced it up.
Story, World and Characters - 8/10
Okay, so... this would be a 10... but unfortunately I am probably not the target audience. This game is best played if you have been in (or are still in) a long-term committed relationship, as apparently there are a lot of relatable moments (among other things) but that is more hearsay to me. It is also, I'm sure, even better if played with an actual partner. The couple in this game apparently represent what an actual relationship looks like (unlike most media), and I hope they are right because if they are wrong the game has just f***ed up my view on relationships even more. If I find out they are wrong, I will come back and "Not Recommend" the game. Anyway, knowing that entering that building or picking that plant up could trigger a unique cutscene or dialogue is what kept me going. It was great learning more about these two, and seeing wholesome and funny moments flourish. I'm fine with the sexual content within the game, as nothing is actually shown however I was not aware of it when I bought the game (despite the warnings) so it was a bit of a surprise. You definitely would [b]not[/b] want to play this game with someone [i]other[/i] than a partner, like a sibling, because that would be way too awkward. I am fine with the game's ending where you split the bridge. I am not sure what the other ending entails though.
Graphics and Audio - 7/10
The sound effects are fine, but the fact that the ENTIRE game is voiced is incredible and elevates this game to a new level. The voice acting alongside the 2D art design, creates a stunning experience... which is unfortunately ruined (only a bit) by the 3D world. Unfortunately, the game's graphics are dragged down by the 3D world. Some of the animations are awkward and involve a lot of character clipping, I am not sure I preferred the extremely cartoon aesthetic (it made all enemies less intimidating) and the game needs better anti-aliasing (especially indoors). I actually looked up to see if there were any mods addressing this issue, but didn't find any. Fortunately, I got over it in the end... for the most part. The music if fine, but unlike most people I don't think it is incredible. Some of the music sounds samey, but it didn't actually get annoying. Although, I would have liked for it to quiet down at times (like during cutscenes). If they fix the anti-aliasing it would be an 8, if they fixed the janky animations at times it would be a 9.
Replayability, Value for Money and Extra Content - 5/10
There is a fair bit of side content with most of it being wholesome moments but there are a few optional bosses. Cleaning up the rust does get very tedious at times, because it can be hard to find the last few bits. I got most the achievements, the only one I really have issues with is the "Thar she blows" achievement because it is bullshit. I waited 50 minutes for it spawn (I would sleep every now and then and waited on the beach for 20 minutes... WHERE TIME IS APPARENTLY FROZEN) and by the time it did fking spawn I was hungry (because it only spawns at night) and I didn't have enough charms to sustain myself (because I can only craft them from the nest and I wanted to fight something other than AFK boredom because you can't run the game in the background). I then proceeded to get KO'ed (my only KO of the game), and then it didn't fking respawn when I came back. I would be fine with this achievement it stayed spawned in, in the place where you left it (or it was more clearer as to how to get it to spawn) but other than that it just doesn't seem worth it to wait 60 more minutes for it spawn. I have better things to do in my life, than feel empty and dead interesting (seriously though I have an addiction, I need help). Value for money is alright, especially when it is on sale but I doubt I will ever replay this on its own. There isn't much replayability here, especially because I am already bored with the combat.
Innovation, Impact and Technical Execution - 7/10
The game runs well, and there are few bugs. However, I can't hold E and D on my keyboard at the same time so I had to change the keybind at times and also during cutscenes the black borders left a pixel gap where it touched the edge of the screen so I could see slightly behind them on the edges. As someone who has sht himself clothed more times than has played turn-based combat games, I thought they innovated quite well with the two person fighting co-op turn based system. I liked how I could block for one person, while charging an attack to be ready at the same time.
Overall - 66/100 - I Feel Nothing...
This game was fun at first, but I probably shouldn't have almost 100% it, I should probably finished it as soon as I got the option to. This game is best played with a partner in co-op, or at the very least once you have been in a long term committed relationship. As for someone who has never been in a long-term committed relationship, this didn't make me feel longing for love like some people it just left me feeling void and empty inside, but I feel that a lot. Anyway, I got s** to do (loads of work is piling up so I gotta go do that for the next 3 weeks straight). I also stayed up until midnight again, which is unhealthy, but I am doing cardio now alongside the gym and feel great! (Even if my legs hurt.) I'm going to lay off on the video games for a bit now. Thanks for reading (even if numbered ratings systems are floored), have a wonderful day.
The only game I liked so much that I completed it 100%
Interesting little co-op game. It’s a little haphazard at times (the spoken dialogue often does not match the hastily written text), but it has a little weird charm. Visuals could use a little work. The battle system is just ok but verged on frustrating at times, particularly because you can’t choose what enemies to attack. This is more challenging when the enemies have specific strengths and weaknesses and your character chooses the wrong one.
Ability to choose same sex options was a nice touch. Characters are unbelievably horny which I was not expecting, it’s impressive they manage to get anything done. Plot is a little odd but serviceable.
Ability to choose same sex options was a nice touch. Characters are unbelievably horny which I was not expecting, it’s impressive they manage to get anything done. Plot is a little odd but serviceable.
One of the best Indie Games ive ever played :)
Obra Maestra
My thoughts on Haven are split, so I'll go down the game's three big elements in ascending order of non-badness rather before giving a verdict.
The Combat. Don't get me wrong, it's not actively awful to play and it can be... a little fun? But it essentially breaks down to two attacks, each not effective on some enemies, a block and a button to "finish off" downed enemies (non-lethally). There's some more nuance to it and some of the encounters do end up feeling like puzzles, which is neat, but overall it's really sloppy. Despite being real time you need to charge your attacks (so it ends up resembling the ATB gameplay you'd see in games like FF7), but sometimes one of your guys gets hit out of the screen and takes 10 seconds to come back, sometimes both of your guys end up sitting by without doing anything because an enemy is getting his attack first... It's an unpleasant combination of simple and janky, and I'd have expected more out of the people who made Furi, whose combat fucking rules. Obviously their priorities were in a different place and they make it explicit that this is meant to be a more casual game (even though it can be weirdly punishing on the default difficulty), but it just makes me want to avoid all the fights I can. Which to be fair, is usually an option.
The Movement. Most of Haven is, or is at least meant to be you running around the maps, doing some light exploration. And it's decently successful at that. The game can sometimes feel a bit too much like a checklist but I feel like 100%ers would appreciate that, and it's not too much of a bother to ignore. Fast travel is a bit clunky because it doesn't let you warp to areas that you haven't cleared of Rust, which is sometimes a bit annoying. Regardless, all of that is secondary. The game looks pretty great, the music's amazing and the characters have a lot to say during travel, which helps it not feel monotonous.
The Writing. As a proud user of this website, I have obviously never felt the loving touch of a woman OR a man, but as I have occasionally had interactions with human beings who did not fully despise me, I must compliment this game for being really good at capturing the relationship between two people who are madly in love with each other and are really getting to deeply know each other in every way. They have millions of tiny disagreements, a bunch of weird jokes that they know the other one will like (some are kinda cringe but honestly they're two lovebirds in their early 20s, they will be almost as cringe as they are horny), it's not wholesome uwu stuff without substance but it is extremely heartful and believable. Kay and Yu both feel like real people with a personality beyond what we see and beyond what we immediately assume is their stereotype. All of their actions are believable, they're filled with numerous tiny flaws and aren't even really heroes, just people trying to live their lives as well as they can. I will say though, as much as I like the writing overall I don't think there's any scenes that really blew my mind, not even in the ending, it's just a really consistent level of quality and honestly that's great too. Bonus praise for letting you play as a M/M or F/F couple, that's very cool.
So uh, I dunno I guess there isn't a verdict, I lied. The writing is really good but not to the point of just letting me ignore the fact that the rest of the game is kinda boring at times. I liked Haven, though. It has heart and good ideas, and sometimes that's all you need.
The Combat. Don't get me wrong, it's not actively awful to play and it can be... a little fun? But it essentially breaks down to two attacks, each not effective on some enemies, a block and a button to "finish off" downed enemies (non-lethally). There's some more nuance to it and some of the encounters do end up feeling like puzzles, which is neat, but overall it's really sloppy. Despite being real time you need to charge your attacks (so it ends up resembling the ATB gameplay you'd see in games like FF7), but sometimes one of your guys gets hit out of the screen and takes 10 seconds to come back, sometimes both of your guys end up sitting by without doing anything because an enemy is getting his attack first... It's an unpleasant combination of simple and janky, and I'd have expected more out of the people who made Furi, whose combat fucking rules. Obviously their priorities were in a different place and they make it explicit that this is meant to be a more casual game (even though it can be weirdly punishing on the default difficulty), but it just makes me want to avoid all the fights I can. Which to be fair, is usually an option.
The Movement. Most of Haven is, or is at least meant to be you running around the maps, doing some light exploration. And it's decently successful at that. The game can sometimes feel a bit too much like a checklist but I feel like 100%ers would appreciate that, and it's not too much of a bother to ignore. Fast travel is a bit clunky because it doesn't let you warp to areas that you haven't cleared of Rust, which is sometimes a bit annoying. Regardless, all of that is secondary. The game looks pretty great, the music's amazing and the characters have a lot to say during travel, which helps it not feel monotonous.
The Writing. As a proud user of this website, I have obviously never felt the loving touch of a woman OR a man, but as I have occasionally had interactions with human beings who did not fully despise me, I must compliment this game for being really good at capturing the relationship between two people who are madly in love with each other and are really getting to deeply know each other in every way. They have millions of tiny disagreements, a bunch of weird jokes that they know the other one will like (some are kinda cringe but honestly they're two lovebirds in their early 20s, they will be almost as cringe as they are horny), it's not wholesome uwu stuff without substance but it is extremely heartful and believable. Kay and Yu both feel like real people with a personality beyond what we see and beyond what we immediately assume is their stereotype. All of their actions are believable, they're filled with numerous tiny flaws and aren't even really heroes, just people trying to live their lives as well as they can. I will say though, as much as I like the writing overall I don't think there's any scenes that really blew my mind, not even in the ending, it's just a really consistent level of quality and honestly that's great too. Bonus praise for letting you play as a M/M or F/F couple, that's very cool.
So uh, I dunno I guess there isn't a verdict, I lied. The writing is really good but not to the point of just letting me ignore the fact that the rest of the game is kinda boring at times. I liked Haven, though. It has heart and good ideas, and sometimes that's all you need.
The idea behind Haven sounds interesting on paper and while I was somewhat interested in the story, the gameplay itself is a huge letdown. The overworld mainly consists of empty plains (I know it's supposed to be an abandoned place, but it's just so bland) and the combat system never clicked with me and felt unresponsive. The menus are unorganized and cluttered.
I wanted to like this game, but because of the reasons mentioned above I could never properly get into it. Maybe I'll pick it up someday again for the characters alone, but I don't think it's gonna be in the near future.
I wanted to like this game, but because of the reasons mentioned above I could never properly get into it. Maybe I'll pick it up someday again for the characters alone, but I don't think it's gonna be in the near future.
Good music, okay gameplay, the game is relaxing. Main characters are good