Batora: Lost Haven is an interplanetary Action RPG being developed by Stormind Games and published by Team 17 where you play as Avril, an adventurous and free-spirited survivor of a cataclysmic event that has destroyed half of the Earth. Avril is then contacted by two mysterious beings claiming to be gods, who bestow upon her a magnificent power, and task her with saving the planet. She, along with her headstrong and cautious friend Mira, are transported to an unknown alien world where she must gather power in the trials ahead. The game looked to be a rather fun adventure, full of whimsy and wonder, and I went into it pretty blind. However, from what I could see from my time in the game, is that for all the things it does right, there are far more negatives to outweigh them – keeping in mind that it’s still in development.
PROS
There is a lot that Batora: Lost Haven does right, and the artstyle is one of them. Batora: Lost Haven offers a brilliant and majestic world designed around a charming, stylized artistic vision, which helps to highlight the setting beautifully. The character designs are the strongest element of Batora, each distinct and visually stunning, fitting perfectly into the sci-fi/fantasy world that is laid before the player. The usage of the game’s two main colors, orange and purple, add to this style, and contrast against each other, making the world seem vibrant and alive.
But the visuals and world design aren’t the only thing that stand out – the combat mechanics do as well. Combat is done through a two-weapon system, where the player controls Avril as she commands two distinct fighting styles, physical (represented through orange attacks) and mental (represented through purple attacks). Physical attacks are performed with Avril’s sword, and all consist of high damage-dealing melee attacks, while Mental attacks utilize a wide amount of ranged attacks and magical powers. The enemies in Batora: Lost Haven are built around this system, being either physical or mental creatures, and only being harmed through a similar damage output. Essentially, orange beats orange and purple beats purple. However, each encounter often pits you against both types of enemies, and sometimes those who are a combined amalgamation of physical and mental, forcing you to switch between both playstyles, something that is able to be done smoothly and quickly, keeping combat fast-paced.
CONS
Unfortunately, this game leaves a lot to be desired, with the story being the main issue as it is unpolished and jilted in its presentation. This is most apparent within the introduction, and through the characterization of Avril and Mira, our two main protagonists. The story is mainly conveyed through lore-dumping exposition that comes out of the blue with no lead up whatsoever, sandwiched between “witty” one-liners and dialogue reminiscent of Tommy Weisau’s The Room. All of this highlights a main character who seems to not fit into the post-apocalyptic setting they inhabit, and are generally unphased as they continue through their adventures, opting instead to rely on unwarranted “humor” and “banter” that isn’t able to fit.
This highlights another fault of Batora: Lost Haven that drags it down. The game tries to be a sci-fi adventure RPG, but unfortunately winds up a fantasy game despite its best wishes to not be. There’s alien worlds and a post-apocalyptic Earth, and yet there is also a magical witch and magic gods that grant power to shoot energy blasts out of one’s hands. The game can’t decide what it wants to be, and therefore tows the line in the worst way, leading to a rift between what the game wants to be and what it actually is.
Lastly, while the combat is certainly unique, with the player needing to swap between two distinct playstyles in order to damage all enemies effectively, the mechanic itself is rather unpolished and leads to it appearing rather sloppy and clunky. The gameplay relies upon swapping between the two weapons, which each have their own attack combos, depending on whether you click or hold down the attack button. While this seems rather straightforward, in practice this leaves with attacks not connecting or being input when you want it to, and with certain attacks only triggering on sheer chance rather than player intent. It seems like this issues is the most “nitpicky” negative that this game offers, but rather I would argue that in order for a Hack-And-Slash game such as Batora: Lost Haven to be a fun time, the combat needs to be both Smooth, and Responsive, and while Batora has the former, it lacks the latter.
Overall, while Batora: Lost Haven has a lot going for it, such as the wonderful art and world design, as well as a unique and fascinatingly simple and deceptively complex combat mechanic, the lack of a polished story, the confusion on genre and tone, as well as the clumsy implementation of said combat mechanic result in the game falling short of its vision. Only time will tell upon release if the team over at Stormind Games can salvage what they can, or if this game is destined for the bargain bin.
You can wishlist Batora: Lost Haven for PC via Steam right now.
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An avid gamer, Matthew is also an aspiring game developer. Because of this, Matthew knows not only what makes a game great, but also the hard work and artistry required to craft such a phenomenal experience.
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