Heaven's Vault is an archaeological science-fiction adventure game released by Inkle for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on April 16, 2019, and for Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2021.
Heaven's Vault | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Inkle |
Publisher(s) | Inkle |
Designer(s) | Jon Ingold, Joseph Humfrey |
Programmer(s) | Joseph Humfrey |
Artist(s) | Laura Dilloway |
Writer(s) | Jon Ingold |
Composer(s) | Laurence Chapman |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
Release | PlayStation 4, Windows
|
Genre(s) | Adventure game |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
In Heaven's Vault, the player takes the role of an archaeologist called Aliya Elasra who has a robotic companion called Six.[1] The game follows the course of their adventure as they 'sail' between the moons of the Nebula searching for a missing roboticist called Janniqi Renba.[2]
The player has to decipher and learn the hieroglyphic language of the Ancients, a lost civilization.[3] This involves finding and collecting inscriptions from ancient artifacts, sites and ruins and translating and discussing texts with other characters.[4]
The developers say that over a thousand words written in Ancient, the game's fictional language, can be found and say that its pictorial glyphs are inspired by Ancient Egyptian and Chinese writing systems.[5]
The player can choose their own route through the story and around the Nebula as it employs a non-linear approach to narrative storytelling, allowing the player to make choices that impact the plot.[6]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | PC: 76/100[7] PS4: 71/100[8] |
Publication | Score |
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Eurogamer | Recommended[9] |
Game Informer | 8/10[10] |
GameSpot | 6/10[11] |
PC Gamer (US) | 88/100[12] |
PC World | [13] |
On its release, Heaven's Vault was met with "generally favourable" reviews from critics for Microsoft Windows, with an aggregate score of 76/100, and "mixed or average reviews" with an aggregate score of 71/100 for PlayStation 4 on Metacritic.[7][8]
Laurence Chapman composed the soundtrack for the game. Chapman recruited Brookspeare Music for recording the strings. He also added subtle synth pads as a reminder that Heaven's Vault is a science fiction game.[14] Richard Brooker from Brookspeare Music also mixed the soundtrack.[15]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
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2019 | The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards | Best Role-Playing Game | Nominated | [16] |
2019 Golden Joystick Awards | PC Game of the Year | Nominated | [17] | |
2020 | Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards | Best Writing in a Video Game | Nominated | [18] |
New York Game Awards | Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game | Nominated | [19] | |
NAVGTR Awards | Game, Special Class | Nominated | [20] | |
MCV/Develop Awards | Gameplay Innovation of the Year | Nominated | [21] | |
Narrative Innovation of the Year | Nominated | |||
Independent Games Festival Awards | Excellence in Narrative | Won | [22] | |
16th British Academy Games Awards | British Game | Nominated | [23] |