Heaven's Vault
Genres: Puzzle, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Point & Click, Story Rich, Atmospheric, Adventure
Play modes: singleplayer
Release Date: 16-4-2019
Developer: inkle Ltd
Our verdict
8/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 8–12 h
Heaven's Vault is a narrative adventure from inkle, the studio behind 80 Days. You play archaeologist Aliya Elasra, who sails a strange Nebula of space-rivers with her robot Six, searching ruins for a missing roboticist and the lost history of her world. Its main puzzle is translating an ancient hieroglyphic language, glyph by glyph, with each guess shaping what you believe about the past. It suits solo players who love languages, worldbuilding and slow, branching stories.
Players rate it Very Positive, with about 84 percent of over two thousand reviews in favour. Reviewers praise the setting, the characters and how different each playthrough can be, with friends ending up with very different stories. The decoding is the highlight for many, though one reviewer wished the suggested words could be turned off because they make it too easy, and New Game+ lets you push the language further.
The recurring complaint is pace. There is no running or fast travel, dialogue plays at a fixed speed, sailing the ship can be fiddly, and longer translations become tedious. Some say it is more visual novel than puzzle game. Buy it if you want a thoughtful archaeology story with a unique language puzzle; skip it if slow walking frustrates you.
Pros
- Decipher an entire hieroglyphic language from artefacts you find
- Branching story where choices and translations change what you learn
- Distinctive Nebula setting with rich worldbuilding, plus New Game+
Cons
- Slow walking with no sprint or fast travel
- Fixed-speed dialogue and fiddly ship sailing drag the pace
- Long translations can feel tedious
About
From the creators of massively-branching interactive adventure 80 Days.
Winner - IGF Excellence in Narrative award 2019
Nomination -BAFTA for Best British Game 2020Story
Aliya Elasra is an archaeologist, exploring a strange region of space called the Nebula with her robot sidekick Six, hoping to uncover the secrets of the long-forgotten past. When a roboticist from the University of Iox goes missing, Aliya begins a trail of discoveries that will lead to the very edge of her world - and the ancient secret of Heaven's Vault.Gameplay
Heaven's Vault is not your usual linear adventure game. Progress through the game in any order you choose - the game's fully adaptive narrative remembers every choice you make, every discovery and every action you take, influencing what happens next. Meet a diverse cast of characters who remember everything you say, and who's attitude to you will change with how you act. Some are friendly, some are cautious, and some are out to trick you.
Who will you trust? What will you find? What will you learn? What will you risk? What will you lose?
- Explore ancient sites, discover lost ruins
- Find artefacts and translate their strange hieroglyphics
- Sail an open-world of fast flowing space-rivers
- Piece together the history of the world and an entire ancient language
- Diverse cast of characters that remember everything you say
Translate Ancient Hieroglyphs
An entire ancient hieroglyphic language awaits to be deciphered. A puzzle mechanic with a twist: solutions are narratively significant and further the story - but the wrong translation might send you down the wrong track!Critically Acclaimed
"One of the most well-realized video game worlds ever, with your curiosity and personality molding your story through the Nebula" - USGamer
"Heaven’s Vault is both ambitious and beautiful. It conjures a world rich with life... I don’t hesitate to recommend Heaven’s Vault." - Game Informer
"Heaven's Vault is one of the most enthralling narrative-driven adventure games I've played" - WiredIndustry leading narrative engine
Powered by the ink engine, the narrative technology behind 80 Days, Sorcery!, NeoCab, Sable, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine and many more, Heaven's Vault is a dynamically constructed adventure game that responds to every move you make.
