Haven
A sci-fi RPG about two lovers escaping an oppressive society.
Haven is a 2020 role-playing game created by The Game Bakers, the studio behind *Furi*. It follows two lovers, Yu and Kay, who flee an oppressive society called the Apiary—where arranged marriages are enforced—to a lost planet named Source. The game launched for PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in December 2020, with PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions arriving in February 2021. Critics gave it mixed reviews, split over the story.
In gameplay, Haven is a third-person RPG with survival elements. Players control either Yu or Kay, or play cooperatively with another person, gathering materials and resources for their spaceship, the Nest. The duo uses anti-gravity boots to glide on "flow threads" across the world. They occasionally fight hostile rusted creatures in real-time combat that requires coordinating both characters' skills. At the Nest, they can craft items, rest, heal, and cook food from collected ingredients.
The plot centers on Yu and Kay escaping through a flow bridge to Source. Their floating island crumbles, damaging their ship, and they explore to repair it. They discover the Apiary once colonized Source and that a contagion called Rust is spreading. After the Apiary sends drones, Yu calls her mother, who reveals the island's state stems from Apiary experiments to harvest Flow and study Rust 20 years earlier. Kay's pendant opens a door, hinting that his parents died on Source during that incident. Lord Ozias—Yu's assigned spouse before she fled—contacts them, threatening to retrieve Yu and wipe their memories if they refuse. The couple decides to sever the flow bridge by repairing their ship and flying into the source of Flow and Rust.
The game has multiple endings. If Yu and Kay hesitate, they make a last stand against Ozias' drones, are captured, brainwashed, and memory-wiped, living separate assigned lives on Apiary. If they close the bridge, one is permanently scarred by Rust, but they succeed in sealing Source from the Apiary and start a new life there.
Development began with a concept of eight diverse couples, but the team narrowed it to two characters. Creative director Emeric Thoa described the game as "Journey meets Persona," aiming to maturely portray a romantic relationship, which he felt was rare in modern games.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Haven
- Developer
- The Game Bakers
- Director
- Emeric Thoa
- Composer
- Danger
- Engine
- Unity
- Released
- Windows, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S / December 3, 2020 / Switch, PS4 / February 4, 2021
- Genre
- Role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Haven is set on a mysterious planet called Source, where the protagonists Yu and Kay have fled from an authoritarian society known as the Apiary. The Apiary forces couples into arranged marriages, and Yu was assigned to a spouse named Lord Ozias before she fled with Kay. The pair navigate the world using anti-gravity boots, gliding on "flow threads" and collecting resources for their damaged ship, the Nest. They face hostile rusted creatures and engage in real-time combat that requires coordination between both characters.
The story explores the couple's discovery that the Apiary had previously colonized Source and conducted disastrous experiments to harvest Flow and study a spreading contagion called Rust. Kay's pendant opens a door revealing that Kay's parents likely died on Source during that incident. The game includes multiple endings: if the couple has misgivings about severing the flow bridge connecting Source to the Apiary, they are captured, brainwashed, and memory-wiped; if they proceed, one is permanently scarred by Rust but they succeed in closing off Source from the Apiary.
The game's creative director described it as "Journey meets Persona" and compared the combat to a rhythm game, designed to be accessible and relaxing. The cooperative multiplayer mode was added late in development. The design of the protagonists was inspired by Image Comics' Saga, and the music was composed by electronic musician Danger.
Reader's Guide
Haven is notable for its focus on a romantic relationship between two protagonists, a subject the developers felt was rarely handled with maturity in modern games. Originally conceived with eight couples representing diverse relationships, the team narrowed the scope to two characters during production. The game's name reflects its concept of a safe place for love. The cooperative multiplayer mode, introduced late in development, allows a second player to control one of the characters. A free update in March 2022 added same-sex couple options, which was praised by critics for demonstrating that studios can effectively include queer representation when committed to doing so. Reception was divided: some critics praised the central relationship and exploration mechanics, while others criticized the game world as lacking variety and the deeper plot elements as not making sense. The combat was described as functional and enjoyable for the first few hours by some, while others found it respectable. The game's movement was compared to Journey, and its narrative was compared to Romeo and Juliet in space. The game received strong approval on OpenCritic, with 73% of critics recommending it.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally conceived with eight couples but was narrowed to two characters during production.
- The creative director described the game as 'Journey meets Persona'.
- The music was composed by electronic musician Danger, inspired by Franco-Japanese animation series.
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