Batora: Lost Haven

Lore & Background

Batora: Lost Haven is set in a post-apocalyptic world where most of Earth has been destroyed by a mysterious event. The protagonist, Avril, is a 16-year-old girl grieving the death of her older sister Rose. Along with her friend Mila, Avril discovers two amulets connected to entities known as the Sun and the Moon, which transport them to Gryja, a planet representing the earth element. The story follows Avril across four different planets, each guarding an elemental essence, as she develops physical and mental power. The narrative is branching, with four different endings determined by the player's decisions.

Reader's Guide

Batora: Lost Haven is notable for its dual-nature combat system, allowing the player to switch between a purple mode for ranged psychic attacks and an orange mode for melee sword attacks. Enemies are color-coded to indicate which form is effective, with hybrids vulnerable to both. The game features a rune system for customizing Avril's stats, with runes collected during missions or purchased in shops. Special points for using runes are unlocked by advancing the story, with choices granting either Conqueror or Defender points. After completing the game, a New Game Plus mode is available using skills and runes from the first run. A December patch introduced three selectable difficulty levels. The soundtrack, composed by Ron Fish (known for Batman: Arkham and God of War), received positive notice. Critics praised the story's thought-provoking nature and decision-making, as well as the artwork, music, and puzzle elements, while others found the narrative mediocre and the gameplay structure thin. The game was described as having exciting potential but not yet at a required playing level.

Did You Know?

• The game was released for Amazon Luna on 13 April 2023.
• The soundtrack was composed by Ron Fish, who worked on the Batman: Arkham series and God of War franchise.
• A patch on 21 December introduced three different difficulty levels.