It’s a common saying here in the US that “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” It is rare though, to see a game tackle that concept head-on, trying to do good for people only to actively cause problems. Strangely though, that saying seems to have permeated the entirety of Batora: Lost Haven’s gameplay. For everything it tries to do well, there are one or two annoying bits.

You play as Avril, a girl from a Post-Apocalyptic Earth that has had two-thirds of the population eradicated by a catastrophe. Avril begins to hear the voice of two powerful beings named Sun and Moon, who offer her a chance to repair her planet. However, to do that, she must become their champion and claim the power of elemental cores from four planets.

What ensues is a journey filled with choices that will determine what kind of hero Avril will become. Sadly, it becomes obvious as you play that there are no right or wrong choices because every choice you make will doom someone. On the flip side of that, every choice you make may have a positive consequence too.

Batora: Lost Haven is a hybrid ARPG mixed with Twin-Stick Shooter gameplay and puzzle elements. Avril has two main “forms” thanks to her new powers. Her Physical “Sun” form uses a two-handed sword and has melee-focused abilities. On the other hand, her “Moon” form uses ranged spellcasting type abilities and focuses on mental energy.

As such, Avril has two health bars. If she is hit by an enemy with a physical alignment (usually orange), she will take Physical damage. If she is hit by a purple enemy representing a mental alignment, she’ll take mental damage. The problem is, if either one of these health bars is depleted, Avril will die, and you’ll get a game over immediately. Granted, there are frequent autosaves and you can save anywhere, but it gets very frustrating very quickly.

It is also important to note that on an Accessibility level Batora: Lost Haven needs some work. The combat mechanics are very hectic and can be hard on the hands. You have a dash, a main attack that can be either auto-targeted or aimed with the right stick, you can switch forms, and you can cast various abilities. All those things usually have to be used in quick succession, since the different forms determine how much damage you deal to certain enemies as well as how much damage you take.

There is also no difficulty option to make things easier, so some fights become brutally difficult just because of how many enemies there are. Also, in every major act of the game, there is at least one escort quest. Who even puts an escort quest in a game anymore? If your ally dies during the section you’re defending them, it acts as if Avril died.

The progression in Batora: Lost Haven is also somewhat frustrating. Avril levels up as you defeat enemies, getting small stat increases for each form. However, the only other way to really enhance her capabilities is by equipping runes that can be used to augment stats for each form. The downside of this is that in most cases boosting one stat comes at the cost of reducing a stat for the opposite form.

This isn’t sustainable since you need both forms to be able to succeed. This is especially true since boss battles have health bars for both forms. If you don’t destroy both health bars close together, the boss will refill its health completely. Also, if you die during a boss battle you must start it over completely, regardless of how far along in the battle you are.

Truth be told, the difficulty is the main problem here. In the exploration sections, I didn’t have many issues since you can destroy crystals and get extra health. Also, solving puzzles is a blast since most of the time it involves using your forms effectively and hitting switches or solving riddles. The boss battles are the big problem though, as I almost rage-quit several times from how punishing the boss battles are.

It might not be so frustrating if the story was given a little more time to breathe too. If the game gave you more time to level up, and perhaps more tools with which to progress your preferred build, I might not have been so annoyed. However, the plot doesn’t give you much time to understand the motivations of characters and usually opts for a very quick resolution at the end of each act that basically tells you things without really giving you time to discover the truth yourself.

I saw the main twist at the end of the game coming a mile away, but mostly because the game was just vague enough in its progression that it made me suspicious. I could see other people taking things at face value and being blindsided or having a hard time relating to Avril’s struggle without putting together the dark twist that comes toward the end of the game.

There is a lot about Batora: Lost Haven to love, despite the large number of problems I’ve listed here. The art style of each area is visually distinct and absolutely gorgeous. The voice acting is well done, lending the characters a clear personality even when the plot doesn’t give them much room to breathe. Even the music tries its best to add atmosphere and vibrance to the experience.

On top of that, the game itself oozes with style. There is lore to be found everywhere, compiled in a codex that allows you to immerse yourself in the culture of each planet. There are lots of things to find off the beaten path, though most areas are fairly linear.

Sadly, with everything else I’ve listed here, I can see a lot of people picking this game up and then not finishing it. Batora: Lost Haven suffers from a mix of a focus on difficulty and precision, as well as a short runtime (around 8-12 hours) that doesn’t give you much time to immerse yourself in the beautiful lore the developers created.

I was very excited to play Batora: Lost Haven when it was announced, and I can’t say that I’m sorry I did. However, I think there are some quality-of-life adjustments and some accessibility things that could make it a much better experience. Even if the storyline wasn’t adjusted, tightening up some of the progression to allow for more customization might make the combat feel less punishing.

Even adjusting enemy health or damage with difficulty levels might help, but the current state of the game’s difficulty just feels harsh. If you like Action RPGs, I think this could be a fun experience. However, I would suggest you pick it up on sale, full price is a little too much for a game you might not finish. If you like a game with a tight difficulty curve though, maybe this will be right up your alley.

A PC review copy of Batora: Lost Haven was provided by Team17 For this review.

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Batora: Lost Haven

$24.99

4

Score

4.0/10

Pros

• Lots of Lore
• Interesting Concept
• Great Voice Acting
• Beautiful Visuals and Design
• Avril's Character is Well Made

Cons

• Lack of Accessible Difficulty
• Combat is Hard on the Hands
• Story Feels Rushed
• Choices Don't Feel Important