Haven Moon

About

Haven Moon is a single player casual puzzle game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Francois Roussel and was released on July 8, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Haven Moon" is a Myst-like exploration game set on the moon of Seleos, where you uncover the secrets of the sole survivor of a destroyed world, Ektor Turren. Solve puzzles and discover the story by exploring the abandoned islands and examining curious machinery, all while searching for Turren's treasure and a way back home. The gameplay focuses on observation, listening, and problem-solving, with puzzles integrated into the environment.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 477 reviews

graphics101 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and sound design that evoke the atmosphere of classic Myst games.
Engaging puzzles that require observation and logical thinking, providing a satisfying challenge.
A charming homage to the Myst series, capturing the essence of exploration and discovery.

Some puzzles can be overly obscure or rely on trial and error, leading to frustration.
The game is relatively short, with a playtime of around 3-5 hours, which may leave players wanting more.
Limited narrative depth and character development, leaving some plot points unresolved.

graphics
161 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
2%
The graphics in the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and immersive quality, often compared favorably to the classic Myst series. Players appreciate the stunning environments, detailed designs, and atmospheric visuals that enhance the overall experience, although some note that the game shows signs of age and could benefit from better optimization. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The graphics are breathtakingly beautiful, and truly immersive.”
- “The graphics are stunning, especially considering that the creator claims to have done all the work himself.”
- “Absolutely gorgeous graphics which definitely capture the myst feel.”
- “It is showing its age in terms of graphics, but it's fine.”
- “I expected to be able to have more control over graphics settings, e.g., what amount of anti-aliasing, etc. but there are no choices, except over display resolution.”
- “The graphics demands were a bit much for my PC, so my experience was not as smooth as it could have been.”
story
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
7%
The game's story, primarily conveyed through notes left by a mysterious inventor, is often described as intriguing yet underdeveloped, with many players expressing a desire for more depth and backstory. While the atmosphere and visuals are praised, the narrative is criticized for being shallow, with plot holes and a lack of engaging character development. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop for puzzle-solving rather than a compelling narrative experience, leaving some players disappointed with its execution.
- “I find the world design and story components very interesting and would have loved to spend more time in this universe.”
- “I love the story and it brought back memories of one of my favorite games, Myst.”
- “The game starts well then devolves into a labyrinth of 'how the heck am I supposed to figure that out?' The story seems strong at first, but then evaporates into nothing worthwhile.”
- “The premise is solid, very cool architecture, great music, and there's even a decent moral at the end, but the execution of story and gameplay is lacking.”
- “The story isn't well-written (though the phrasing is likely a translation issue), and is trying to be deep but just doesn't manage it.”
- “The story is very lacking, the puzzles are mediocre, and the feeling of exploration and discovery just isn't there.”
music
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
34%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its suitability for various environments and its ability to evoke nostalgia. However, some players expressed frustration over the lack of options to toggle or mute the music, which can become repetitive or overpower important audio cues. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, complementing the game's beautiful visuals and immersive experience.
- “The background music and ambient soundscape is also perfect for this game.”
- “The victorian setting and atmosphere invoke a Myst-like nostalgia, and the soundtrack augments the whole experience nicely.”
- “The music was another great addition to this game, and I was really impressed with the variety available that suited the various environments and situations encountered.”
- “Frustratingly, there are no options for autorun or toggling music.”
- “No ability to turn off the music.”
- “The story is not particularly engaging; visuals and music are not bad but lacking in variety.”
gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
75%
5%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by beautiful visuals and immersive mechanics, but it suffers from poorly designed puzzles that often lack logical coherence, leading to frustration among players. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic adventure games, many find the gameplay linear, overly reliant on trial-and-error, and occasionally tedious, with a short overall playtime that diminishes its value. Despite its aesthetic appeal, the execution of gameplay mechanics and puzzle design leaves much to be desired, making it a mixed experience for players.
- “The puzzles are what make up the gameplay of a Myst-like, so that’s what you get, and they are properly executed with little exposition.”
- “Gameplay consists of finding things that you can interact with, experimenting with them, understanding the function and purpose of strange machines, and using them to progress to new locations.”
- “This 'old school' adventure gameplay is cherished by gamers who appreciate the increased immersion and challenge, but of course, it also bears a higher risk of getting stuck.”
- “The premise is solid, very cool architecture, great music, and there's even a decent moral at the end, but the execution of story and gameplay is lacking.”
- “Gameplay which falters early on after solving one major mechanic and never really rises above busy work thereafter.”
- “The mechanics of playing the game are hyper-linear to the point where the only things you can play with are parts of the current puzzle or are useless.”
atmosphere
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
30%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals, immersive sound design, and nostalgic similarities to the Myst series, creating a serene and captivating experience. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of lighting, architecture, and music that enhances the overall ambiance, making it a joy to explore. While some note a lack of intricate world-building, the game's distinct charm and atmospheric quality resonate strongly with fans of exploration and puzzle genres.
- “The atmosphere, lighting, architecture, all captures cyan very well.”
- “The victorian setting and atmosphere invoke a Myst-like nostalgia, most of the puzzles are logical and can be reasoned out by careful attention to detail, and the soundtrack augments the whole experience nicely.”
- “It creates an amazing, beautiful atmosphere, and you can tell that the creator's heart and soul is in it.”
- “Lacking the intricate world-building details of the name-brand version, but it creates the right kind of atmosphere.”
- “On the whole, environments were beautifully designed and pleasant to look at, but there could have been more world-building/creation of atmosphere by allowing the player to learn more about the former inhabitant(s).”
- “In conclusion: buy this game (on sale because it's too short) if you're a Myst fan, or a fan of exploration games like this, you'll still enjoy the otherworldly atmosphere, but if you're not a fan, you're not gonna have fun with it, I guarantee you!”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players frequently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the reliance on trial and error in puzzles that often lack clear indications of progress. The necessity to travel back and forth between multiple locations adds to the frustration, making the gameplay feel laborious at times. While some appreciate the challenge and graphics, many agree that the excessive to-ing and fro-ing detracts from the overall experience.
- “The puzzles rely heavily on trial and error, which is difficult because sometimes there's no clear indication of what a switch is going to do, or where the reaction is going to happen - and since you have to bounce between four islands, it can be tedious trying to check every possibility.”
- “Challenge resolution is sometimes achieved by trial and error, requiring travel back and forth numerous times until there is an indication of progress... tedious and annoying.”
- “The puzzles can be very unclear and involve a lot of tedious back and forth.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
18%
55%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing severe stuttering and microstuttering issues that hinder gameplay, particularly during movement. While some users appreciate the game's visuals and smooth performance at high resolutions, others find it unplayable even on high-end machines. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant optimization improvements to enhance the player experience.
- “Graphics are gorgeous, but they could be a bit more optimized (it's not really a problem as it's not a fast FPS or RTS game), and the art direction will seduce any myst lover.”
- “Other than that, it's not well optimized in certain areas graphically.”
- “The game is well optimized, and the controls are okay.”
- “Walking is extremely stuttering, appearing like 30 fps. For a puzzle game like this, it's a deal breaker because you can't see any objects clearly while walking near them.”
- “Unfortunately, the performance makes this game completely unplayable.”
- “Even at the lowest setting (of two), on my beast of a gaming machine, the nonstop microstuttering makes the game look like a slideshow.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting a smooth experience free of glitches, while others highlight significant bugs and design flaws that hinder gameplay, such as pixel-hunting and inaccurate puzzle mechanics. Overall, while some players find it runs well, others express frustration with its stability issues.
- “Runs great on SteamOS!”
- “The game maintains a solid frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which is impressive for a game of this scale.”
- “This game seems pretty buggy.”
- “Haven Moon unfortunately commits many of the worst crimes of point-and-click puzzle games of this sort (Myst-like): pixel-hunting -- a cardinal sin in 3D games, mandatory incorrectly-hinted large search-space guesswork, 'precise' maps that actually represent inaccurate geometry upon which puzzles depend, buggy and badly-hinted puzzles, nearly silent but crucial audio 'clues', and visual hints that are nearly impossible to pick up on when one's display gamma is a bit too high.”
- “Buggy.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Overall, the game is criticized for its limited replayability, with many users noting that it offers little incentive to play again beyond experiencing an alternate ending. While some believe it may have more replay value in the future, the consensus is that it lacks engaging content for repeated playthroughs.
- “Will no doubt have replay value in a few years.”
- “Perhaps being a veteran of the Myst games gave me an edge, but this is not a game that will entertain you for a long time and also has very limited replay value.”
- “The only shortcoming I can see with this game is that it has no replay value.”
- “Other than the other ending, there is no replay value whatsoever.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a stirring and touching ending that resonates deeply with players.
- “The ending is both stirring and touching at the same time.”
- “The game made me feel a deep connection to the characters, and I found myself genuinely caring about their journeys.”
- “I was moved to tears by the emotional depth of the story and the struggles the characters faced.”