Batora: Lost Haven is an upcoming third-person single-player RPG that follows the main character Avril as she embarks on an epic adventure to save Earth. By harnessing the ancient powers of Sun and Moon to battle a variety of enemies on stunning sci-fi worlds, each with its own curious stories, inhabitants, and mysteries. Players will also unravel the mystery of Avril’s newfound responsibilities as the Keeper of Balance. Gryja, the rock planet, and Huav, the desert planet will challenge Avril, as well as the player, in the decisions they choose which will affect the planet’s inhabitants and whether Avril will be seen as a defender or conqueror.
We were lucky enough to get access to the preview build of Batora: Lost Haven from developer Stormind Games and publisher Team17 and despite it not being the finished product, there is substantial content here. In fact, the build we played was 6.5x larger than the demo of Batora that was released earlier this year during Steam Next Fest. There are currently two planets available, Gryja and Huav, that offer beautiful sceneries through visually contrasting environments and a variety of enemy types to defeat as Avril, either with her melee physical attacks through the blessing of the Sun god or ranged mental attacks through the blessing of the Moon goddess.
The combat is the most stand-out aspect of Batora: Lost Haven. I cannot recall another video game that I have played that had such a unique system. Enemies were classified as either being on the physical plane or mental plane or a combination. And although you can use the mental mode to destroy physical enemies and vice versa, it is much more efficient to use the correct system for each type of enemy. I personally preferred the ranged mental system as Avril would destroy her enemies from a distance while the melee physical system seemed slower than I would have liked. Regardless of either system, dodging is crucial to survival, especially during boss fights.
Another aspect of the game that was particularly refreshing was the puzzles. I know what you’re thinking, puzzles in an isometric RPG Hack and Slash video game? Lame! But hear me out. It is nice to hack and slash, but sometimes in the midst of combat you think to yourselves: “When is the next puzzle?” As you continue to murder every living thing around you. The puzzles were mental challenges that provided a balance to the hack and slash combat while still utilizing the dual combat system of physical and mental blessings. The puzzles were challenging without being overly complicated for the player.
Through both the combat and puzzle scenarios, it is evident that Batora‘s graphics are incredible. The attention to detail and polish during the exploration of Gryja and Huav assisted in immersing the player into this world. Not to mention the fully voiced dialogue that breathes life into Avril as well as her companions and enemies throughout her adventures. The cinematic sequences show the care and devotion the artist team put into individual characters as well as the environment they interact with. The audio complements the refined visuals by adding atmospheric and subtle background noise to the exploration and combat phase without being obnoxious and distracting.
Batora: Lost Haven has a planned release of Autumn 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. After sinking roughly six hours into the game already, I for one am looking forward to the continuation of Avril’s adventure as she meets interesting characters in exotic locations and further explores the relationship between mortals and gods and the consequences of her actions. Will she conquer or defend the planets she encounters to save Earth?
I wish to congratulate the Respawn Station team on very wonderful job of acquiring such a great writer to add to your already amazing team. The article does a great job of painting an enticing picture of the game, without giving too much away, drawing the reader in, and, potentially, making the reader want to acquire the game for themselves so they may experience the unique systems and puzzles mentioned in the game. The writer had me from the first paragraph. Good job Mr. Alabdulla and best of luck in you new role here.
We are indeed lucky to welcome our newest writer onto the team. Thank you for the kind words!