Haven

Rich exploration of a mysterious world centered around two endearing protagonists.

Haven is a noteworthy story that defines what it is like to find your home with your loved one. Yu and Kay have their ups and downs, but Haven shows that love conquers all hardships. The game is about exploring and finding new places, and of course being free to love whoever you want. Like all relationships the game isn’t perfect, but it successfully presents a warm and powerful narrative that demonstrates an adult relationship with characters that we can all relate to.

With a heaping of exploration, a pinch of turn-based JRPG and wonderful visual novel finish, Haven takes its varied inspirations and bakes them into something sweet, layered and extremely satisfying.

Haven presents a lush alien world, one rife with resource gathering and loaded with turn-based combat, as a suitable venue for its forbidden love story. Such an unorthodox collection of disparate elements may have had trouble connecting if not held together by widely relatable and sharply written interpersonal dialogue. It’s an assembly that allows its pair protagonists to thrive inside moments of tedium, suggesting a story worth telling takes precedent over action not always worth doing.

A creative mixture of genres, Haven tells a believable and engaging story, accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack. It gets a bit repetitive toward the end, but don’t let that stop you from experiencing this.

The Game Bakers have done a wonderful job creating a unique world and telling a love story that's believable and intriguing. I was fully invested in Kay and Yu and shaping their relationship. Though the game is all about the story, the game's turn-based combat is truly unique and demands your attention. What seals the deal is Havens's fantastic soundtrack providing some of the best electronic music I've heard in a while. For those looking for a different type of game, Haven is a great alternative for those looking for a great character-driven and emotional. experience.

Quotation forthcoming.

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.

Mechanically simple and sometimes a bit repetitive, Yu and Kay’s relationship feels original and genuine, and their journey full of chill vibes. [Issue#183, p.87]

A delightful central relationship gives this love story RPG wings, but generic survival beats and somewhat empty worlds leaves Haven not quite the essential indie experience we were hoping for.

Haven is an experimental adventure that we recommend to those players who want to play something different, even if some of its decisions regarding game design might seem a bit questionable.

Haven has a good premise and a touch of freshness as it strives to convey humanity, even though most of its mechanics and plot deserved more depth.

There are flaws in Haven's gameplay, but its endearing protagonists, unique atmosphere, and superb soundtrack make it an interesting and engaging journey to an alien planet. Its portrayal of an adult relationship is something to be admired, and it's hard not to care about the plight of Kay and Yu by the end of what is ultimately quite a touching love story.

Haven may have been too ambitious for The Game Bakers. While the idea behind the game is nice, mediocre writing and half-baked game systems make this game anything but loving feelings.