Heaven’s Vault – GOG Review

Heaven’s Vault is an intriguing puzzle game, with an engaging overarching mystery. As Aliya Elasra we must travel the Nebula in order to locate a missing university member whilst simultaneously discovering more about the game world’s ancient history and uncovering secrets of the past.

Set in a far flung future, where robot remains are found buried like ancient pottery, the citizens of each moon live very non-technologically advanced lives. Beyond short range teleportation and spaceships which can traverse the rivers between moons, life in Heaven’s Vault does not seem to be that different from what could be found in our own world Small farming communities, pompous universities, and slums where each day is a struggle. This familiarity, juxtaposed with the fantastical technology occasionally displayed, makes the world more believable yet intriguing to explore.

The main puzzle mechanic of translating Ancient, a forgotten language from the distant past, is equally enjoyable to experience. Aliya is one of the few that can read Ancient and is slowly expanding her understanding of the symbols on her adventure. The mechanic is so much fun, using clues from previous translations and the context of the inscriptions in order to decipher their meanings. If you find yourself a bit stuck, characters you meet can offer you their expertise, either correcting you or confirming your suspicions. My only gripe with this puzzle is that it is a little repetitive. I wish there was a bit more variation, perhaps in how the inscriptions are found or if there were more languages.

Furthermore, I found the game’s art style a little odd at first. All characters are drawn in 2d but the world and its structures are in 3d, losing the drawn aesthetic and looking like regular graphics. As I played this became less strange but for the first 30 minutes or so I felt uneasy. 

Overall Heaven’s Vault is a great game. The voice acting is good, the puzzles are well designed and the story is a delight to play through. However, the repetitiveness does leave me putting the game down and returning later when the novelty returns. If you are looking for something different to play this summer, Heaven’s Vault is the game for you.

Thank you to Inkle for providing a copy of the game. Heaven’s Vault is out now!