The Last Haven
- February 17, 2023
- Thunder Devs.
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"The Last Haven" is a post-apocalyptic survival game set in a world devastated by nuclear war. As the leader of a settlement, you must provide for your people's basic needs, manage resources, and maintain morale while dealing with challenges such as low temperatures, radiation, and potential attacks from marauders. Your decisions and management skills will determine the survival of your people in this harsh environment.
Reviews
- The game has a fun and engaging city-building/resource management gameplay with a unique post-apocalyptic theme.
- The developer is responsive to community feedback and frequently updates the game, showing commitment to improvement.
- The graphics and art style are appealing, contributing to an immersive atmosphere.
- The AI is often unresponsive or behaves irrationally, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- There are numerous bugs and balancing issues, particularly with resource management and combat mechanics.
- The game lacks a comprehensive tutorial or guidance, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics and strategies.
- gameplay90 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players highlighting significant issues such as bugs, poor mechanics, and a lack of intuitive controls that detract from the overall experience. While some users appreciate the potential and interesting features, they express frustration over unbalanced systems, confusing mechanics, and a lack of tutorials, making the game feel unfinished and in need of substantial refinement. Overall, while there are elements of fun and potential, the current state of gameplay is marred by technical problems and design flaws that hinder enjoyment.
“The game mechanics are intuitive, offering a balance for both seasoned strategy veterans and newcomers to the genre.”
“There is a lot of interesting mechanics introduced and fun to play, as far as it is working at the moment.”
“An excellent game, the gameplay is quite simple, construction, research, and extraction of resources will definitely not get boring; it is immediately clear that this is not just a simulator without a goal and plot.”
“The game is riddled with confusing, questionable, and sometimes downright broken systems and mechanics, and frankly feels like an early access game in very early development despite getting a full release over 2 years ago and having about a dozen updates since then.”
“I can't recommend this game in its current state; there are a lot of bugs that make the game unplayable, including duplication bugs, improper saving, and game events that don't trigger properly, leading to a frustrating experience.”
“The mechanics in this game need a serious overhaul; with the game in its current state, it's a waste of time and money.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the art style, color palette, and overall aesthetic as beautiful and engaging. However, some users criticize the graphics engine as outdated or buggy, suggesting that improvements are needed for future iterations. Overall, while the visuals are generally appreciated, there are calls for enhancements to fully realize the game's potential.
“For an early access game, the graphics are good and gameplay is lots of fun.”
“A wonderful base building/RTS game, though walls and such can be made a little bit cheaper. Other than that, the developer is always active and releases new stuff often. The graphics are beautiful, sounds are good, it's just a nice little game, totally worth buying!”
“The big positive is the art style is nice, and there weren't any crashes or bugs that I noticed.”
“Buggy, crappy mechanics, poor graphic design.”
“The graphics are meh, the combat is pretty bad, the research is slow.”
“I can't make a base which feels aesthetically pleasing, and I can't build one which is mechanically efficient.”
- stability23 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and unfinished mechanics that hinder gameplay. While some players find it enjoyable and see potential, many express frustration over issues like AI behavior, building mechanics, and resource management, leading to a recommendation against purchasing until improvements are made. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess" that requires substantial work to reach a stable and polished state.
“Even in early access, this game is smooth, basically bug-free, and is fun to play.”
“It's certainly not too buggy that it's unplayable in its current state, and the game is fun to play.”
“Do not buy this game, it's buggy, feels unfinished and repetitive.”
“I would not recommend getting this game now; it needs a lot of work with glitches and general gameplay mechanics. I've spent all my hours on this game just trying to make it through winter, and raids are glitched. There's no system to quickly access all your units to change their gear, and even the little bits you can do are glitchy.”
“Very very buggy, I am not sure how they got such an amazing Steam rating for being so unfinished.”
- story17 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and clarity, with many players noting the absence of a tutorial and a coherent narrative. While the setting involves survival in a post-nuclear holocaust world, players feel that the missions and objectives often lack significance, leading to a sense of boredom. Some users express hope for more story elements and better integration of narrative into gameplay, suggesting that the game has potential but currently falls short in storytelling.
“At some point, the game introduces a new story element (you will be extorted), but at that point, you are already halfway to your knees.”
“- A fascinating storyline, the ability to search for resources.”
“No tutorial, no story, very little explanation of anything... needs more work!”
“There isn't much of a storyline except that the world underwent a nuclear holocaust and you're trying to survive the brutal winter in northern Russia.”
“I hope that there could be perhaps more story elements and objectives.”
- music14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack and ambient tracks for enhancing the overall experience, while others criticize the repetitive nature and poor volume control options. Many users express frustration over the inability to adjust music levels separately from sound effects, leading to a lack of customization. Additionally, some feel that the music does not fit the game's atmosphere, suggesting a need for a broader range of themes.
“I would recommend it just for the soundtrack, but we're not here for that.”
“After jumping in, I first noticed the art style which grew on me the more I played, and also the ambient music tracks made playing a very enjoyable experience.”
“The music is fantastic, the ambience is amazing and the game is in good alpha stage so far from what I can tell!”
“Lastly, the music is repetitive and the voices are accented (though still English) and reminds me of another fairly poor game I have.”
“The single volume slider (not separated into SFX, ambient, music, etc.) does not function correctly: the lowest possible setting is hardly any different from the normal volume, which also means that the game cannot be muted in the options menu.”
“The developer chose an awkward music solution, heavily dependent on royalty-free romantic genre.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as limited due to a lack of variety, with players noting that the single map and repetitive challenges diminish long-term engagement. Suggestions for improvement include adding more defensive mechanics, larger maps, and additional content to enhance replay value. However, the absence of gameplay beyond a certain point further restricts its longevity.
“I can see there is a lot of replayability, especially on harder levels.”
“Biggest con for me is replayability as there is only one map and I like variety and change.”
“If these issues could be fixed, and even if you could provide larger maps to explore, with more items in those buildings to find, it would really help keep the game's longevity and replay value.”
“From what I know, there is no gameplay after winter ends; that is simply where the game ends, which in my opinion removes all replayability.”
“The typical problem with these types of games is they don't have any replay value because the challenges are so repetitive.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with smooth performance across various PC configurations enhancing the immersive experience. However, there are notable issues with AI pathfinding and combat behavior that detract from the overall gameplay experience, indicating that further optimization is needed in these areas.
“The last haven also excels in its attention to optimization and performance.”
“The game runs smoothly on a variety of PC configurations, ensuring that players can enjoy the immersive experience without being hindered by technical issues.”
“Just needs some optimization to bring down that usage.”
“However, there is another problem involved: soldiers now have problems in finding their way automatically, and their combat performance does not have much sense of operation.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, as the slow pace and repetitive resource gathering hinder progress and exploration. The focus on single lines of dialogue during events adds to the irritation, making it difficult to engage with the game meaningfully. Overall, the grinding feels excessive and detracts from the enjoyment of advancing in the game.
“The game is too slow in my opinion; the fact that every single event makes you focus your camera on a single line of dialogue is tedious and irritating.”
“I spend an entire evening grinding to make a frigging tank.”
“The portion of the map you do have access to gets explored insanely quickly, leaving you just grinding out resources and research.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted as both funny and addictive, particularly in its strategic and survival elements, with players finding amusement in unexpected scenarios, such as rival factions battling in an empty colony. However, some players also highlight a disconnect between the developer's claims of community engagement and their actual responses to feedback, adding a layer of irony to the experience. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the game's appeal, despite its technical issues.
“Very funny and addictive for a strategy/survival game; you have to try lots of different strategies to survive!”
“It was funny to see my colony empty (0 people) but different enemy factions fighting each other in my base.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its effective combination of visuals and soundtracks, creating a tense and immersive experience. However, some users feel that the earlier versions had a superior visual atmosphere. The post-apocalyptic setting is highlighted as a strong element, enhancing the overall combat experience.
“Lots of combat, great post-apocalyptic atmosphere.”
“In this game, the visuals and soundtracks are perfectly combined, creating constant tension and a captivating atmosphere.”
“The game fails to create a truly immersive atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the environment.”
“Despite the potential for a rich atmosphere, the game feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to engage players.”
“The sound design is underwhelming, which detracts from the overall atmosphere and makes the experience feel hollow.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its captivating world and strategic depth, which contribute to a strong emotional resonance that enhances the overall experience, making it a must-play for genre enthusiasts.
“Its captivating world, strategic depth, and emotional resonance set it apart as a must-play for fans of the genre.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong dissatisfaction with the game's monetization strategy, with players feeling it prioritizes profit over quality and meaningful updates, leading to concerns that it may be a cash grab with little long-term support.
“I'm sick to death of these half-assed cash grabs.”
“It's possible that they will stop making updates of substance and this is just a cash grab that they will let die.”
