Heaven's Vault

 PC
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. GameCritics
    May 15, 2019
    70
    At the end of the game something is revealed about Aliya, and she must make a choice. Unfortunately, neither option held any impact for me. The core mystery of Heaven’s Vault and the puzzles that must be solved to illuminate it are compelling. Yet, like its world and its core character, Heaven’s Vault gets caught up in physical things and forgets the human, rendering its final revelations as cold as the dead moons where Aliya digs up her artifacts. Then again, perhaps it’s fitting for an archaeologist that the story she uncovers is more compelling than her own.
  2. Washington Post
    May 10, 2019
    70
    Quibbles notwithstanding, I enjoyed Heaven's Vault after I put in some effort and got over my early fidgets. If I ever decide to study ancient Greek, I’m sure I’ll think of it.
  3. Slant Magazine
    Apr 16, 2019
    70
    The game is ambitious for its translation mechanics and its big-picture look at the evolution of culture through the ages.
  5. The Indie Game Website
    Apr 16, 2019
    70
    Heaven’s Vault’s narrative is so good, though, that you don’t think much about the parts that don’t really work. The devs understood that the nature of the game and its identity is rooted less in its gameplay and more in its story. They decided to put more of its eggs in the story basket, which, in the end, pays off.
  6. USgamer
    Apr 16, 2019
    70
    Heaven's Vault may have one of the most well-realized video game worlds ever, with your curiosity and personality molding your story through the Nebula. Whether you're fascinated by history or just by a personal sense of duty, there's a lot to love about Heaven's Vault, even if the clunky movement and frustrating sailing sour the overall experience.
  7. New Game Network
    Apr 23, 2019
    68
    At first it seems that Heaven’s Vault is an absolute treasure and you can just marvel at the creative ideas that Inkle Studio came up with. But in between all those moments when I loved the game, some of the gameplay mechanics made my eyes glaze over and the experience would lose its luster.
  8. GameSpot
    Apr 16, 2019
    60
    Heaven's Vault excels in creating a well-constructed, branching narrative, but expect long sections of it to feel like a slog.
  9. Screen Rant
    Apr 16, 2019
    50
    With its beautiful piano and violin score and occasionally arresting visuals, it is a game meant to be a meditative experience. Players should relish in slowly uncovering new facts about an ancient peoples and sharing this information with their friends, new and old. But even as trimmed as the game is, with small "open-world" locations and limited movement, it still seems like too much polish was placed around a core element that is enjoyable in its simplicity.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Eurogamer
    Apr 16, 2019
    Inkle's follow-up to 80 Days is an archaeology adventure like no other. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  2. Kotaku
    Apr 16, 2019
    If nothing else, I’m absolutely stoked to translate more words. I think I’ve almost figured out how the ancient society did math!
  3. Polygon
    Apr 16, 2019
    Heaven’s Vault does hold great potential; Inkle’s commitment to delivering an alternative (and more realistic) take on video game archaeology, and to encouraging players to decipher and learn a language, is inventive and mentally stimulating. But holistically, the experience is humdrum; there’s little incentive to keep on unpacking its world if I don’t buy into its fiction. And sadly, I do not.
  5. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Apr 16, 2019
    I don’t know if I can recommend this to someone who isn’t a word nerd. But at the same time, what Inkle have achieved in Heaven’s Vault is tremendous. I don’t know what to compare it to, because there isn’t anything. I can’t remember what the Ancient for love is, but I know it contains the word for heart, which contains the word for life.

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 29
  3. Negative: 8 out of 29
  1. garbeige
    May 12, 2019
    10
    This game scratches an itch I didn't know I had. The characters are compelling, the gameplay is fascinating and the art style grew on meThis game scratches an itch I didn't know I had. The characters are compelling, the gameplay is fascinating and the art style grew on me throughout the course of the game. I love the depth of thought that has been put into the language decoding puzzles, which gives you enough freedom to feel like a genius when a translation comes together while also subtly supporting you towards that conclusion. I started playing after the quick travel was implemented, so I didn't notice this being as much of an issue for me.… Full Review »
  2. Lefarien
    Apr 25, 2019
    10
    A game that achieves what it's trying to. If the core conceit of translating an ancient language excites you, the game will really land.A game that achieves what it's trying to. If the core conceit of translating an ancient language excites you, the game will really land. Really a triumph of translating interactive narrative concepts into an adventure game with puzzle elements. It won't be for everybody, but if it's for you: it will delight you.… Full Review »
  3. Aldrenean
    Aug 21, 2019
    9
    Heaven's Vault is definitely a niche game. The main gameplay is talking to people and translating an ancient language through a semi-realisticHeaven's Vault is definitely a niche game. The main gameplay is talking to people and translating an ancient language through a semi-realistic symbol matching activity. Problems come in the form of limited animation, slow and sometimes frustrating navigation on the ground and even more annoying sailing off the ground. But if you can look past these imperfections, there is a fantastic experience here. You get to uncover the history of the world around you, slowly piecing together fragments of language and mystery and being rewarded with some pretty cool reveals. The dialog and role-playing is also surprisingly robust -- conversations aren't stuffed with decisions, but those that you do make have real effects and the ways in which characters and even the world can react are impressive. Even after beating the game, I'm immediately interested in starting another run to find things that I missed and see an alternate ending, although the aforementioned slowness of the navigation does make that less palatable than it could be.

    Overall if you have any interest in archaeology or history this is a must-buy, and if you like talking/walking simulators and generally being immersed in a world, you'll definitely enjoy it. Playing this after Outer Wilds has been one of my best months in PC gaming ever.    … Full Review »
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