![]() That’s enough to keep things interesting even when game systems feel a bit thin. But as a life simulator, it communicates the essential point that all human relationships require work and commitment. A sloppy collision of genresĪs a video game experience, Haven suffers due to repetitive exploration and combat. When their ship is jostled a bit, they have powerful magnets that can move it to another position, but only if Yu and Kay can generate enough power on the ship. Much of Yu and Kay’s time together is a struggle to survive, but their advanced technology can make things less dire. Occasionally, when you do a hard pivot to reverse your direction mid-flight, Yu will coyly say, “Did I just feel you pinching my butt in passing?” Amused, Kay will respond: “How could I possibly achieve that?” Their intimacy and comfort with one another is mature, occasionally naughty, but still oh so wholesome. Yu and Kay also have cute inside jokes and charming banter. These delicate push-pull moments offer a memorable and realistic way to tell their story.Ĭouples should call each other out for bad behavior more often. Frustrated, Yu dodges the tough conversation. In one early scene, Kay asks how long Yu thinks their magical little vacation on Source, away from their true home planet, can last before they’re found. The lack of any other human characters also brings the nuances of their relationship into sharp focus. Yu and Kay adore each other, but the stress of being on the run in an alien land weighs on them. Haven’s Creative Director Emeric Thoa told Push Square in September 2020 that the game’s initial pitch was “ Romeo and Juliet but instead of dying they escaped in space.” That dreamlike premise is exactly what you get. ![]() We glean details through dialogue: They ran away from arranged marriages so they could be together, and now they’re on the run. We’re thrust right into the middle of their love story, rather than the beginning, yet things never feel disorienting in Haven. Haven’s story begins with these two after they’ve already left their homeworld and escaped to Source. ![]() Yu is a spirited mechanic, and Kay is a dorky but warmhearted biologist the perfect couple for this kind of adventure story that relies on ingenuity and heart. An unconventional but compelling love story Some of the more gamified aspects - exploration, resource collection, and combat - are the weakest in Haven because they become repetitive.Īt a breezy 15 hours, Haven’s strengths make the faults forgivable, and it’s the ideal game to try for free as part of Xbox Game Pass, or even for $24.99 on PlayStation 5 or Steam. Survival is stressful and exciting when they’re on the run, but Haven isn’t so much a run-and-jump game as it is a romantic visual novel. ![]()
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