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The upcoming indie RPG intertwines narrative with gameplay (Images via Team17)

Batora: Lost Haven Preview - Retreading through a cosmic epic

Have you played a game that gives you a sense of deja vu but cannot put your finger on it? That’s the same feeling I got when playing Batora: Lost Haven. The upcoming narrative-driven isometric action-RPG from Stormind Games and Team17 is a familiar yet unique adventure across the cosmos.

It took me around five hours to beat the demo provided by the publisher, journeying across several biomes and a few boss fights. Before I delve into where this game succeeds and stumbles, let’s cover the essentials: Batora: Lost Haven depicts the adventures of Avril and her best friend Mila, who are transported to another planet while exploring a post-apocalyptic London.

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She soon discovers that other planets around the multiverse have met similar fates to Earth thanks to a mysterious cataclysm, and now, she has been chosen as the ultimate savior. Not just for mankind but existence as a whole.


Embark on a sci-fi fantasy adventure in Batora: Lost Haven

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Batora: Lost Haven is a story of battles, but of bonds too, like that of Avril and Mila, who grew up together. They usually operate by consensus, and the tragedy on Earth has strained their relationship. Sign up for our newsletter to try the Steam demo! bit.ly/BLH-nl-tws

With twin deities Sun and Moon bestowing supernatural abilities upon Avril and guiding her throughout the journey, Batora: Lost Haven wastes little time explaining the core fundamentals: the Nature system depicted by Physical (orange) and Mental (purple) natures.

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With Sun’s blessing, she strengthened enough to wield a sword to get up close and personal with foes; Moon’s grace allows her psyche to transcend, granting her projectile-based attacks to keep a distance from baddies. As should be obvious, the former is her Physical Nature and the latter is Mental.

Keep them on their toes (Screenshot via Batora: Lost Haven)

Batora: Lost Haven's setting is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, incorporating inspirations from various real-life cultures and philosophies. The narrative side of things has her explore various planets and their biomes, defeating enemies, conquering puzzle/fight gauntlets, and annihilating bosses.

Avril will meet various NPCs, including the hardened Sakhras, the cheerful Wuxian lizards, and even the titular, mysterious Batora.

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The cinematics are well-made (Screenshot via Batora: Lost Haven)

Cutscenes are a mix of pre-rendered videos and real-time, with the latter highlighting good use of Unreal Engine 4’s effects. From the rocky terrain of Gryja to the windy deserts of Huav, each location is beautifully realized with adequate detail, especially for character models. The soundtrack is pretty solid as well, with familiar fantasy-epic vibes.

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A game of mind and strength

Which will you emphasize? (Screenshot via Batora: Lost Haven)
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In typical RPG fashion, Avril has stats for both her forms. She can switch between the two natures on the fly, allowing for some pretty fluid gameplay opportunities. The core gameplay can be boiled down to isometric dungeon crawling throughout fairly linear levels, with set enemy encounters that pop up in specific areas of the map.

In addition to moving and attacking, Avril can dodge and utilize a handful of skills, both of which are governed by a cooldown system to avoid abuse. For example, one of the Physical skills has her leap into the air and slam downwards at the target location. The same skill in Mental form, meanwhile, summons a stationary whirlwind that damages foes caught in the midst of it

Movement is key during combat in Batora: Lost Haven. Make sure to stay on your toes when dealing with multiple enemies at once
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To test player’s hack & slash prowess, enemies are also color-coded into three types: Physical, Mental and Hybrid, with the last being both Physical and Mental at the same time. Note that Avril does more damage to same-colored enemies while opposite-colored ones are resistant to it.

Enemies have varied attacks, from close-lunging frogs to creepy projectile-spewing spiders, but all telegraph their attacks well, and a well-timed dodge negates any damage (regardless of the Nature Avril is in).

Besides enemies to fight, the dungeons and overworld exploration are fairly simplistic in design, with chests scattered around that can give one of three things: Dust (currency), Gems (to turn in for Dust), and Healing Orbs (which can be either Sun or Moon, healing HP of the relevant nature).

The puzzles are simple but varied (Screenshot via Batora: Lost Haven)
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Batora: Lost Haven also features puzzles, from moving a ball across obstacles to floor tiles affected by Nature swaps - a well-deserved break from the game’s otherwise repetitive gameplay that feels like retreading the same ground just with different scenery. Now I realize that this was the source of my deja vu.


Will you become a hero or a tyrant?

Pick your path (Screenshot via Batora: Lost Haven)
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But the key highlight of Batora: Lost Haven is not its gameplay but rather the morality system and how it affects the gameplay. Players occasionally have to make polarizing choices, affecting how things go forward.

For example, do you choose to kill an NPC or spare their life? Selfish choices are magenta colored while aiming to make everyone happy is under green. The ratio of these choices palace each player’s Avril, where she belongs on the slider between Conqueror and Protector.

This, in turn, has a gameplay-altering effect as the choices determine the number of Rune Points available.

With three different kinds of Runes (Blue, Green, and Magenta), players’ choices will affect the type of Rune they can equip. For example, since my morality leaned towards Protector, I had more Rune Point slots for green Runes (14) versus Destroyer (only 1).

The blue ones are neutral and have their own Rune Points. Even though the Runes themselves are fairly lackluster, it is a good concept. However, it runs the risk of players feeling forced to pick choices they are against simply because the opposing morality offers better Runes.

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The adventure is not over yet

Take a closer look at Avril’s interplanetary journey in our brand-new story trailer for #BatoraLostHaven!

PLUS, get ready to experience the game’s demo, which will be available during Steam Next Fest – February 21st – 28th

bit.ly/TW-BatoraLostH…
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To summarize, Batora: Lost Haven is at its best when offering player choice, both narrative and otherwise. To top this off, the fact that the world and its denizens respond to choices with appropriate consequences is good to see, especially since it adds replay value to the experience. That is great because I feel Batora will be a short game.

The demo took place across two main planets, each corresponding to an element (i.e., earth, wind, water, and fire). That leaves only two other planets. However, given how quickly combat, as well as the design of its many aspects, can devolve into a repetitive grindfest, the short length may not be a bad thing.

Choose your destiny, for there are no wrong paths (Screenshot via Batora: Lost Haven)
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The build provided for the preview was a work-in-progress, and I had my fair share of bugs and glitches, with the most serious being a skill (Lunisolar Precision) not working at all. However, the game does not yet a concrete release date, so there is room for further polish and tweaks to balance and design.

Batora: Lost Haven is scheduled for release in Autumn 2022. It will be launched for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.


Batora: Lost Haven: Preview code provided by Team17

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Edited by
Srijan Sen
 
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