Batora: Lost Haven

Last updated

Batora: Lost Haven
Batora Lost Haven cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Stormind Games
Publisher(s) Team17
Composer(s) Ron Fish
Engine Unreal Engine [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseWindows, PS4, PS5, XONE, XSX/S
20 October 2022
Nintendo Switch
6 April 2023
Amazon Luna
13 April 2023
Genre(s) Action adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Batora: Lost Haven is a 2022 video game developed by Stormind Games and published by Team17. [2] [3] [4] It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X on 20 October 2022, for Nintendo Switch on 6 April 2023 and for Amazon Luna on 13 April 2023. [5] The game received mixed reviews, with its combat and story being praised by some critics, and called flawed by others.

Contents

Plot

Batora: Lost Haven takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, with most of the Earth destroyed after a mysterious event. The main character is Avril, a 16-years old girl, who is suffering the death of her older sister Rose due to this event. Avril and her friend Mila discover two amulets connected to two unknown entities, the Sun and the Moon. After this, both of them are transported to Gryja, the planet representing the earth element.

Batora: Lost Haven brings the player to four different planets - each guarding an elemental essence - to develop and acquire the necessary physical and mental power for Avril. The story has a branching narrative, with four different endings determined by the player's decisions.

Gameplay

Batora: Lost Haven allows the player to switch the protagonist between two different natures to battle enemies. In purple mode, Avril can use attack from a distance with psychic powers; in orange mode she can use melee attacks with her sword. [6] All enemies, except hybrids that can be hit with both forms, have a corresponding color that matches the form that should be used.

To customize Avril's build, the player either collects runes during the main missions, or purchases them in certain shops. Each rune allows the player to increase the stats of both forms. To be able to use them, special points are unlocked by advancing the story, depending on the choices made. The game has a branching narrative that allows the player to unlock Conqueror or Defender points depending on the choices made throughout the story. The choices lead to one of four endings. Afterwards, the player can enter a more difficult New Game Plus using the skills and runes acquired in the first run.

A patch was released on December 21 on Steam and later also on consoles which introduced three different difficulties, which the player can select throughout the adventure as needed. [7]

Reception

Batora: Lost Haven received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic for the Xbox Series X/S version [11] and "mixed or average" reviews for the PC and PlayStation 5 version. [12]

Audra Bowling of RPGFan rated the game 82/100 points, stating that the story was "thought-provoking", and had "excellent use of decision-making, gorgeous artwork, fantastic music, fun puzzle elements, enjoyable combat when it hits the right notes". [13] The Games Machine called it "a great isometric action RPG, with awesome boss battles and multiple endings to increase its longevity". [14] Despite this, RPG Site called the narrative "mediocre" and highlighted a "thin structure" for gameplay, while indicating that the game had "adequate combat and respectable art". [15]

The soundtrack, created by composer Ron Fish, former author of the soundtracks of the Batman: Arkham series and God of War franchise, also met with positive reviews, including that of RPGFan, who noted the "stunning and powerful soundtrack permeating the game". [13]

Jason Bohn of Hardcore Gamer rated the game 3/5 points, saying that the game had exciting potential, and that it was a "smart move" for the studio, but was not yet at the level of required playing. Saying that the story initially felt simplistic and silly, he said that it later revealed more nuance due to its non-linear nature and elements of choice. He also called the combat and RPG systems enjoyable, but not particularly complex, and in need of tweaking. [16]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2019DStarsBest New StudioWon [17]
2020Italian Video Game AwardsOutstanding Italian CompanyWon [18]
2021WN Dev Contest for Unreal Engine DevelopersBest Game awarded by Epic GamesWon [19]
2021DevGAMMGrand prizeWon [20]

Related Research Articles

<i>Suikoden II</i> 1998 video game

Suikoden II is a role-playing video game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation video game console and the second installment of the Suikoden video game series. It was released in late 1998 in Japan, 1999 in North America, and in 2000 in Europe. The game features a vast array of characters, with over 100 recruitable characters, of which over 40 are usable in combat.

<i>Suikoden</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Suikoden is a role-playing video game published by Konami. It is the first installment of the Suikoden series. Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, it was released initially in 1995 for the PlayStation in Japan. A North American release followed one year later, and a mainland European release came the following April. The game was also released for Windows and Sega Saturn in 1998, but only in Japan.

<i>Lords of the Fallen</i> (2014 video game) 2014 video game

Lords of the Fallen is an action role-playing video game developed by Deck13 and CI Games. It was released in October 2014 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. A mobile version of the game, which features one-to-one swipe combat controls, was released on 9 February 2017 for iOS and Android, as a paid game with in-app purchases. A reboot of the same name was released in October 2023.

<i>Dex</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Dex is a side-scrolling action role-playing game developed and published by Dreadlocks Ltd. The game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter, and was released in 2015.

Shiro Games is a video game development company based in Bordeaux, France. The company was founded in 2012 by Sebastien Vidal and Nicolas Cannasse, and developed the Evoland series.

<i>Everspace</i> 2017 video game

Everspace is a 3D space shooter with roguelike elements developed and published by German studio Rockfish Games. It was released in 2017. A sequel, Everspace 2 was released in 2023.

Fragments of Him is a video game developed and published by Sassybot and released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One on 3 May 2016 and 1 June 2016, respectively. The PlayStation 4 version was released on 26 September 2017.

<i>Long Gone Days</i> 2023 video game

Long Gone Days is a role-playing video game for Windows, OSX and Linux developed by BURA. The original demo was written, developed, and illustrated by Camila Gormaz. It features the first hour of the dystopian story and was released for Windows and OSX on May 13, 2016. The game was released in early access in March 2018, and the full version came out in October 2023.

<i>Torchlight III</i> 2020 video game

Torchlight III is an action role-playing game and the third game in the Torchlight series. It is developed by American studio Echtra Games and published by Perfect World Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in October 2020.

<i>Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong</i> 2022 role-playing video game

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a role-playing video game developed by Big Bad Wolf and published by Nacon. It was released in May 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and in September 2023 for Nintendo Switch. It is based on White Wolf Publishing's tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, and is a part of the larger World of Darkness series.

<i>Omori</i> (video game) 2020 video game

Omori is a 2020 role-playing video game developed and published by indie studio Omocat. The player controls a hikikomori teenage boy named Sunny and his dream world alter-ego Omori. The player explores both the real world and Sunny's surreal dream world as Omori, either overcoming or suppressing his fears and forgotten secrets. How Sunny and Omori interact depends on choices made by the player, resulting in one of several endings. The game's turn-based battle system includes unconventional status effects based on characters' emotions. Prominently portraying concepts such as anxiety, depression, psychological trauma, and suicide, the game features strong psychological horror elements.

<i>Dark Deity</i> 2021 video game

Dark Deity is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Sword & Axe LLC and published by Freedom Games. It was funded by Kickstarter, and released on June 15, 2021, on the Steam platform for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for Nintendo Switch on March 17, 2022. It follows a group of military academy students in a fantasy universe who are suddenly conscripted into the army years prior to their normal graduation due to the onset of war in the kingdom.

<i>Gamedec</i> 2021 video game

Gamedec is a point-and-click adventure role-playing video game published by Anshar Publishing. It released for Windows on September 16, 2021, and was released for the Nintendo Switch on July 1, 2022. The game takes place in Warsaw and features a cyberpunk universe and themes of film noir, tech noir, and transhumanism. Players control a "game detective" or "gamedec" and participate in solving mysteries related to virtual-reality games, collecting clues and making deductions in order to drive the story forward.

<i>Edge of Eternity</i> (video game) 2021 video game

Edge of Eternity is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Midgar Studio and published by Dear Villagers. It first released for Windows before releasing on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch in February 2022.

<i>Shadows: Awakening</i> 2018 video game

Shadows: Awakening is an action role-playing game developed by Slovak studio Games Farm and published by Kalypso Media for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in August 2018. It is both a remake and sequel to the 2014 game Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms and is the third installment of the Heretic Kingdoms series.

<i>Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising</i> 2022 video game

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by Natsume Atari and published by 505 Games. Rising is the first game to be released in the Eiyuden Chronicle series, considered to be a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series.

<i>King Arthur: Knights Tale</i> 2022 video game

King Arthur: Knight's Tale is a tactical role playing video game developed and published by NeocoreGames. It was released for Windows in 2022, and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2024. It is a dark fantasy retelling of Arthurian legend in which players control Mordred.

<i>Tainted Grail: Conquest</i> 2021 video game

Tainted Grail: Conquest is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Questline and published in 2021 by Awaken Realms. Players control an adventurer who attempts to stop a curse that is infecting their land.

<i>Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical</i> 2023 video game

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a roleplaying musical adventure game developed by Summerfall Studios and published by Humble Games. The game was released on August 10, 2023, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

<i>The Vale: Shadow of the Crown</i> 2021 video game

The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a 2021 action role-playing game developed by Falling Squirrel. Players control a blind princess. The game has few visuals and is almost entirely an audio game.

References

  1. ↑ "Over 80 Unreal Engine-powered games featured during 2022 summer gaming events". Unreal Engine . 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "Stormind Games". Stormind Games.
  3. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven".
  4. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven". IGN.
  5. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven on Steam". store.steampowered.com.
  6. ↑ "Batora Lost Haven Recensione: un action rpg italiano tra pianeti lontani". Everyeye.it.
  7. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven - Massive changes in the first hour of the game: find them all out! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 24 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven for PC Reviews". Metacritic .
  9. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic .
  10. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic .
  11. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven". Metacritic.
  12. ↑ "Batora: Lost Haven". Metacritic.
  13. 1 2 Bowling, Audra (30 October 2022). "Batora: Lost Haven Review". RPGFan.
  14. ↑ Feronato, Emanuele (19 October 2022). "Batora: Lost Haven Recensione". The Games Machine (in Italian). Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Vitale, Adam (27 October 2022). "Batora: Lost Haven Review". RPG Site. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Bohn, Jason (19 October 2022). "Review: Batora: Lost Haven". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Best New Studio". Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Italian Video Game Awards 2020: i vincitori dei premi dedicati ai migliori videogiochi made in Italy". iideassociation.com.
  19. ↑ "WN Dev Contest for Unreal Engine Developers". wndevcontest.wnhub.io.
  20. ↑ "DevGAMM – Game Industry Conference".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.