Haven

 PC
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Hey Poor Player
    Dec 3, 2020
    100
    I could probably write a dissertation on everything Haven does right, but the truth is, Haven is something you must feel. Your relationship with Haven will change over time, the nuances left on you only realized long after the controller has been put away. Haven is the game every game developer wishes they could make and every gamer wishes they could play for the first time every time. It cannot be understated how beautiful Haven is in every sense of the word. Please don’t just play Haven — feel Haven.
  2. KeenGamer
    Dec 8, 2020
    92
    Haven is a delightful character-driven action-RPG that absolutely deserves your attention. From the graphical style to the soundtrack, to the excellent writing and voice acting and the myriad interconnected systems at play, the game is polished, charming and just the right amount of challenge. If you habitually mash the ‘skip cutscene’ button then this perhaps isn’t for you, but if you want to lose yourself in a great story with wonderfully realised characters, don’t hesitate to pick this up.
  3. GameWatcher
    Dec 3, 2020
    90
    Haven exudes an amount of confidence that’s not often seen. Every piece falls into its place and there is never a moment to suggest that developer The Game Bakers had any doubts about the direction in which it wanted to take the game. Its satisfying exploration of interconnected levels, light survival, story-driven visual novel elements, and rhythmic combat all serve the greater experience. It boasts some of the most organic writing we’ve seen in a while and strong protagonists with excellent chemistry. Kay and Yu embody weakness and strength, childlike wonder and maturity, and kick ass together when the need arises. It’s hard to dislike them. Regardless if you’re in it just for its story or want to see everything it has to offer, Haven always finds a way to reward you and never wastes your time.
  5. Noisy Pixel
    Dec 3, 2020
    85
    Haven took me by complete surprise with its relatable characters and emotional love story. Gliding from island to island is endlessly fun and is a great way to take in its bright art direction. While there are some performance issues, the overall story and exploration had me hooked from beginning to end. If you’re looking for a romantic and fantastic narrative Haven has a beautiful world ready to explore.
  6. The Games Machine
    Dec 14, 2020
    82
    Haven is a great comfort game. Relaxing music, pleasant color palette, dialogues that are often light but never empty. Yu and Kay’s adventure on source never fails to be entertaining, and if the combat seems a bit shallow at first, it will certainly put you to the test as you progress. Some things could be better, of course; but after the excellent Furi, Haven is another proof of The Game Bakers’ competence.
  7. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 12, 2021
    80
    Great break after a busy day. With or without a partner, you will experience this respite together with at least Yu and Kay. The story in a dreamy landscape is worth it. [Issue#309]
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  8. PLAY! Zine
    Jan 8, 2021
    80
    Haven is a fun mixture of visual novel storytelling, walking simulator exploration and just a dash of action-adventure. The main focus is on the couple and their story of survival on an alien planet. With that in mind, it's not a game for everyone, but it is a fun adventure to take.
  9. IGN Japan
    Dec 28, 2020
    80
    Haven is an RPG that depicts two people living together on a lonely planet. Through their communication, the player learns not just about their love and insecurities, but also what kind of world it is they are inhabiting. While the ending may feel a bit anticlimactic, putting the state of mind of a couple into gameplay makes for a truly remarkable experience.
  10. PC Games
    Dec 4, 2020
    80
    Even though Haven is based on loose and shallow gameplay, the relationship between the protagonists Yu and Kay carries the game over these obstacles with ease. The cute love story is authentically written and successfully enchants players in its process.
  11. Hardcore Gamer
    Dec 3, 2020
    80
    Even with iffy combat, Haven ends up being a dose of pure joy, letting you experience a well-written whirlwind romance with lovable characters, or just letting you hover around a planet at fast speeds, enjoying satisfying gameplay as you swiftly gather up more Flow or escape corrupted creatures. Top it all off with sweet visuals and one of the year’s best soundtracks, and you have a unique blend of adventure and RPG games that provides a terrific experience. Indeed, you’ll more than likely fall in love with it.
  12. GameSpew
    Dec 3, 2020
    80
    Haven is a unique title; more than likely, you’ll never have played anything quite like it. Exploring the world is lovely and relaxing, though making progress can feel frustratingly slow in the game’s early hours. Once the story really gets started though, it’s impossible to walk away. Players will love getting to know Yu and Kay and slowly uncovering the story of how they ended up together in their dangerous predicament. Haven is slow-paced, but it’s beautiful and captivating. If you want something to enjoy while tucked under a warm blanket, this might just be the comfort you need.
  13. IGN
    Dec 3, 2020
    80
    Haven is a charming and unusual sci-fi RPG about love prevailing above all else, although between its thrilling gravity boot rides and respectable combat are long spans of monotonous resource gathering and clean-up.
  14. Jeuxvideo.com
    Dec 3, 2020
    75
    A charming surprise and should mark the genre of adventure game thanks to the quality of the writing, the few mechanics borrowed from RPGs, the possibility of playing as a duo and its accessibility.
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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Dec 3, 2020
    Cutting out the parts that became tedious would quicken the narrative enough to undermine it, but those parts became so laborious that they dragged it down instead. Perhaps I missed the point entirely by playing it alone – it is eminently obvious where a second player would fit in to its design – but if I had a lover here right now, I don’t think this is the game I’d choose to play with them. I’ve been in my own haven for far too long.
  2. The Indie Game Website
    Dec 7, 2020
    Haven is a game about taking time out – it’s about staring into the endless mesh of rust and stars and considering where you are, who you’re with and where the both of you want to be. Some of the mechanics are a little rough around the edges, and the overall experience doesn’t quite feel perfect. But neither are relationships – Haven explores one that’s really special, and I’m beyond grateful to have spent time with it.

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 103
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 103
  3. Negative: 13 out of 103
  1. MotoWolf
    Dec 5, 2020
    10
    Dear developers! Please accept my gratitude for such a great game! It is a pity that many people did not appreciate it and the rating ofDear developers! Please accept my gratitude for such a great game! It is a pity that many people did not appreciate it and the rating of Metacritic did not reach 80( for me, the game became a real mini-masterpiece! Once again, I am convinced that you do not need to have million-dollar budgets and arrange a hype to release a decent, interesting and deep game! No need for graphics that squeeze all the juice out of your computer, PS or XBOX. The main thing is an approach, live characters who want to experience, sympathize. The game should not have a beautiful cover. The game must have a soul! And You, all those who worked on this game succeeded! The game is live!
    Personally, I am very much looking forward to new masterpieces from Your team! Keep it up! 1010!    … Full Review »
  2. mmrventricle
    Dec 9, 2020
    8
    Haven is a character-focused game. Whether you like the game or not will almost completely depend on whether you like the protagonists.Haven is a character-focused game. Whether you like the game or not will almost completely depend on whether you like the protagonists.

    This game goes for a natural, unscripted style for the writings of the conversations, which means you can either love them for how realistic they sound, or hate them for how cringe they make you feel, and for me I found the former to be true far more frequently than the latter. Yu and Kay are the most realistic pair of couples that I can remember in a video game, they have consistent personality traits, they have good chemistry, they have running jokes between themselves, etc. The amount of contextual dialogues and their trigger conditions are also impressive -- once I was controlling the girl and the guy happen to follow behind her and she commented on if he was getting a good view. There are also a lot of mundane scenes about the characters' daily lives that don't serve any plot purpose which I somehow found interesting.

    One thing I disliked about the dialogue is that there are a lot of dialogues about fictional science or technology. It would be another thing if they discussed real science, but fake science discussion is completely non-engaging and make me roll my eyes more than anything else.

    The combat is a mixed bag. It's a turn-based system where both you and the enemy take turns at the same time (which reminds me of Final Fantasy 13 of all things). There are 3 actions you can take: melee attack, ranged attack, and shield. The enemies can be resistant or vulnerable to some of these attacks, and some enemies require timing. There is some strategy to it, but I think it simply isn't fun. The characters will also speak after every action, and since you make roughly 1 move per second per character and there are 2 characters, you will hear around 2 quips per second for the entirety of the duration of combat.

    The majority of the time in game will be spent traversing. Most of the time the movement mechanics is a glorified auto-run, and there is no jump button at all making it pretty frustrating for vertical traversal as any tiny ledge stops you. Instead there are set locations where you can take flight along a given path, and that's how you are supposed to reach high places. Overall it's nothing special but nothing especially offensive either.    … Full Review »
  3. tacobales
    Dec 8, 2020
    10
    Really fantastic art style and music , if youre a persona fan , jrpg fan or just a fan of just good stories this ones a banger. Camera is aReally fantastic art style and music , if youre a persona fan , jrpg fan or just a fan of just good stories this ones a banger. Camera is a bit hit or miss.… Full Review »
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