Heaven's Vault | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Inkle |
Publisher(s) | Inkle |
Designer(s) | Jon Ingold, Joseph Humfrey |
Programmer(s) | Joseph Humfrey |
Artist(s) | Laura Dilloway |
Writer(s) | Jon Ingold |
Composer(s) | Laurence Chapman |
Engine | Unity [1] |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
Release | PlayStation 4, Windows
|
Genre(s) | Adventure game |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Heaven's Vault is an archaeological science-fiction adventure game released by Inkle for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on April 16, 2019, and for Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2021.
In Heaven's Vault, the player takes the role of an archaeologist called Aliya Elasra who has a robotic companion called Six. [2] The game follows the course of their adventure as they 'sail' between the moons of the Nebula searching for a missing roboticist called Janniqi Renba. [3]
The player has to decipher and learn the hieroglyphic language of the Ancients, a lost civilization. [4] This involves finding and collecting inscriptions from ancient artifacts, sites and ruins and translating and discussing texts with other characters. [5]
The developers say that over a thousand words written in Ancient, the game's fictional language, can be found and say that its pictorial glyphs are inspired by Ancient Egyptian and Chinese writing systems. [6]
The player can choose their own route through the story and around the Nebula as it employs a non-linear approach to narrative storytelling, allowing the player to make choices that impact the plot. [7]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 76/100 [8] PS4: 71/100 [9] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Eurogamer | Recommended [10] |
Game Informer | 8/10 [11] |
GameSpot | 6/10 [12] |
PC Gamer (US) | 88/100 [13] |
PC World | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
On its release, Heaven's Vault was met with "generally favourable" reviews from critics for Microsoft Windows, with an aggregate score of 76/100, and "mixed or average reviews" with an aggregate score of 71/100 for PlayStation 4 on Metacritic. [8] [9]
Laurence Chapman composed the soundtrack for the game. Chapman recruited Brookspeare Music for recording the strings. He also added subtle synth pads as a reminder that Heaven's Vault is a science fiction game. [15] Richard Brooker from Brookspeare Music also mixed the soundtrack. [16]
In 2021, Inkle published two tie-in novels for the game, Heaven's Vault - I. The Loop and Heaven's Vault - II. The Vault. [17] Written by Jon Ingold, Heaven's Vault's writer, the books also follow the story of Aliya and Six, but feature a different plot to the game.
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards | Best Role-Playing Game | Nominated | [18] |
2019 Golden Joystick Awards | PC Game of the Year | Nominated | [19] | |
2020 | Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards | Best Writing in a Video Game | Nominated | [20] |
New York Game Awards | Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game | Nominated | [21] | |
NAVGTR Awards | Game, Special Class | Nominated | [22] | |
MCV/Develop Awards | Gameplay Innovation of the Year | Nominated | [23] | |
Narrative Innovation of the Year | Nominated | |||
Independent Games Festival Awards | Excellence in Narrative | Won | [24] | |
16th British Academy Games Awards | British Game | Nominated | [25] |