Secret Little Haven

About

Secret Little Haven is a single player action game. It was developed by Hummingwarp Interactive and was released on April 16, 2018. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

An adventure game about old computers, community, creativity, fandom, gender, and the internet. Alex Cole is a teenage trans girl in 1999 who has yet to figure herself out. She spends much of her free time on the internet, browsing a fan forum for her favorite magical girl show, and chatting with her friends. Join her on her story of self-discovery through friendship and media as she explores her …

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Single-Player

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98%

Audience ScoreBased on 464 reviews

story47 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game offers a heartfelt, emotional, and authentic portrayal of a trans girl discovering her identity, resonating deeply with players who share similar experiences.
Its nostalgic 90s computer and early internet aesthetic, along with engaging characters and compelling writing, create an immersive and relatable atmosphere.
The narrative excels in depicting the complexity of online friendships, support, and struggles with identity, delivering a unique and impactful visual novel experience.

Technical issues including bugs, clunky interface, broken or inaccessible achievements, and confusing terminal puzzles detract from the overall gameplay experience.
The story’s ending is considered by some as rushed or overly optimistic, reducing believability and immersion for players seeking a more realistic conclusion.
Certain gameplay mechanics, particularly the terminal commands and puzzle elements, can be unintuitive or frustrating for players unfamiliar with command-line interfaces.

story
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
64%
2%
The story is a deeply heartfelt and authentic coming-of-age narrative about a trans girl discovering her identity and finding community within late 90s internet fandom culture. It is praised for its emotional impact, realistic dialogue, and thoughtful portrayal of complex issues like identity, abuse, and online relationships, despite some minor flaws in pacing and gameplay integration. Overall, it resonates strongly with players, especially those with similar experiences, delivering a poignant and hopeful message.
- “I recommend it because this game has a story that is truly heartfelt and wonderfully expressed in a medium that I can deeply relate to, in a whimsical aesthetic that I truly yearn for.”
- “Nostalgic and heartwarming, it's a beautiful story about a trans girl discovering herself and finding community with others through a fandom.”
- “The storyline is phenomenal and told in a really compelling way, the ending was especially perfect and made me cry.”
- “I was busy trying to figure out what I was supposed to do rather than focusing on the story, as the story stopped progressing during this.”
- “On a technical level, the game is a bit messy - there are points where you need to use a command terminal, which doesn't add much to the game but can bog the story down if you stumble with it.”
- “I was unable to play this for a very long time because, due to an extremely unlikely oversight or frankly unforgivable conscious choice, a certain dialogue option silently prevented another conversation, vital to progressing the story, from ever beginning.”
emotional
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers an intensely emotional and heartfelt experience, resonating deeply with players—especially those with trans experiences—through its touching story of self-discovery, community, and nostalgia. Many reviewers shared that it moved them to tears, praised its genuine portrayal of identity struggles, and highlighted its ability to evoke both profound sadness and hopeful warmth. Overall, it's celebrated as a poignant, authentic narrative that leaves a lasting emotional impact.
- “I recommend it because this game has a story that is truly heartfelt and wonderfully expressed in a medium that I can deeply relate to, in a whimsical aesthetic that I truly yearn for.”
- “One of the most emotional gaming experiences I've ever had, hit very close to home.”
- “This game made me cry a bunch, but in the good way where I felt like there was goodness in the world and life is worth living for the sake of that goodness.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
59%
9%
The game's graphics feature a beautifully crafted 90s/early internet aesthetic that vividly evokes nostalgia with colorful, pastel, and vaporwave-inspired visuals. This retro computing style complements the heartfelt, character-driven story, immersing players in a unique, authentic atmosphere that many find emotionally resonant. While some note minor graphical bugs and repetition in sound, the overall aesthetic is widely praised for its thoughtful integration with the narrative and mood.
- “The aesthetics are absolutely beautiful and fit the vibe so well.”
- “This was so incredibly beautiful and relatable, and has one of the most beautiful aesthetics/artstyles I've ever seen.”
- “The graphics are so cute and completely send you back in time, it felt like I was genuinely playing on a computer from 1999.”
- “Be warned that there are sections of glitchy and flickering graphics, that can be mostly turned off from the menu at the bottom left.”
- “The graphics are colorful and cute, but not particularly amazing.”
- “It's a beautifully realised narrative, leveraging its 1999 aesthetic for so much more than empty nostalgia; honesty compels me to admit that I think I ran into two bugs (one where friendly reminder wouldn't close and one more serious one where the "is" command in the terminal stopped working, which I had to circumvent with mild cheating), but so powerful is the story and the method of its presentation that I can't say that took away from the experience at all.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
65%
13%
The gameplay, centered around a visual novel format with light puzzle and terminal mechanics, is limited and occasionally hindered by glitches, unclear instructions, and awkward design choices that can disrupt immersion. However, it effectively uses its minimalist mechanics, like simulated IM chats and nostalgic computer elements, to deepen storytelling and emotionally engage players. While some found the gameplay tedious or confusing at times, many appreciated its clever integration with the narrative and overall charm despite its rough edges.
- “It captures the feeling of texting with your high school friends very well and uses its limited mechanics perfectly to get you into the protagonist's headspace.”
- “Real people with real problems and real feelings, and I found myself so completely immersed in their stories and Alex's relationships with them - not to mention the immensely satisfying way that the gameplay and design itself supported those themes by using the IM chats in clever ways to tell the story, and how even the fact that RPGs were a common subject of discussion, and here we are literally role-playing as Alex.”
- “At various points in the story, your progress will be held up with the expectation that you complete some specific task using the game's 'mechanics' - namely, using the small suite of applications the game's desktop simulation can run.”
- “Mechanically this game is a little glitchy and rough around the edges, particularly with the terminal, some achievements, etc. (I played on Gentoo Linux, which may not be a typical setup).”
- “Not because of the narrative or gameplay mechanics, or even the characters, but either this game is unplayable half the time due to bugs or you need knowledge of what old computer hacking was like in the 1990s.”
- “At various points in the story, your progress will be held up with the expectation that you complete specific tasks using the game's mechanics — namely, using the small suite of applications the game's desktop simulation can run. They're awkward, and the way forward can be muddled by unclear instructions and bizarre mechanics.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The game's music is widely praised for its chill, upbeat, and emotionally resonant soundtrack that perfectly complements the 90s aesthetic and narrative mood. While some note a limited variety of tracks, the quality and timing of the music significantly enhance the overall atmosphere and emotional impact, with several players expressing a strong desire to own the soundtrack.
- “The 90s aesthetic is amazing, the music is phenomenal, and the in-game anime universe is beautifully done.”
- “Music sets the atmosphere of the game perfectly, never gets boring either.”
- “I won't go into spoilers, but the game uses amazing choice of music, timing, colors, and GUI design to really make the high-stakes moments feel that much more intense.”
- “Big downside is the lack of variety in music - however, considering the game only took me 4 hours to beat and I was quite fond of the tracks that were there, the music criticism isn't as weighty.”
- “The game only has a few music tracks, with the primary one you'll be hearing throughout the game being a rather upbeat and chill tune.”
- “Not via the layout, or the music - all that has flair, but there is not really a lot of different aspects.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is frequently described as buggy, with issues affecting controls, UI functionality, and achievements, sometimes causing frustration and progress difficulties. Despite these technical glitches, many users still find the overall experience enjoyable and worth playing.
- “Again though, I had fun with it, I cannot finish the game due to the frustration of the game being buggy and honestly a pretty annoying hacking segment.”
- “It has some weird technical glitches in regards to closing out and moving windows sometimes, every achievement except the one you get for beating the game seems to be glitched, and I never would have figured out the final section of the game if there weren't a guide to help me figure it out.”
- “At a few points in the story, my progress fumbled because of glitches that made it difficult to use the game's UI.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game excels at creating a deeply immersive atmosphere that emotionally connects players to the main character and setting. Its music and detailed scenes effectively evoke a specific mood and time, enhancing the storytelling experience. While some wish for a longer duration to fully savor this atmosphere, the game’s nuanced ambiance and unique narrative style are widely praised.
- “Amazing at creating an atmosphere and making you feel for the main character in so many ways!”
- “Music sets the atmosphere of the game perfectly, never gets boring either.”
- “In terms of the look and the atmosphere, this game nails the mood in each 'scene' and brings you to a place and time that feels very specific without being too specific.”
- “The atmosphere absolutely puts you in the situation of having a bad dad, communicating the wrongness very well.”
- “I can only imagine how much time it took to come up with and write so many different personas and juggle them around in a fake forum storytelling atmosphere like this.”
- “In terms of the look and the atmosphere, this game nails the mood in each scene, bringing you to a very specific place and time without being too specific.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Secret Little Haven is praised for its clever, eccentric writing and dynamic characters, blending heartfelt moments with genuinely funny and sometimes awkward conversations. Its nostalgic, chat-based interface adds a unique charm that enhances the comedic experience, making the game both entertaining and emotionally resonant.
- “The characters are so dynamic and complex, the writing is incredible (and hilarious), and the narrative will certainly be staying with me for a long time.”
- “More than that, it does a lot of really awesome things with its interface, using the chat program conceit to have multiple conversations all meshing together, contrasting or complementing each other in ways that are sometimes heartwarming and sometimes hilarious and very occasionally awful.”
- “There is something really earnest and hilarious about clicking through all of the text buttons in rapid succession knowing that Alex is just bombarding her friends with excited message after message.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is criticized for being tedious and poorly explained, contributing to a lackluster and abrupt overall experience.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability, featuring numerous hidden Easter eggs that encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “The game is well made and contains lots of hidden easter eggs and replay value.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Secret Little Haven is a action game.

Secret Little Haven is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Secret Little Haven was released on April 16, 2018.

Secret Little Haven was developed by Hummingwarp Interactive.

Secret Little Haven has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Secret Little Haven is a single player game.

Similar games include If Found..., Perfect Tides, A Normal Lost Phone, VIDEOVERSE, A YEAR OF SPRINGS and others.

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