Heaven's Vault Explained

Heaven's Vault
Developer:Inkle
Publisher:Inkle
Designer:Jon Ingold, Joseph Humfrey
Programmer:Joseph Humfrey
Artist:Laura Dilloway
Composer:Laurence Chapman
Platforms:Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Released:PlayStation 4, WindowsNintendo Switch
Genre:Adventure game
Modes:Single-player

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.

Gameplay

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]

Reception

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.

Music

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.[7] Richard Brooker from Brookspeare Music also mixed the soundtrack.[8]

Accolades

Year Award Category Result Ref
2019The Independent Game Developers' Association AwardsBest Role-Playing Game[9]
2019 Golden Joystick AwardsPC Game of the Year[10]
2020Writers' Guild of Great Britain AwardsBest Writing in a Video Game[11]
New York Game AwardsOff Broadway Award for Best Indie Game[12]
NAVGTR AwardsGame, Special Class[13]
MCV/Develop AwardsGameplay Innovation of the Year[14]
Narrative Innovation of the Year
Independent Games Festival AwardsExcellence in Narrative[15]
16th British Academy Games AwardsBritish Game[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Heaven's Vault review: an archaeology video game actually about archaeology. Hoon Chan. Khee. Polygon. April 16, 2019. April 19, 2019. April 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190418011427/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/4/16/18311381/heavens-vault-review-ps4-steam-inkle. live.
  2. Web site: HEAVEN'S VAULT REVIEW. Warr. Phillipa. PC Gamer. April 16, 2019. April 19, 2019. April 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419165441/https://www.pcgamer.com/heavens-vault-review/. live.
  3. Web site: Heaven's Vault Review - Come Sail Away. O'Connor. James. Gamespot. April 16, 2019. April 19, 2019. April 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419115151/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/heavens-vault-review-come-sail-away/1900-6417120/. live.
  4. News: Wot I Think: Heaven's Vault. Bell. Alice. Rock Paper Shotgun. April 16, 2019. April 19, 2019. April 17, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417134815/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/16/hevaens-vault-review/. live.
  5. News: '80 Days devs Inkle have opened Heaven's Vault' – Rock Paper Shotgun. 6 April 2019. Rock Paper Shotgun. 16 April 2019. 16 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416122726/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/16/heavens-vault-released/. live.
  6. Web site: Heaven's Vault review - a rich web of possibility. Donlan. Christian. Eurogamer. April 16, 2019. April 19, 2019. April 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190416124029/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-04-16-heavens-vault-review-a-rich-web-of-possibility. live.
  7. Web site: 2019-05-09 . Laurence Chapman's Unique Music For An Unusual Journey In 'Heaven's Vault' . 2022-06-01 . WSHU . en . 2022-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207150929/https://www.wshu.org/culture/2019-05-09/laurence-chapmans-unique-music-for-an-unusual-journey-in-heavens-vault . live .
  8. Web site: Heaven's Vault (2019) PlayStation 4 credits . 2022-06-01 . MobyGames . 2022-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220601110648/https://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation-4/heavens-vault/credits . live .
  9. Web site: 2019 Winners. 2019-11-07. The Independent Game Developers' Association. 2020-01-08. 2022-09-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20220926092340/https://tiga.org/awards/2019-winners. live.
  10. Web site: Golden Joystick Awards 2019. GamesRadar+. 2019-12-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20190928103127/https://www.gamesradar.com/goldenjoystickawards/#pc-game-of-the-year. 2019-09-28. dead.
  11. Web site: Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Awards Shortlist Announced. 2019-12-04. Broadway World. 2019-12-06. 2019-12-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20191206164257/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Writers-Guild-Of-Great-Britain-Awards-Shortlist-Announced-20191204. live.
  12. Web site: The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees. Sheehan. Gavin. 2020-01-02. Bleeding Cool. 2020-01-05. 2022-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20220206184338/https://bleedingcool.com/games/the-new-york-game-awards-announces-2020-nominees/. live.
  13. Web site: 2019 Nominees. 2020-01-13. National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 2020-01-23. 2020-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20200303100221/https://navgtr.org/2019-nominees/. live.
  14. It's your last chance to vote for the MCV/DEVELOP Awards winners 2020. Wallace. Chris. 2020-02-14. MCV/Develop. 2020-05-26.
  15. A SHORT HIKE WINS THE SEUMAS MCNALLY GRAND PRIZE AT THE 22nd ANNUAL INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL AWARDS. 2020-03-18. GlobeNewswire. 2020-03-19.
  16. News: Death Stranding and Control dominate Bafta games awards nominations. Stuart. Keith. 2020-03-03. The Guardian. 2020-03-04. 2022-04-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403202400/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/mar/03/death-stranding-and-control-dominate-bafta-games-awards-nominations. live.

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