Software:Heaven's Vault
Heaven's Vault | |
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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
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Genre(s) | Adventure game |
Mode(s) | 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
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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]
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.[14] Richard Brooker from Brookspeare Music also mixed the soundtrack.[15]
Accolades
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] |
References
- ↑ Hoon Chan, Khee (April 16, 2019). "Heaven's Vault review: an archaeology video game actually about archaeology". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/4/16/18311381/heavens-vault-review-ps4-steam-inkle. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ Warr, Phillipa (April 16, 2019). "HEAVEN'S VAULT REVIEW". PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/heavens-vault-review/. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ O'Connor, James (April 16, 2019). "Heaven's Vault Review - Come Sail Away". Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/heavens-vault-review-come-sail-away/1900-6417120/. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ Bell, Alice (April 16, 2019). "Wot I Think: Heaven's Vault". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/16/hevaens-vault-review/. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ "'80 Days devs Inkle have opened Heaven's Vault' – Rock Paper Shotgun". Rock Paper Shotgun. 6 April 2019. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/16/heavens-vault-released/.
- ↑ Donlan, Christian (April 16, 2019). "Heaven's Vault review - a rich web of possibility". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-04-16-heavens-vault-review-a-rich-web-of-possibility. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Heaven's Vault for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/heavens-vault/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Heaven's Vault for PlayStation 4 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/heavens-vault/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
- ↑ Donlan, Christian (2019-04-16). "Heaven's Vault review - a rich web of possibility". https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-04-16-heavens-vault-review-a-rich-web-of-possibility.
- ↑ Favis, Elise (2019-04-18). "Heaven's Vault Review – Unearthing Ancient Mysteries". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/review/heavens-vault/unearthing-ancient-mysteries. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ↑ O'Connor, James (2019-04-16). "Heaven's Vault Review - Come Sail Away". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/heavens-vault-review-come-sail-away/1900-6417120/.
- ↑ Warr, Philippa (2019-04-16). "Heaven's Vault review". https://www.pcgamer.com/heavens-vault-review/.
- ↑ Dingman, Hayden (2019-04-17). "Heaven's Vault review: In search of lost time". https://www.pcworld.com/article/3389976/heavens-vault-review.html.
- ↑ "Laurence Chapman's Unique Music For An Unusual Journey In 'Heaven's Vault'" (in en). 2019-05-09. https://www.wshu.org/culture/2019-05-09/laurence-chapmans-unique-music-for-an-unusual-journey-in-heavens-vault.
- ↑ "Heaven's Vault (2019) PlayStation 4 credits". https://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation-4/heavens-vault/credits.
- ↑ "2019 Winners". 2019-11-07. https://tiga.org/awards/2019-winners. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
- ↑ "Golden Joystick Awards 2019". Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20190928103127/https://www.gamesradar.com/goldenjoystickawards/#pc-game-of-the-year. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ↑ "Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Awards Shortlist Announced". 2019-12-04. https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Writers-Guild-Of-Great-Britain-Awards-Shortlist-Announced-20191204. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (2020-01-02). "The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees". https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/01/02/the-new-york-game-awards-announces-2020-nominees/. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- ↑ "2019 Nominees". 2020-01-13. https://navgtr.org/2019-nominees/. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ↑ Wallace, Chris (2020-02-14). "It's your last chance to vote for the MCV/DEVELOP Awards winners 2020". MCV/Develop. https://www.mcvuk.com/business-news/heres-the-shortlist-for-the-new-mcv-develop-awards-vote-online-now/. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ↑ "A SHORT HIKE WINS THE SEUMAS MCNALLY GRAND PRIZE AT THE 22nd ANNUAL INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL AWARDS". GlobeNewswire (Press release). 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
- ↑ Stuart, Keith (2020-03-03). "Death Stranding and Control dominate Bafta games awards nominations". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/mar/03/death-stranding-and-control-dominate-bafta-games-awards-nominations. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
External links
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven's Vault.
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