Heaven's Vault Review
By Daniel D'Agostino, 23rd July 2023
When I played Outer Wilds a couple of years ago, it blew my mind. I couldn't let it go until I had unraveled its mysteries, exploring from the darkest pockets of space to the deepest reaches of the ocean. So when I saw, in a comment on a CRPG Addict post, somebody recommend a similar game called Heaven's Vault, I knew I had to try it.
In Heaven's Vault, you play the role of Aliya Elasra, an archaeologist at the University of Iox who is tasked with searching for a colleague who has recently disappeared, with the help of a robot called Six. As in Outer Wilds, you have to travel to different locations in space - known as The Nebula - to learn more about the history of the local Universe.
Unlike Outer Wilds, Heaven's Vault does not allow unrestricted exploration. Instead, you have to gather clues that narrow down the possible locations of ancient ruins, and then travel to them via a system of one-way rivers. These are quite beautiful and are accompanied by relaxing music. You can chat with your companion Six during the ride, and when it gets more repetitive, you can also let it take over to bypass the sequence entirely.
The locations visited are breathtaking and diverse, ranging from dusty canyons to lush forests or farmlands. The game does a great job at rendering both scenery and dwellings, notably many with Middle Eastern architecture, in 3D. It is somewhat strange that the characters have a completely different art style, that appears to be hand-drawn 2D art, but it works. Exploration within these locations, as well as dialogue and limited trade, is a little sluggish due to animations that become quite repetitive as the game progresses.
Perhaps the most unique game mechanic in Heaven's Vault is the language of the Ancients. As you discover, trade, or ask about items, you come across a lot of inscriptions in a language you don't understand. Seeing the same glyphs on different objects gradually gives you confidence on what they mean, and allows you to decipher longer sentences. You can continue to build your in-game dictionary even after completing the game by starting a "New Game+" and carrying it with you.
Outer Wilds and Heaven's Vault are quite similar in their emphasis on exploration and solving mysteries (and, conversely, their absence of combat), which leaves little room for replayability (so steer clear of spoilers). In the case of Heaven's Vault, this is a bit more of an issue given the inability to (a) freely explore, (b) revisit most locations more than once, and (c) save whenever you like, meaning that if you miss a detail somewhere, you would need to start afresh to be able to revisit it. Fortunately, there are multiple paths to any destination, so such oversights are not critical and do not halt progress in the game.
The two games share some common themes (mainly science fiction and archaeology), but play quite differently. The cutesy characters in Outer Wilds belie the Universe's ability to cause your death in a variety of ways, many of which you will encounter as you take advantage of the freedom provided. Heaven's Vault, on the other hand, is a more chill game where you can take your time and explore without any real risk of death (as far as I could tell). Overall it's a unique and fascinating game, highly recommended.