Batora: Lost Haven Review (Maxi)
Batora - A Fun Combat-Heavy Experience, But With a Messy Narrative
I decided to leave a positive review for Batora after giving it some careful thought. It's a nice experience overall, but surely not without its flaws. Here’s a breakdown:
Story:
The narrative of Batora is a bit of a mixed bag.
It’s deeply condensed and at times confusing. It honestly feels like something a 13-year-old might dream up. Furthermore, the story’s “big reveals,” which are meant to be twists, are really predictable. All this combined makes it so that, despite offering multiple endings (something I appreciate as an RPG and action game lover), it just doesn’t feel right.
The game’s age rating (10+ or 12+) makes sense when you consider the tone - it feels like a bad shounen or shoujo story, with some undertones of ecology and atonement.
Combat System and Mechanics:
The real standout in Batora is the combat.
It’s fluid, fast-paced, and thematically tied to the lore of the game. The difficulty system is integrated into the story, and you can really feel the impact of your skill in combat. The controls are tight, and the dodge mechanic gives you that extra sense of mastery, allowing you to be creative with your abilities. It’s a lot of fun, and you can tell the devs put effort into making the combat engaging.
Aesthetic:
Visually, Batora is stunning.
The art graphics and overall aesthetic are a big draw. If you've seen gameplay footage, you’ll already know the game looks gorgeous. The soundtrack complements the experience well, and even though the narrative falls short, the visuals and combat are enough to keep you hooked. It was surprisingly good in this department.
Duration:
It is small and won't bring me back for the New Game+
The world feels small, and there’s no real exploration or side content to dig into. Once you complete the main story, you can jump into New Game+ to unlock the other endings or make different choices. However, the main game only took me 7 hours to finish (maybe 5.5 if you rush a lot).
That’s pretty short for a $20 game, and while I snagged it on sale for about $5, I wouldn't necessarily go back for a second playthrough. There’s just not enough to explore beyond the core story, and it’s not worth the effort of redoing most of the game to go for the fights you missed due to the path you took.
Final Thoughts:
Ultimately, Batora is worth checking out if you enjoy solid combat with stunning visuals, love hexagons, and don't mind narrative confusion. The short duration and complete lack of exploration will turn off some players, especially those coming from action RPGs like Diablo and similar games. But, if you can grab it on sale, it’s a fun ride for a few hours.
If you’re in it for the gameplay, aesthetics, you’ll have a good time, especially if you manage to catch it at a discount.