Batora: Lost Haven Review (PC)

Moving in Moon form feels faster than doing the same using the Sun version of my character, although the cooldown on the dash is a bit too long. The problem with this approach is that I’m often caught on the wrong foot by enemy ambushes and I deal less damage than I should before switching forms yet again to match theirs.

Still, the ranged strikes of my darker spirit avatar take out health from all enemies, even if efficiency is reduced. And using them makes it easier to constantly hug the edges of the combat space and use dash at the best possible moment to avoid incoming the big enemy attacks. As soon as only Sun-powered opponents remain, I match their form and use normal strikes to eliminate them all.

A more powerful beat then appears, combining both Sun and Moon energy. It also has two powerful special moves that it uses liberally. It’s easy to stay at range and drain all his spirit power. But I also need to get in close to deal with his sunny side. The creature manages to hit me once with his area of effect attack and I use the boost nature move to both regain health and gain more attack strength. I then deal with him and start thinking about the boss fight that I will have to win before I save this planet.

Batora: Lost Haven is developed by Stormind Games and published by Team17. I played using Steam on the PC. The title can also be picked up on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older consoles from Microsoft and Sony. The title is an action-adventure played that uses a top-down view and features an interesting twist to combat.

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The protagonist pair is made up of Avril, who takes on the role of the hero, and Mira, her best friend. Earth has already been affected by a massive cataclysm that killed more than half the population and worse is apparently coming. The godly powers of the Sun and Moon choose Avril as their champion, asking her to travel across four planets to deal with their problems, which in turn will apparently save her own planet.

It’s a decent story setup and the straight-up hero’s journey formula is tweaked by the introduction of Batora, a more mischievous supernatural presence, and by the bond that the central pair share. They comment on everything happening around them and add some fun to a narrative that mostly uses a classic fantasy approach.

Batora features plenty of running around and backtracking but there’s no real exploration. Gamers will always know where they need to go and they can even summon a flock of supernatural birds to lead the way. So combat is the main way to interact with the universe.

Avril’s dual deity patronage is reflected when she engages with enemies. The Sun side is focused on close combat with a sword and powerful special attacks that can deliver a lot of damage. The Moon offers a ranged attack and more crowd control options. Each side comes with its own health bar and the ability to use nature boost to increase damage output and regain health.

Battles feature a variety of enemies, including ones that use both types of energy. Switching between Avril's two approaches is fun and engaging at first, especially given the small arenas that the game creates. A little more freedom would have been welcomed.

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The problem is the limited variety. The level of challenge increases and new abilities do change up the rhythm. Our heroine can equip a variety of runes to enhance her powers and there’s some flexibility to create a personalized playstyle. But normal combat never becomes too difficult and is often repetitive.

Batora: Lost Haven also features boss fights, which feature multiple stages and a wider variety of attack patterns and special moves. It takes a little time to understand their moves and decide when to go in for the kill. But they are not designed to kill the player over and over again, merely to offer a decent challenge and introduce variety.

The least interesting elements of the title are the puzzle levels. Players again have to rely on their two forms to activate mechanisms and open up new paths. There are also boulders around, which can be controlled in spirit mode to slot in certain positions. The puzzles are not too hard to complete and feel more like busy work than a core element of the experience.

Batora’s core gameplay is pleasant, with limited frustration and some cool combat moments. But the designers were too timid in using the Sun and Moon concept. When Avril fights, it should have created more complex scenarios. And for the puzzle sections, more ways to interact with the environment were needed.

Batora: Lost Haven is played from a top-down perspective and players can zoom a little both in and out to take a closer look at the world or keep all enemies in sight. The design of the levels isn’t very interesting but Avril’s fight moves are smooth and bright. There’s also variety for the characters players meet on their quest and the cutscenes look decent.

The sound design is the less interesting side of the presentation. Avril and Mira’s voice actors manage to communicate their bond and their incredulous reactions to the increasing weirdness around them. The rest of the cast also do their best but aren’t always well-served by their scripts. Combat sounds pretty good but the soundtrack is forgettable.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion