Haven

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 3 out of 21

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  1. Xemnios
    Apr 12, 2021
    5
    At first it seems like a good game, then you realize that there is only one recycled setting for 20 hours, nothing to do besides exploring a void without a goal and a repetitiveness and boredom that few other games have.
  2. ThatsTheFrench
    Mar 23, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Haven is a relaxing, charming, and laid back RPG that doesn't challenge the player, but instead invites them to enjoy a bright, colorful adventure full of emotional investment and fun memories.

    The story of Haven is a mixture of emotional highs and lows, played out by two very enjoyable, fun, and comfortable characters. The two Protagonists, Kay and Yu, are lovers who have escaped the oppressive rules and societal norms of their galactic government called The Apiary, and have crash landed on a fractured planet dubbed 'Source'. Source is split into many pieces, connected by 'flow bridges' which serve as connecting threads between all of the fractured islets. Kay and Yu's mission is to collect parts for their ship, evade detection by the Apiary, and build a new life for themselves by collecting resources and clearing each of the islets that make up Source of 'rust'. Rust is, as Kay discovers, a form of flow energy that negatively effects organic life, but can be collected and used as a building material. The science of this is explained via sci-fi techno-babble.
    The relationship between Kay and Yu is relentlessly cute, adorable, and feels very real. They fight, banter, bicker, tease, joke, cooperate, express insecurity and vulnerability, and generally go through all the ups and downs of a relationship. As the player, you can influence some of the dialog options, which can have a negative or positive impact on Kay and Yu's relationship. Conflict resolution, romance, lust, insecurity, and maturity are all challenges the player is faced with when controlling Kay and Yu's dialog.
    The story and writing of Haven are both entertaining and heart-felt. The voice actors playing Kay and Yu deserve a lot of praise for making the entire game feel alive, charming, and fun to listen to.

    The game does have a few hiccups directorially. Sometimes you feel a bit abandoned by the game having very sparse tutorials, and not giving you a ton of direction on what to do next. It's not hard to figure out on your own, but giving the player more clear cut objectives would have been nice. The map is also very dumbed down from where it could and maybe should have been. Islets don't have any detail on the map, and are instead little white blips with lines connecting them, representing the flow bridges. This makes traveling around a bit confusing, as the game doesn't tell you where you are on each islet, forcing you to guess at which flow bridge goes where. This can get annoying, but not so much as to make you put down the game.

    The gameplay of Haven is, again, not challenging, but still fun. Kay and Yu have anti-gravity boots that allow them to glide and drift around Source with speed and grace. You can guide them to follow 'flow threads' which add charge to their boots and gives them energy needed to dispel rust, rebuff enemies in the open world, and unlock mini areas on the islets.
    The combat is a mixture of advantage and time based strategy. You take a couple seconds to charge a ranged attack, melee attack, shield, or special power that allows you to expel downed enemies. If you're able to latch on to different weaknesses and patterns you should be fine. Combat isn't very nuanced, but offers an entertaining enough break in the exploration rooted gameplay. You spend most of your time in Haven exploring, cleaning areas of rust, and gathering resources.
    You do need to eat and heal in the game. You can craft food, medicine, combat enhancements, and tools in the game to give you various advantages. The better prepared you are before you go out on a long trip, the more fun you'll get to have. If Kay and Yu are really hungry when in combat, timing becomes harder, and you do less damage. They'll let you know via dialogue prompts when it's time to set up camp and eat so they can perform better.

    Graphically, the open world is bright, colorful, pretty, but not overly detailed. The characters are pretty simple looking, but only serve as avatars for the anime style depictions you see pop up when Kay and Yu are talking.

    The music of Haven is beautifully atmospheric and complements the tone and feel of the story and exploration very well. I just wish there were more tracks to enjoy.

    Overall, Haven is a great stress reliever and offered a refreshing RPG experience full of laughs and "aww moments" that made me invested in the characters and their journey. If you're looking for a cute exploration RPG that feels cozy and relaxing, yet rewards curiosity and quick thinking in a pinch, look no further than Haven.    … Expand
  3. LZephaniah
    Apr 26, 2021
    9
    Rarely have I enjoyed something so much while being so aware that other people's mileage may vary. That's because I played Haven with my wife, and it is hard for me to comment on what it would be like played solo or with someone else. I suspect it is a good game no matter how you play it, but that it is at its best played co-op, and with someone who- at the very least- you would happilyRarely have I enjoyed something so much while being so aware that other people's mileage may vary. That's because I played Haven with my wife, and it is hard for me to comment on what it would be like played solo or with someone else. I suspect it is a good game no matter how you play it, but that it is at its best played co-op, and with someone who- at the very least- you would happily go for a nice walk with.

    I should say that Haven makes co-op very accessible. You can drop in an out at any time, without being committed to playing solo or co-op. My wife games far less than me but had no trouble mastering the controls. Combat requires co-ordination, but general movement and exploration lets either player take the lead which avoids the frustrations that can occur when playing with two players of very different skill levels eg handing over a controller to access tricky areas.

    This game is not an action-fest: Doom Eternal it is not! Much of the game is about exploration of a lightly populated world. Fortunately there are two elements which make this enjoyable: 1) the art and soundtrack are excellent, and 2) the movement mechanics are (mostly) a pleasure to control. The player is encouraged to follow "flow threads" which start out as novelties and later become important for accessing certain areas and recharging abilities- the difficulty following these gently scales and there are a few optional ones with real challenge to them. Exploration is necessary to move the story forward but thorough exploration is rewarded mainly through unlocking additional character and relationship moments (and this is worth it, see below).

    Meanwhile, combat starts very simple and adds layers of complexity but only a few encounters are really tough. It is here that I suspect co-op has an advantage over solo play: combat requires timing and co-ordination between the characters, which is a bit more fun when playing with someone else rather than controlling both characters together. And while we only got truly beaten once, encounters can go bad quickly and messing up can leave you having to dodge further battles while you retreat to somewhere you can heal up, so combat isn't perfunctory.

    However: while exploration is calm and pleasant, and combat is diverting and occasionally frantic, the absolute heart of this game is the relationship between the main characters. In short- the characters are written and acted in a remarkably believable way. They flirt and argue and joke in a way that felt very real (as I sat doing the same with my wife of several years) and it never seemed trite or forced. We found ourselves ignoring the main quest and exploring corners of the map because unlocking extra cute moments between the characters was a worthwhile reward- and I think that speaks volumes in itself! Even the loading screens are cute and you unlock more as you get to know the characters (note: loading times weren't bad on the PS4, but there are occasions when you want to hop from island to island in quick succession and playing on the PS5 with backward compatibility cut these times to hardly any time at all).

    In short: The Game Bakers deserve a lot of praise for this game. If you go in expecting quiet exploration and fun character work, and ideally with a loved one to play with, then I fully recommend this game.    … Expand
  4. frederik1478
    Apr 25, 2022
    8
    Beautiful game the maze in story and music I cannot recommendation of this is the best love story video game
  5. TK4EVA47
    Aug 30, 2023
    7
    I played Haven (2020/2021) in 2023 and thought it was a good game that I liked.
  6. quittit1
    Jul 25, 2023
    8
    My only complaint is that some details are left out of how to do things. Due to this it took me like 5 minutes to figure out how to cook and afterwards I didn’t even realize how I did it. It wasn’t until I had to fight a monster and then came back and tried cooking again until it started to make sense. You are expected to know that certain things you do, the dpad controls one character’sMy only complaint is that some details are left out of how to do things. Due to this it took me like 5 minutes to figure out how to cook and afterwards I didn’t even realize how I did it. It wasn’t until I had to fight a monster and then came back and tried cooking again until it started to make sense. You are expected to know that certain things you do, the dpad controls one character’s actions and the buttons control the other character’s actions. This game surprised me with what it offers. It is a hidden gem as far as storytelling is concerned and all of the dialogue is voiced. The mechanics of the game lose their appeal fairly quickly but the story pushes itself along fast enough so that you stay interested to find the next area or task. The music is great too. It’s a love story and heavily leaned into that fact. You can even choose between gay straight or lesbian couple to play the game. I have yet to test if this affects the voice acting but I know it changes the appearance though not much. The game is mostly about the story with quite a few different dialogue elements for the same action or general action or things said while exploring. The love aspect is done realistically ish. Slight fantasy elements but not too much and always grounded with how a new couple might act.… Expand
  7. MedievalSpider
    Jul 26, 2023
    9
    The game is amazing for what it sets up to be: a fun game to play with a partner. The writting is engaging, the graphics are decent and the gameplay is just the right difficulty as to not feel frustrating while playing with someone else.

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  1. Multiplayer.it
    Dec 21, 2020
    78
    Haven is a game all about love and this leads sometimes to a dispersive experience, where the player doesn't know what to do next. Despite this, it's a very well crafted game.
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