From the creators of theRemotheredgames comesBatora: Lost Haven,an isometric action RPG developed by Italian studio Stormind Games and published by Team17. This title plays like a hack ‘n slash action game with well-animated cartoon visuals showcased throughout its levels. The narrative takes place over the course of four different planets. Each one has varying biomes and aesthetics, and is home to many intriguing foes and friendly inhabitants that populate each world.
The game follows the story of Avril, the lone survivor of her family. Dealing with themes of sacrifice and genocide, players will follow Avril as she is bequeathed a destiny by the deities of the Sun and Moon.Batora: Lost Havenis rife with moral choices along the way. Avril is given weapons and abilities to fight off monsters all in the name of establishing the character’s lost haven (as the title suggests.) To get started on a planet-traversing, fateful journey players may find the following beginner tips helpful.
7Using Runes
Batora: Lost Havendoes not have the most complex equipping andleveling up systemwhen it comes toaction RPGs; however, the system they do employ can make a difference to how Avril plays.Runes are the main equipment in the gameand can augment Avril’s stats or unlock new abilities depending on what the player uses.
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When leveling up Avril will gain access to a moral point system, which isa points pool that dictates how many runes can be assigned. Each rune has a different point value, so the amount of runes a player can equip depends on the overall cost of the rune. Runes are unlocked through two main avenues, either throughbuying them from merchants or as rewards for moral choicesthat the player makes during pivotal narrative scenes.
There is a running theme throughout the game that players will face in every chapter. As achoice-based narrative game, there are two main directions the player can go:conqueror or defender.This choice affects what powers or routes the players can pursue.
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Unlike games such asMass EffectorInfamous: Second Sons, where these choices dictate whether the protagonist is good or evil,Batora: Lost Havenoperates similarly toMarvel’s Midnight Suns. The player’s moral choices incline them towards aggressive or defensive play styles and powers.
5Orange Vs. Purple Combat Styles
Fitting in with the theme of binary choice, Avril has access to two unique and distinct abilities when engaging in combat (given to her by the Sun and Moon at the start of the player’s journey). Each form has a distinct color palette and weapon of choice. Thephysical form is orange and is focused solely onmelee weaponsand attacks.On the other hand,the mental form is purple and acts as a long-range mage,firing shots from distance.
The colors act as a visual cue for the player when switching weapons, but they also have an integral gameplay mechanic. Enemies also appear according to the same two different colors. To maximize damage, players will want to switch forms accordingly to take opponents down as fast as possible.
4Color-Coded Puzzles
There area lot of puzzleswithin the game; however, they are rudimentary, mainly orbiting around the themes of colors and form switching as well. They often require players toactivate colored switchesto make a platform move, or change colors to make moving platforms appear or move in the opposite direction.
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Later in the game, the puzzles do become slightly more complex, with platforms requiring the player to be in a certain form to land on them to progress. However, players should be fine with platforming and puzzling as long as they keep in mind the color-coordination motifs.
3Adapt To Bosses’ Techniques
The bosses within the gameare a sum of all the other parts such as combat and puzzle solving. Often multi-stage fights with many health bars, these bosses boast the same type of dichotomous powers as Avril. They are able to form switch between purple and orange at will, and subsequently their attacks too.
Players need to note the color switches, ensuring they form-switch to match, as the boss fight can become a slog (and dangerous) if players do not reflexively change when needed.Switching is key to damaging the boss as much as possible,and lessening the amount of damage taken from their attacks.
2Don’t Overuse Abilities With Cooldowns
Avril will eventually have access to powerful abilities that can help to take down enemies with large health pools, from a spinning melee attack to an area skill that produces a column of purple energy.These skills, when used properly and against the correct color enemy, can decimate health bars.
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On the other hand, dodge appears as a skill in this game that has a cooldown timer as well. It is important that players do not spam the doge button, and rather judge spacing Avril from enemies. Dodging too many times could result in players finding themselves in a tight spot and taking on avoidable damage.
1Replay To Find All The Endings
Stormind Games developed many endings forBatora: Lost Haven.Players discover each ending throughthe karma systemand choices that they make throughout the game. Players are encouraged to play multiple times to discover and complete all endings.
The game has an approximate run time of 8 hours,which facilitates multiple playthroughs, so people can find the true ending and discover whether Avril ever finds her Lost Haven.
Batora: Lost havenis out now on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game has also been announced for the Nintendo Switch.
