Trying to get through some smaller games on the backlog and so I started off with Haven. I had heard decent things about this one, particularly the writing and I would have to agree that the script is the strongest part. Kay and Yu have great banter and there's a great attention to detail as you progress through the game. The performances are also solid and the OST was great. Honestly, my favorite part was just roaming around listening to the music.

The rest of the gameplay is rather clunky. I think some ideas are neat in theory, but it sometimes feels like padding. Combat feels like this especially. I'm not a huge fan that you don't get full heals when you sleep. There are some other tedious rules that the game puts in place and it makes for a rather shaky experience.

This next part isn't necessarily the game's fault, but moreso the hardware. I know the Switch will always have drawbacks, but I had a few crashes, one of them at the climax of the game, which soured the experience overall. Not to mention the audio mixing is beyond inconsistent at points. There are some takes that they kept where actors are clearing peaking on their mics and it's beyond distracting.

Those problems aside, I still enjoyed the game for what it was. I think if this was longer, I would have found myself much more annoyed. My suggestion would be to play this on platforms and to wait for a sale. Certain not a bad game to pass the time, but's definitely got some issues. Not a bad way to start 2023!

Originally, I was saving this game to maybe play with someone one day, but I had no idea how long it would sit in my backlog, so I decided to give it a go and see if maybe it was enjoyable solo.

This is gonna feel like a review with a bunch of caveats, but let's start with the graphics, I' swear I've seen this art style before, but can't recall what it came from, but I really love how everything looks. It has a sort of cel-shaded mixed with watercolors kind of look to it. The land is vast while being in small pieces if that makes any sense, there's plenty of places to go but they all are small "islands" if that helps. The game runs very smoothly and honestly looks great, but I don't think this art style could work for different game than this.

The controls actually work very well, though if you are going to play, go to the Options first, there's alot there to adjust the playstyle to fit what you are used to, if you play everything on it's default settings, I guarantee a headache and steep learning. The combat is actually the weirdest part, first of all I didn't know it had RPG combat, but the way it does it feels kind of a step up from turn based combat and is lightly reactionary, but nowhere near an action game. It's kind of like rock-paper-scissors in a way, closer to Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi, but it's interesting and never really feels stale, but isn't front and center all the time.

The music is very pretty, it's like an odd mix of atmospheric vocals and instruments, the closest game I can think the music matches up with is the dungeon themes in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, music you'll love to hear in game, but may never find yourself humming.

The story is where the game is at it's best. It's built around exploring the world and character dialogue between Kay and Yu who you can choose who to use at any time at the push of a button. I really love the dialogue between the two, I'll admit I was a tad put off at the start with one of the characters, but the dynamic grew on me a whole bunch. Also, as people likely know Kay and Yu's genders aren't set so you can change the couple's gender and it doesn't change the story at all, it's cosmetic mostly, but the dialogue is adjusted depending on the pair.

The only drawbacks of the game are well, one is a personal issue and the other is a weird oversight. The personal issue is...you can play the game solo, but I feel the dialogue flows better if playing with someone else, but at the same time it seems like the exploration might be set for the leader to control the going-ons, I don't know I soloed it, but that's the vibe I get.

The oversight is, while the developers added the ability to adjust the gender of Kay and Yu, one combination is missing...your options are as follows (Kay/Yu), male/female is how it released. your other option is female/female and male/male, but it can't be flipped for Kay to female while Yu is male, not a big deal, just odd given the other free selections.

Those things aside, I love this game, despite playing on my own, this was a solid game and VERY different, but stands on it's own as a great game.

Honestly, probably some of the best and most lived-in, realistic relationship writing in games. There's so many little touches and vibes that I absolutely adored, but for whatever reason the game didn't quite fully hit for me. On paper so much of this stuff is exactly my kind of thing, and what I love to see, but the actual playing of the game felt a bit of a repetitive chore at times. The vast majority of the areas look and feel exactly the same and expect you to do exactly the same things in them. There are some later areas that do shake up the visuals a little bit, but by that point I was already struggling to continue with the game. I'm glad I did though as the game definitely sings the most in its central relationship which is very well realized. I also really liked the structure of how those relationship moments are unlocked and the general gameplay loop there. I just wish there was some more variety in the core, in-the-field gameplay. I did enjoy the combat and the almost rhythmic groove it often leads to with the way you control both characters. I also suffered from technical issues (dropped/choppy frames, audio glitches, etc), but it's hard to know what was the game and what was perhaps my PC not being capable.

Overall I definitely think it's worth checking out, especially if you're someone who is looking for a more chill meditative kind of gameplay. The ability to change the match-ups of the central characters to allow for same-sex pairings in a post-launch update was definitely a delight to see as well. And with the whole game being co-op I think it would be a nice fit for couples to play together especially. I hope more games take some lessons from the writing of the main relationship and its refreshing honesty on topics like sexuality, especially in this medium. I'm glad I stuck with it.

I finished Haven at just 15 and a half hours. Extremely short for my standards but honestly I needed a short game to change up the pace. I didn't expect much besides "Sci Fi couple game" but I ended up liking it much more than I thought. The game never felt stale at all despite there being only just two characters really. I enjoy Yu and Kay's interactions with the planet Source, finding all kinds of different things and talking about them while flowing around and enjoying each other's company with various activities. Plus they talk about thier past lives a lot, so that gives in a lot of lore with the setting and thier backgrounds.

Haven isn't really a plot-focused game at all since much of the time it's just about Yu and Kay exploring around and finding parts for thier ships to be repaired but I found it really cool towards the end of the game, the lore points and thier motivations start to form a plot to tie things up. The endings are very controversial from what I've read but I think the best ending possible to obtain in the game is a nice conclusion for Yu and Kay. Haven isn't a grand Sci-Fi epic with dozens of characters and deep world-building. It is all about the love and romance between Yu and Kay and how nothing can keep thier love apart and I personally think that was what the entire game was trying to emphasize and I think it did very well with delivering that theme, even if I can agree easily way more could be done with the lore points. But I appreciate the story Haven wanted to tell.

My only real complaint is the gameplay. The survival elements weren't too bad and I really really like how not a single living soul dies in the game because essentially every game have death in some sort of way. However, I just found the combat very...clunky? The ATB combat is simple and holding down the button to do commands just doesn't work for me sometimes? And trying to use items is just very clunky to perform. Plus while Haven gets called as an RPG, I just found so many essential RPG elements to be missing that I rather just call it an adventure game. Not to mention, exploration can be maze-like here and there because you have to find a certain flow thread to exit the area and those can be tricky to find. The gameplay isn't awful, in fact, I think it's passable for the most part, but I definitely thought it needed more fine-tuning and polish.

Minor gameplay complaints and false RPG advertisement aside. Haven is a very neat and comfy game and I overall really enjoy and got attached to the romance adventure. I recommend the game a lot if you want something quick, simple, and lighthearted that is still very character focused with the story.

Pretty great romance and voice acting alongside a serviceable story but the combat was very mediocre and there were a few too many extremely samey islets to explore.

I also would've liked to see at least one or two arguments/conflicts between Yu and Kay early on, they really backloaded any tension in their relationship. Their lovey dovey dynamic at the start was almost too perfect lol

Oh yeah and the bad ending achievement felt awful to get last ;_; But one can certainly argue even Yu and Kay would get sick of each other and bored out of their minds after a few years completely on their own. There's such a thing as knowing someone too well imo

My fiance wanted to play this with me once we were made aware of the same sex couples update. This was coming from a girl whos gaming experience so far has been Minecraft, a little bit of Mario Kart and whatever is on her phone so of course I was happy to oblige. The gameplay isn't really anything amazing, but the way it handles relationships was really heartfelt and the whole journey was really well done and emotional. Playing this game together has got her excited and wanting to get more into gaming, which has helped us get a lot closer too. This was a really special experience, highly recommend you play it with your SO.

I recommend, but I also don't recommend this game. The idea of the game was new and innovative. I loved the characters. The characters always have something to say and interact well with the world, which is great. The gameplay, however, wasn't that good and was often buggy for me. Some other issues with the game are that you don't get a mini-map until you find it, making it very confusing to traverse the world. The combat seems unnecessary and is just there to give you something else to do. The story is bland and can be summed up easily. Ths side stuff was more interesting than the actual story. It ended up feeling like a chore to complete the game.

The main draw of this game is absolutely the character interactions. The game is pretty fun, sure, but I probably would've never played anything like it if Yu and Kay weren't the main characters. (I also wouldn't have played it if they didn't update the game with gay pairings, but that's besides the point.)

These two are such lovable dorks, it's really hard to NOT like them. I was very impressed by just how much dialogue there was, and it's all voice acted! It's GOOD too. There's so much dialogue in fact that I think the most I heard a line repeated was like three times. There are a handful of stilted lines here and there, but nearly all of it is very well done and believable.
The story works well, it's not the best thing I've ever experienced, but it's effective and intriguing.

The whole thing about the Apiary and Flow and how their world works in general is something that you won't understand at first, but quickly catch on to because of how naturally the dialogue "flows" between these two characters. Yu is an engineer and Kay is a biologist, so they're constantly answering each others questions—and by extension, the player's questions.

Actual gameplay consists of exploring, combat, and preparation. Exploring takes the front row seat and strangely plays similar to something like Mario Kart (drifts included!). It threw me off a bit at first, but it's actually super fun to just zoom around these islets pickin' up food and clearing away Rust. Cleaning the Rust is the main thing I found myself doing. It's not necessary to clear up every bit of Rust to beat the game, but I did anyway because it felt good. There's also the Flow threads you'll see sprinkled about everywhere, they act as little trails that take you to different parts of the islets, typically out of reach areas. I... kinda don't like the Flow threads. They all look the same and you can't see the entirety of a Flow thread, so when you get on one, you have no idea where it's gonna take you. This is especially annoying when it's the only way to access the next area.

Combat revolves around you fighting the wildlife after it's been infected with Rust. The game was actually an RPG to my surprise, but it uses a real time system instead of a turn-based one. All your skills take a second to charge up before you can use them, and you have four of them. Burst and impact are your attacks, the former is basically magic, and the latter is physical. Then you have Shield, your defensive measure, and Pacify to... uh... pacify any enemy after you've whittled down their HP. Don't wait too long though, they will get back up again if you aren't fast enough. It's actually pretty tricky to get used to, since you can charge both characters' skills at the same time. If you're someone who's good at multitasking, you'll find yourself right at home here! If combat isn't really your thing or you can't quite get the hang of it, you can probably go the whole game only fighting five or six enemies since you don't gain much from completing fights other than a minuscule amount of EXP, which can be gotten via other means anyway.

The last major part of the game is preparation. Making food, medicine, and battle items, upgrading gear... sleeping. It's pretty simple but you're almost always greeted by a new conversation every time, so it's very worth it. Eating food and just finding little dialogue spots is also how you'll get the most EXP (I'm not even sure it's called EXP but just roll with me here). It isn't immensely useful, you unlock some extra attacks and get more health and that's about it, but they're pretty cute interactions.

Some miscellaneous thoughts:
• Music was fine. It all kinda sounds the same, but it's not bad so it gets a pass.
• The locations are all pretty same-y unfortunately. There's like three areas that aren't grassy hills and those are cool, but they aren't the majority.
• They have a pet named Oink.

Gameplay isn't super engaging, but overall, very worth it for just the characters alone.

Being a big fan of Furi, when the devs announced this was going to be the next game, I bought it day one but set expectations to zero. So I ended up with this kind of ok vn with skating exploration. This game wants you to take it veeeeeeerrry slowly and almost forget the turn based battles and hover skating. You're gonna stare at 3 scenes of the space nerds Yu and Kay fighting who gets to use the shower 1st and you better like it. The 2 leads are fine, they're 2 horny nerds who always be doing cute things. The devs wanted this to be a relaxing game you could always come back to, but I was blinded by mario sunshine-ing maps, the game's main goal. The game has a big danger plot introduced that goes directly against the chill vibes the game's trying to achieve. Please understand I can't say much about the games plot without basically spoiling everything. Maybe it sounds like I'm being too hard on the game, but it really is just a strange experimental vn. Not to dissuade you but as a point of comparison, I recently played I was a Teenage Exocolonist and it hit a lot of goals Haven was trying to achieve. Recently they added the option to have f/f m/m versions of Yu and Kay, I might update this harsh review after I do a run with a m/m pair.

Video games have a bit of an odd track record with romance. There are some genuinely great ones that tie into the narrative or otherwise make you remember that character, but the thing about games is that they really like their reward systems, and relationships framed that way often have sex as the end goal, as the big thing that happens and that must happen, and so we end up with stuff like awkward clothed sex scenes or collectible cards earned from sleeping with people.

On that same note, it's really rare to see established relationships in games, probably because not only they are a handy way of creating conflict within the narrative, but also because it runs counter to the idea of having as blank a slate as possible for the player to self insert into. It's easier if you focus on having the relationship develop over the course of gameplay, be it through the narrative, navigating dialogue trees or showering the other character with gifts of foraged items and homemade dishes.

It was a surprise to find a game that purported to do both of those things: present two characters that begin the game as lovers, and have that relationship tie into the mechanics. Haven puts you in the role of Yu and Kay, a couple who fled their homeworld in order to escape their arranged marriages and live together in peace. The two land on a mysterious, deserted planet called Source and quickly realize that the planet is not only dangerous, but that they are far from being the first people to live there.

The story that unfolds from the couple exploring the planet is pretty fun on its own: you get to learn more about the civilization Yu and Kay come from, how it is organized, and why there is no way they could have stayed. You also get to unravel a bit about what went on in Source and how the planet reached its current state. However, the real treat in Haven is in the main characters' relationship, as well as the incredible amount of scenes and dialogues, all fully voiced, that occur between the two.

Some of these scenes trigger from story events and from exploring the world, but most of them come from performing certain tasks while at home or camping. Haven shines in its focus on the mundane happenings in the daily life of a couple together. The food they eat, dreams had at night, the awkward flirts, the small arguments, the big fights, the in-jokes... there is a feeling of domesticity all throughout Haven that confers upon its protagonists an organic and authentic feel, as fantastic as the situation they find themselves might be.

This blends into the gameplay as the game ties that relationship into the mechanics. Experience points, for instance, can come both from fighting battles together and for experiencing scenes at home. Leveling, in turn, is a rare occasion and expressed as a celebration, kind of like an anniversary of sorts. Last, but definitely not least, combat centers around synchronizing movements between characters and, if you're playing co-op, communicating timings and strategies. It's simple and feels almost experimental, but it's very appropriate and suits co-op play surprisingly well.

Since everything is focused on the characters being a couple, being able to get into their roles is central to enjoying the experience. If you don't identify with the default Yu and Kay, it's possible to change their genders. In what's one of the gutsiest moves I've seen from an indie studio, The Game Bakers took to including alternative versions of Yu and Kay so to allow playing as a same-sex couple. This was added with an update published in early 2022, and it's not just a reskin of the game, but rather, involved redubbing every single line from the main characters, some lines now having three separate versions, one for each couple. All of the 2D art, such as the ones in menus, loading screens and such, gets replaced as well, to reflect the current pairing.

I say the move is gutsy not because the potential public reaction -- people who would complain about such an addition probably wouldn't have liked the game anyway -- but because, considering the amount of dialogue there is in the game, it's an insane undertaking from such a small developer, one which would get shot down fast in product meetings elsewhere simply because of the amount of work involved. Yet, it was executed so smoothly, when playing as one of the new couples, it's easy to forget the game usually features a straight pairing. It's incredibly pleasant to see.

Moving away from Yu and Kay, though, the other way in which Haven felt unique is that, which so many games to play in so little free time, it's rare that a game manages to make me relax and take in the sights. Somehow, the fragmented land of Source succeeded. In part, this is due to the amazing art direction: the game's use of color in its natural landscapes makes everywhere the camera is facing into a beautiful picture. There's also the incredible and unique soundtrack that sets the mood for many of the game's locations, as well as some of the story beats.

The mechanics also help a lot. There's an idle animation where the characters embrace each other if left alone, and in doing so, the one with the lowest HP is healed -- this has the side effect of giving the player a moment to slow down and look around. In addition there's the choice of traversal mechanics: instead of characters running and climbing through the fields and mountains of source, which a lot of games would do, they smoothly glide above the ground, later in the game getting the ability to do so through the air in certain situations. It not only feels great, it looks visually stunning and makes for a lot of pretty screenshots.

Haven is just such a marvelous experience. Its overall simplicity might make it not click with everybody, but it felt wonderful to me, and I'm left wanting more of those comfy vibes and that sweet awkwardness it gave me. Maybe one day there will be a sequel, or a spiritual successor, or maybe other people might be inspired by The Game Bakers' work and decide to put some of that spice into their games. I can only hope.

Whoever made the decision to update this game to let you be gay— you are doing the lord's work.

Haven is so CUTE and so SOFT and so WHOLESOME and I love floating around on my hover-skates gathering ingredients to cook dinner with my cute boyfriend and then cuddling on the couch being GAY AS HELL. Ugh. It's so cute.

Also, appledews look 100% tastier than real apples. I want to eat all the food in this game.

I really shouldn't like this as much as I do. The combat sucks, the environments are very same-y, and the resource management aspect is pretty half-baked. But dammit I absolutely adored the relationship between the two main characters. It's extremely rare that relationships in video games feel like anything more than fan-service or non-essential window dressing, but the dynamic between Yu and Kay is just so sweet and genuine and the entire experience is centered around it. The best parts of the game were just them hanging out and doing normal stuff, and I've never seen a game truly commit to showing that aspect of relationships. It's not the greatest game ever, but there are so many moments that I found myself with the dumbest smile on my face, and that's all I can really ask for from a game like this.

This is an amazing story with a pair of incredibles protagonist, but a gameplay that is sadly lacking. Mostly by the end-game areas, where the game puts you too many restrains to clean areas or defeat enemies (high HP, small window for purify/hit weakness, lot of knock off moves...).

Some menus are a little be dragging due to the Pair-themed gameplay or you have to watch an animation everytime you make a single item, not being able to do more copies of that one.

But outside of that, this game shows a great loving pair, their hornyness, discussions, cute moments... is one of the best love stories you will get. The world is interesting as well, a nice take on scy-fi and distopian society that focus more on the nature and exploring side.

Overal, Haven is a nice game to play with that special person you know... or alone as well, but the system will probably become annoying in that case, still, recommended just for Yu and Kay's lovely adventures.

This game is overall great. The story is engaging and romantic, the plot keeps you moving and the characters are adorable together. Very well written.

The combat is ok, the world traversal is often buggy and uncomfortable though.

Props to the Devs for adding gay couples, otherwise I'd never have played this gem.