![]() The navigation system veers between fluid freedom and clunky stop-start flying, with the Flow Threads being used as both power source and method of travel. Many of the enemies can only be damaged by one type of attack, and it's up to you to remember which one, because the game won't help you. Likewise, in battle, there is no HP bar, and healing is an unnecessarily complex system that involves slow, resource-expensive, one-at-a-time crafting of healing items which can only be used in certain circumstances. A lot of the in-game systems and interfaces are hard to read, or non-existent for the player – like the Flow battery, the level of which is portrayed by a blobby petri dish-looking thing in the top left-hand corner of the screen. What doesn't always work is Haven's tendency to value style over substance. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) It's an unusual way of making narrative progress, but it works. Performing various deeds, like battles, or finding stuff in the wild, will increase their, er, DNA meter – it's never really given a name – and filling it all the way will unlock a scene where they get drunk together, and more of the story is revealed. ![]() It's rare to see a relationship in a game where the two characters are still depicted as sexually attracted to one another, and even rarer to see it pulled off without being cringeworthy or overly explicit.Īt the beginning of Haven, we found ourselves rolling our eyes at the way Yu and Kay spoke to one another, but after getting to know them a little better – and the writing settling into a better place – their bond is much more interesting (and palatable), although the replacement of swear words with the all-purpose "bloot" is still something we can't quite get on board with. The dialogue is naturalistic and tender, and the occasional moments where the two of them flirt are the best in the game. What begins as a slightly grating portrayal of a normal couple in abnormal circumstances soon turns into something truly special, as the two of them banter and share inside jokes one moment, and discuss their worries in bed the next. However, the combat takes a back seat to the real main character of Haven: the relationship between Yu and Kay. All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game).Combat-as-two-person-rhythm is an innovative and often rewarding experiment that ties in nicely with the narrative, but it perhaps needed a little more polish to really work. It often feels like the enemies have a little too much advantage over Yu and Kay. They also resurrect if you don't pacify them fast enough, turning some tricky fights into more of a frustrating race against time. As the game goes on, it gets harder and harder to have a good time in these battles, as the enemies get stronger, and only take damage from certain attacks, or at certain times. The combat is designed a little bit like a rhythm game, with "Impact" as a melee attack, "Blast" as a ranged attack, "Shield" to protect both characters from attacks, and "Pacify" to rid the creatures of Rust once you've knocked them out.Ĭombat is all about timing your attacks, shields, and attempts to pacify the creatures, which feels like a fun puzzle at first. Foraging for recipe ingredients, healing items, and bits to fix up their spaceship/home are the main goals of the game, as well as fighting off the Rust-infected animals that dwell on each island. ![]() Yu and Kay's new nomadic life means that they have to fend for themselves out on Source. Most of the space-islands they travel to are corrupted by the mysterious pink goo that they call "Rust", and in Super Mario Sunshine-style, they can clean it up by flying over it (again, as long as they have Flow in their batteries), collecting Rust as they go for crafting purposes.Ĭaptured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) ![]() Yu and Kay can fly, as long as they have enough Flow in their batteries, and they can follow long, winding Flow Threads to reach new areas and collect more Flow. That magical electricity is called Flow, and it dominates the game as both a source of energy and a method of movement. Having escaped the Aviary – a futuristic colony in which the "u" in utopia has fallen off to reveal that it was a dystopia all along – Yu and Kay live alone together on Source, an archipelago of space-islands connected by magical electricity bridges. Although it's not about the pandemic (and it's been in development for much longer than we've all been trapped inside), Haven is a game that came at exactly the right time, because its message is all about two lovers, alone together for the foreseeable future.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |