Heaven's Vault

Oh boy, this game is a gem. I'd like to point out several aspects of it, but be aware that despite everything said, I'd absolutely recommend this game to everyone seeking a story-driven exploration adventure.

First things first, I'm gonna talk about the main plot, since it's probably the pinnacle of it all. I find the story REALLY interesting and captivating, and the characters are full of depth and charisma. The dialogues are perfectly written, in a way you'll never get tired of reading them through the complete gameplay. The dystopic atmosphere is so on point that I found myself lost in this universe while playing it. In other hands... I'm not fond of the ending, not that I think it is plain bad, it's just not impactful. I really thought the devs could have portrayed the finale in a more interesting way.

The mechanics of the game are good, I wouldn't say perfect, but they do what they have to do. As an exploration game, the ancient language puzzles are very satisfying and rewarding, the work put to create the glyphs is really appreciated. The navigation parts are somewhat repetitive, but since they patched fast travels, I do not think they are a problem anymore. IMO the only big problem with the gameplay is the lack of backtracking tools. I do understand you can replay the game (they encourage you to do it because of the NG+) and achieve different branches of the story, but I do not see reasoning for denying backtracking. Once you visit a moon that is not a main hub, you just won't have the choice to go back. So, if you miss a glyph, an interaction or anything at all, you'll have to replay the full game. In a way, it encourages you to REALLY explore once you get to a new location, but (in my case), I accidentally pressed a wrong button and was unable to trigger an interaction in my first walkthrough because of this. It's kinda frustrating if you ask me, I see no reason to forbid backtracking, even if some story events won't trigger anymore.

The art style is just gorgeous. The way the devs chose to animate the actions gives me big comics vibes, and I surely enjoy it, it's unique and fits perfectly. The design of the characters is very on point too, they gather huge ancient/old population references. The OST is relaxing, which I found good.

The experience of playing Heaven's Vault is one of a kind. I never thought a game featuring an archaeologist studying an ancient language would be this immersive and entertaining. I'm 100% playing this again in the future and will be a game I'll never forget.