Published: April 14, 2026
Note: This review was originally written in 2024 and is being published now with minor edits.
Image via Steam
| The Game Bakers (Developer & Publisher) Where to play: PC/Console (Steam, Switch, PS4/5 , and Xbox One) |
An isolated planet called Source seems to be Yu and Kay’s only chance at freedom from the oppressive regime they were born into. Strap on your anti-gravity boots and join them in exploring this vast, breathtaking world full of alien plants and animals. With some hard work, Source could just be the perfect place for this star-crossed couple to create an amazing safe haven, far away from the control of their home planet.
Haven is a wholesome game that uses its visuals, music, character dynamics, and exploration elements to create a dreamy, feel-good experience.
While there are some areas Haven fell short, such as the combat system, it has its place in my heart as one of the more memorable games I’ve played lately. The dialogue is unapologetically cheesy at times, and I love it for that. Ultimately a love story about working together, the narrative is consistently focused on the brighter side of things, but it does seems to ignore some of the darker implications surrounding Yu and Kay’s choices.
Skating through mountains, rivers, and mysterious ruins
Yu & Kay almost never walk, preferring to glide everywhere using their levitating boots. Gliding has a smooth, floaty feel even when moving quickly over rugged terrain, and is one of the major soothing factors of playing Haven.
You are compelled to cover huge stretches of territory by ridding your entire map of red areas teeming with toxic “rust”, a contaminant that causes infected organisms to become violent. Although removing rust became repetitive, it did not hinder my enjoyment that much as I spent hours gliding through the game’s surreal world, listening to its relaxing synth wave soundtrack.
Haven could have benefited from some variation in the way rust clearing was completed. The majority is done by simply skating over the affected area. The rest is accomplished by winning battles with infected animals and removing the rust from their body. Because there are already resource gathering and crafting elements at play in Haven, maybe another way to clear out the rust could have been to create appropriate remedies using your Synthesizer, a machine that turns foraged plants into medicine.
Haven’s Wholesome Twist on Combat
Although I didn’t really mind needing to constantly clear areas of rust, repetitiveness was still one of the major drawbacks of my experience, especially when it came to battle.
I liked how the system focused on teamwork, a theme also integral to the storyline and overarching message. However, combat is mostly based on selecting one of four actions per character and seeing if you can hold down the corresponding buttons in tandem. There’s not much more to it than that and, with so many animals to cure of rust infection, this whole aspect can become tedious.
I would have loved for Haven to have upped its difficulty settings or spiced up its combat system, making battles more challenging.
While not entirely won over, I appreciated Haven’s somewhat wholesome twist on battle, making the primary objective to cure and release your opponent rather than vanquish them (you just have to beat the sh*t out of them first.)
Its important to note that when creating Haven, The Game Bakers focused on “accessibly by default“. They stated that, “Haven is not a difficult game, but there are difficulty options in the style of Celeste’s assist mode. And they don’t affect only the combat, but also navigation challenges” in this Twitter thread.
Regardless of difficulty, there were many opportunities for Haven’s combat system to have been made less repetitious and more engaging. Maybe perfectly initiating a duo blast three times in a row can trigger a special attack or power up. Perhaps some animals can only be pacified with special remedies you need to create from ingredients found in their habitat.
A Healthy Love Story
Although Haven is extremely limited in characters, Yu and Kay were likeable enough to keep me invested in their romance.
Alone and completely in love, the pair takes full advantage of their privacy on source. I found it amusing that they start making out if you leave your controller untouched for too long. The dialogue between them is sometimes sweet and sappy, as Yu and Kay often express their utter adoration for (and attraction to) each other.
This healthy and supportive portrayal of young love was refreshing. A few mildly spicy scenes bumped Haven up to an 18+ rating, but there’s nothing too explicit. The majority of the relationship we see happens through intimate conversations.
Dialogue choices are a fun addition and selecting certain options can impact Yu and Kay’s levels of confidence. However, this doesn’t have any real baring on the game, only slightly influencing a single plot point. You can click here (beware of spoilers) to find out what effect confidence has on the story.
The conversations between Yu and Kay give insight into their past and present fears, doing a great job in showing why the two are so adamant about leaving their home planet in search of a freer, better life. However, these conversations are typically surface-deep and they seem to only briefly touch on the negative effects of their decision.
While I liked the game’s ever positive, glass-half-full tone, I found myself wishing the pair would engage in deeper conversation and show more complex emotions.
Defectors from authoritarian regimes often feel an immense sense of guilt and sadness for having to sever ties with their family forever. While Yu and Kay do convey that they understand the gravity of their decisions, they don’t seem to spend much time coping with the loss of their former lives and relationships. I do wish the game would have explored those emotions more deeply.
Perfect for Partners and Pairs
Because Haven is a cozy game about romance, inner peace, and following your heart, its a fantastic title to play in co-op mode. I played most of Haven solo but was also able to experience playing it with my partner and friend. Playing in co-op mode makes syncing your combat slightly more difficult which I enjoyed due to my earlier complaints about the combat system.
I constantly recommend Haven to people who are looking for games to play with their partner. This game was made for that. It focuses entirely on the romantic relationship between Yu and Kay and have players controlling both characters in rhythm with one another. As I mentioned early in this post, it’s also unapologetically sappy and all about creating a romantic vibe. For example, if you leave Haven unpaused and don’t move Yu and Kay for a while, they get bored and start making out with each other.
Queer-Friendly Update
In March 2022, The Game Bakers released a queer-friendly update for Haven. I had already completed Haven by the time this update was released but felt compelled enough to play through some of the game again to experience the changes. Other characters in the story did not get gender-swapped to my slight disappointment. However, I liked the new character designs and voice actors. There seemed to be minimal changes to Yu and Kay’s aesthetic and dialogue, so all players can enjoy the same amazing game I did and have an equal experience.
Final Thoughts
The gorgeous graphics, vaporwave vibes, and relaxing gameplay were enough for me to glide through Haven feeling absolutely content. There were certain areas that could have been fleshed out more, such as rust clearing, combat, and conversation, but they did not fall so short that I considered them huge hindrances to my overall experience, especially since I came into Haven knowing that it wouldn’t be too difficult to beat.
For $25, this roughly 15 hour game is such an entrancing experience that I would recommend putting it at the top of your list of cozy games to play.
| Pros – extremely cozy & relaxing – smooth, soothing exploration – beautiful graphics – uplifting story – entrancing music – healthy relationship dynamics – compelling & likeable characters – queer-friendly options – accessibility | Cons – combat system feels incomplete – dialogue is surface-deep – repetitive gameplay |