Haven is rated M for Mature Audiences. It is developed by The Game Bakers and is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
The nice thing about a new console generation is that for a while, there aren’t too many new games available to pile up in your backlog. It’s easier to spot the gems that are normally hidden amongst a slew of well-advertised AAA games. Released on December 3, 2020, Haven is one such gem. It’s stunning visuals and catchy trailer made it an easy pick for a weekend game.
Play as Yu and Kay, a couple who flees to Haven to escape “The Apiary.” Learn more about the couple and why they ran away as you play through the story. Explore your new home planet and deepen your bond. Ride along Flow paths, clean up the Rust infecting the planet, find ingredients for new recipes, and befriend a variety of creatures.
Things I love about the game:
- The characters. I like Kay and Yu both as individuals and as a couple. Watching their relationship evolve was extremely heartwarming.
- The exploration. Haven is a lovely planet, and you can discover a number of adorable (and not-so-adorable) creatures.
- The focus. The game never strays from its focus on Kay and Yu’s relationship. It provides just enough background to understand why they’re on Haven, but never enough to distract from the fact that the game is purely about them being together.
- It’s relatively short. I played at a leisurely place and finished in about 15 hours, exploring every available area. If you focus only on story objectives then you could finish in 7-10 hours.
- Rust cleanup process. There’s something extremely satisfying about cleaning up a goopy area. It made me very nostalgic for Super Mario Sunshine!
Cook recipes using ingredients found on the planet. 
Garden herbs to synthesize for healing. 
Meet various creatures, both friendly and non-friendly. 
Improve your stats by strengthening the relationship between Kay and Yu. 
Yu and Kay chat at a campsite.
Overall I greatly enjoyed Haven. My heart grew warmer watching Yu and Kay together, and the possible endings gave me a lot to think on. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what The Game Bakers do next.
Weekend Play is a weekly Monday post sharing about what I played over the weekend. This post is a bit off-schedule as I’m posting after a long break. Each post is a 5-minute read that covers one game. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to this blog (Home page) to receive notifications of new posts!
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