Haven Review

Haven kinda snuck up on me; I know it got a bit of buzz around the Kinda Funny Showcase, and I’m sure there have been several loud advocates out there for it pre-launch (including Xbox) but somehow it all passed me by. If you’re in the same boat as me then you need to rectify this, like, now. Haven is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played all year, and damn near had me hooked for the last week until finally beating it. While it has its downsides, they are pretty minor in comparison to just how much joy I got playing it.

By the games own admission Haven isn’t a “hard” game, though there is a simpler option should you not need any challenge at all. There are enemy encounters, sure, and these can be tough, but the real meat of the game is spent exploring the fractured islands of Source, gathering supplies, finding hidden areas and revelling in the company of Yu and Kay, Haven’s lead duo. It’s a supremely chill experience, and one that is a breath of fresh air.

Yu and Kay have run away from the Apiary, their home that – from their accounts – was too oppressive and controlling for their love to blossom. The Matchmaker assigns partners based on what the community needs rather than who each person may fall for, and when Kay and Yu are told they must separate, they run to Source, a planet whose location has been hidden from their pursuers. We pick up with them after they’ve landed, and spend the next 15 hours or so getting to know them as much as they get to know each other. While it’s clear that their relationship has been going for a while as in all pairings in life there’s always something new to learn about your partner, even after years together.

The Game Bakers do an excellent job at fleshing out Yu and Kay, and in concert with the wonderful acting brought to the table I grew to really enjoy their conversations and back and forth’s. While it teeters close to soppy romance tropes at times, TGB never step over that line. In fact, they often go to places that we might not usually see in fictional relationships; Kay pouring his heart out about his childhood as Yu gets distracted by a zit on his back (which she seems to delight in popping); frank conversations about stinking out the toilet, or BO, or any manner of other things that two people comfortable with each other will discuss without even thinking about it. While these two hopeless romantics have literally run away from their home planet, they are not above putting their grievances out in the open. They’re also not shy when it comes to sexual content. It’s far from explicit, but the way Yu and Kay talk about the topic and how often it comes up feels natural, while also not taking things too seriously. Considering how much of Haven is listening to these two speak I never got bored, and only towards the end did I start to see some small repetition in some optional scenes.

There’s no doubt the heavy lifting is done by the plot, Yu and Kay, and the constant push forward of narrative, but there is some fun gameplay in there too. Yu and Kay are able to hover around using the energy source Flow; when out exploring we need to find Flow strings to ride in order to collect it, as well as Flow Bridges that connect each island so we can travel between each. Source is besieged by Rust, and only by gliding over sore spots across each island can we clear it out. Often there will be useful items hidden under these too; from more Flow strings to extra plants and even hidden items for their ship, The Nest. While it took a little getting used to (and once we’d unlocked the map) it becomes fairly clear when each island has more to discover. Yu and Kay will make notes in the islands description hinting at what might be left to find, and will let us know once an area is completely clear.

I found myself always wanting to fully clear an area before moving on, though that isn’t always possible, and the extra exchanges between the characters are worth the effort finding items and areas. It is just a joy to glide around the islands taking in the sights, though there were a few times where they’d get stuck on a bit of scenery. As well as clearing the Rust off the islands we also need to help out the local wildlife, some of who have been infected as well. This brings up a simple semi-turn based combat system where we control both Yu and Kay individually, yet at the same time. There are four options open, each corresponding to a face button (for Yu) or d-pad direction (for Kay), as well as later additions of a trigger for extra attacks. Holding the desired button charges up the bar for the move, while executing the same command for both sees them pull of a powerful double team. It’s not a complicated system, but it works well and is fun to use. I did have more than a few occasions where a move charged only for them to fail to pull it off for no reason, but outside of that I enjoyed the set up and ease of use. We can also set them to fight automatically but they might not pick the best options so it’s better to keep control. Some of the later fights can be very tough though, with respawning enemies a particular annoyance. They also seemed to auto target enemies based on which move we used, and as far as I could tell I was unable to specify who to aim at first. Again, for the most part this worked well, but it would have been handy for some of the tougher battles. 

In between exploring Source and fighting enemies we get to spend yet more time with the pair in The Nest – their home away from home. We explore the small space in first person, with Yu and Kay usually perched at a point of interest, be that the kitchen, healing station, bed, or lounge. Again, there are plenty of incidental scenes that flesh out their characters and relationships, ranging from humourous jabs to some pretty serious discussions. No matter the topic, I adored listening to them talk and can see parallels to my own relationships in the mannerisms they use. It’s also here we cook food for the pair, craft battle items and healing potions and sleep at the end of the day. Any and all of these actions increases their bond; once the bar fills we can level them up (in a neat touch, they celebrate by drinking home-fermented AppleBrew).

Through all of this, we’re backed by a frankly ludicrously chill soundtrack from Danger. From the serene sounds of exploration to even the tenser scenes, the audio is equally as high quality as the acting. It has a very lo-fi beats to chill to vibe, yet also ups tempo to suit our exploration perfectly. I absolutely haven’t been able to get the overworld theme out of my head, and hope to pick up the soundtrack soon.

Aside from the slight technical hiccups already mentioned, perhaps my only real gripe with Haven is that it could easily have been a few hours shorter. While we unlock a fast travel system after a while, it’s pretty limited, so we end up having to manually glide through the same areas more than a few times to get back to where we were if we die, or find a ship part. I was enraptured throughout, but there’s no denying that had it finished a little sooner I wouldn’t have minded.

Conclusion

If you take one thing away from this review, be it this; playing Haven is utterly mesmerising, a wonderfully written and performed tale of two lovers taking a chance on each other even at the cost of their very way of life. Yu and Kay have become two of my favourite characters this year, and even now I can’t help wonder where they will go next. Exploring Source is an exercise if joy, even when we have to repeat sections a few times, and there always feels like there is something else to find or see. It could have been a tad shorter, but when what’s here is this enjoyable I’ll allow it!

This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox One console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.