Heaven's Vault
- WW: April 16, 2019
- WW: January 28, 2021
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.
Gameplay
In Heaven's Vault, the player takes the role of an archaeologist called Aliya Elasra who has a robotic companion called Six.[1] 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.[2]
The player has to decipher and learn the hieroglyphic language of the Ancients, a lost civilization.[3] This involves finding and collecting inscriptions from ancient artifacts, sites and ruins and translating and discussing texts with other characters.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 76/100[7] PS4: 71/100[8] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Eurogamer | Recommended[9] |
Game Informer | 8/10[10] |
GameSpot | 6/10[11] |
PC Gamer (US) | 88/100[12] |
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.[7][8]
Music
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.[14] Richard Brooker from Brookspeare Music also mixed the soundtrack.[15]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards | Best Role-Playing Game | Nominated | [16] |
2019 Golden Joystick Awards | PC Game of the Year | Nominated | [17] | |
2020 | Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards | Best Writing in a Video Game | Nominated | [18] |
New York Game Awards | Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game | Nominated | [19] | |
NAVGTR Awards | Game, Special Class | Nominated | [20] | |
MCV/Develop Awards | Gameplay Innovation of the Year | Nominated | [21] | |
Narrative Innovation of the Year | Nominated | |||
Independent Games Festival Awards | Excellence in Narrative | Won | [22] | |
16th British Academy Games Awards | British Game | Nominated | [23] |
References
- ^ Hoon Chan, Khee (April 16, 2019). "Heaven's Vault review: an archaeology video game actually about archaeology". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Warr, Phillipa (April 16, 2019). "HEAVEN'S VAULT REVIEW". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ O'Connor, James (April 16, 2019). "Heaven's Vault Review - Come Sail Away". Gamespot. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Bell, Alice (April 16, 2019). "Wot I Think: Heaven's Vault". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ "'80 Days devs Inkle have opened Heaven's Vault' – Rock Paper Shotgun". Rock Paper Shotgun. 6 April 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ Donlan, Christian (April 16, 2019). "Heaven's Vault review - a rich web of possibility". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Heaven's Vault for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ a b "Heaven's Vault for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
- ^ Donlan, Christian (2019-04-16). "Heaven's Vault review - a rich web of possibility". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ Favis, Elise (2019-04-18). "Heaven's Vault Review – Unearthing Ancient Mysteries". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ O'Connor, James (2019-04-16). "Heaven's Vault Review - Come Sail Away". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ Warr, Philippa (2019-04-16). "Heaven's Vault review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2019-08-10. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ Dingman, Hayden (2019-04-17). "Heaven's Vault review: In search of lost time". PC World. Archived from the original on 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ^ "Laurence Chapman's Unique Music For An Unusual Journey In 'Heaven's Vault'". WSHU. 2019-05-09. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
- ^ "Heaven's Vault (2019) PlayStation 4 credits". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
- ^ "2019 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. 2019-11-07. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
- ^ "Golden Joystick Awards 2019". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ "Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Awards Shortlist Announced". Broadway World. 2019-12-04. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (2020-01-02). "The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- ^ "2019 Nominees". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 2020-01-13. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Wallace, Chris (2020-02-14). "It's your last chance to vote for the MCV/DEVELOP Awards winners 2020". MCV/Develop. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ "A SHORT HIKE WINS THE SEUMAS MCNALLY GRAND PRIZE AT THE 22nd ANNUAL INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL AWARDS". GlobeNewswire (Press release). 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
- ^ Stuart, Keith (2020-03-03). "Death Stranding and Control dominate Bafta games awards nominations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
External links
- Official website