Heaven's Vault

Heaven’s Vault is one of those extraordinary adventure games that will likely become more legendary in time. Much like the ancient Empire that players must uncover in the game, Heaven’s Vault is rife with intricate details where players are likely to notice something new each time they revisit the immense nebula. While not all of its gameplay ideas are effective, and Aliya as a protagonist can take a while to become likable, the adventure as a whole is staggeringly epic, one that makes you feel like a providential participant in a dynamically evolving narrative.

Equal parts guesswork and context-driven logic, piecing together the meanings of these [Ancient] messages creates a rewarding loop.

An incredibly thought provoking archaeological game of big questions with even bigger philosophical implications. Though hampered somewhat by clunky physical mechanics, translating an ancient language has never been so enticing or exciting.

Heaven's Vault is an exotic title that will catch one's eye for its beautiful artistic style. The game combines narrative adventure with code resolution in an open, nonlinear world. It also involves mystery, as you need to unravel the story by searching and solving codes. Puzzle and graphic novel enthusiasts will definitely love it.

Heaven’s Vault is a relaxing game with an interesting, immersive storyline and a beautiful world to explore. While it lacks some “side activities,” it has plenty to offer with its unique puzzle system and tons of replay value.

Overall Heaven’s Vault is a very interesting and unique game that you should consider giving a try, especially if you have any interest in linguistics. While issues with the dialogue and a less than stellar space flight mechanic hold the game back from being truly great, there is enough good here to make it well worth your time. The relationship between Aliyah and Six is realistic and fun to see where it goes, and the environments and world building featured are top notch. If any of this caught your attention that may be a sign that you should be heading out to do some archaeology amongst the stardust.

If you're looking for a more casual and story-driven experience, Heaven's Vault will scratch that itch and then some with it's nebulous, well-written narrative and memorable characters. This game fits well on the Nintendo Switch platform and looks great, too, so if you've wanted to slow things down and enjoy an epic story, then what are you waiting for?

Heaven’s Vault is a truly unique sci-fi adventure game from Inkle, combining a non-linear branching narrative with an ancient language system begging to be uncovered and deciphered. With a good length and plenty of replay value, it’s a story worth diving into.

Heaven's Vault is a game deeply concerned with the past, how it affects the present, and whether or not it can predict the future. Its fantastic translation puzzles and intricate story are often overshadowed by its unfortunate need to constantly pause and load, sadly denying it the higher score that it otherwise deserves. Aside from these technological issues, Heaven's Vault is a world that's beautifully realised, with a mystery that you'll be thinking about long after the game is done.

This game is more interesting for the questions it asks you to ask yourself than for the answers it gives openly. Everyone should play it because everyone will draw different conclusions from this complex and beautiful experience.

I love the concepts and world of Heaven's Vault, but I know deep down I would have loved them more as something other than a game.