Heaven's Vault

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An absolutely essential play if you like history and language in an alternate universe. Inkle and Jon Ingold are master story tellers and this game tells a deeply moving story about the fall of civilizations, clinging on to their debris and trying to learn from the past. I played through this game 4 times in total and am hooked on the premise and personalities in it. Two huge caveats. 1) the gameplay itself is very hit and miss and can get quite frustrating if you are trying to be efficient. This is not a game to be playing efficiently. Take your time and don't get hasty, so that the unexpected turns your character makes (literally) don't become too frustrating. 2) the game becomes 10x more interesting if you also read the books (at least the first two), as many details and personality quirks are explored in the books whereas the game only ever has the time to show their consequences, meaning that a lot remains unsaid in the game which might add a lot to the overall story. Played on steam deck without any issues. I look forward to reading books 3 and 4 soon :)

I like the language system, the music, and the story. It's a bit short (and I'd like a sequel), but I like replaying it. The language seems to change between playthroughs, which makes the replay even more interesting. The game mechanics seems clunky sometimes, but I kind of think it just adds to the game. If you miss a turn it's not a catastrophe, just restart the road or find a new path. It's somewhat creepy at times, but also peaceful.

This game definitely isn't for everyone, but I personally really enjoyed it. It has an engaging story with interesting writing and non-linear progression that makes you feel like you're an archaeologist piecing together the story of an ancient civilisation. While it is true that the movement and navigation can be annoying, you get used to it after a while. One other thing worth noting is that this game has a LOT of reading , so if that's not your cup of tea then maybe skip out on this one. I'd also say that multiple playthroughs are intended, so if you don't understand the story the first time around, try again. There's genuinely more replayability than you'd expect. TL;DR: Play if you're patient and don't mind reading.

I'm early in this game (4.5h) so take this review with that caveat. This is a very intellectually demanding game, at least for me, with little experience in translating hieroglyphs. It also has it's moments as a very beautiful game artistically. It is what it is (mostly 2d art moving around a 3d environment) While it is a little wonky to have to move so slowly when on a world, i enjoy the "sailing" to get between map destinations. it gives me a thrill every once in a while, a bit rollercoaster-y. If I need to update this later, upon completion, I will, but I highly recommend this game for a chill but thought-provoking time. Wanted to add that you can ask some of the dialogue questions even after exiting a conversation, though it's reserved for following up on only the last topic in the conversation, and not always going to produce a response, it seems. (There's a button for making another question and one for making a statement that occasionally light up just out of conversations.) I saw a review that mentioned that, so wanted to help anybody frustrated by the limited conversation options.

It's ok. The UI is harder to deal with than the language.

This is a strong yes but with a very significant caveat that my positive reception is almost entirely tied to the narrative elements with the gameplay mechanics mostly being neutral at best and active hindrances at worst. The setting is fascinating and I loved piecing the language and the history of the world together. Too much of the time, however, I felt like I was fighting the UI and blindly poking at things in an attempt to trigger the right conversation tree that will let me see a specific story/quest line and as of right now, there are still two achievements I have not managed to unlock because there must be some unobvious variables preventing my progress. Spoiler warning for details: [spoiler] 1. I've triggered the ransacking of Oroi's place but when I go to Tapi's store as the guides say to do, she is not there. Tapi kind of hints that he is helping her but will not say so outright even when I press him on it later in the conversation. Maybe his trust/friendship level is not high enough but that is not a mechanic the game explicitly mentions and as far as I know, there is no way to see my relationship level with anyone. I've given him 6 artifacts, I think, and I have triggered the interaction where he gives me an astrolabe and asks me to find the site it came from. I thought that would be enough for Oroi's plot line but maybe I need to actually find the site and tell him about it first? Something to try in my next loop, I guess. Edit, 7-5-26: Same save file. Went to Iox, explored the rivers for a bit, and then returned to Elboreth. This time when I went to Tapi's, he blocked me from entering and said I was not welcome but then Oroi called him off and I was able to speak to her. Obtained the Reunion achievement. 2. I also cannot trigger the sealing of the gates on Iox. In one run, I actually got the line from Six that he needs to inform Myari about the people who might be the cause of the Fall but despite travelling to other moons and returning to Iox several times after that and even speaking to Myari directly, I never received the message that the gates have been sealed and do not have the corresponding achievement. [/spoiler] The bottom line is that I do recommend this game to anyone interested in speculative fiction focused on history/language as long as they are comfortable with janky gameplay. If the premise sounds interesting but the gameplay sounds too janky, reading the novels might be a better option. I have not read them yet but from what I understand, volumes 1 and 2 cover the events of the game while volumes 3 and 4 deal with what happens after. Now that I think I have seen most of the lore the game has to offer, I do intend to read the books next and I will try to remember to come back and update this review after I am done. Update, 7-5-26: I have read all 4 novels. The first two novels do follow broadly the events of the game but they are not really an attempt to stich the different game paths into a cohesive narrative. Granted, it is possible that there are story paths I have not stumbled into and the novels follow what is supposed to be the golden path but they alter many events and the fates of several characters in ways that directly contradict how the same events were depicted in the game. The second duology depicts the events that follow the end of the game but honestly, they are kind of a rehash of the first duology. I am keeping this very vague to avoid spoilers, obviously, because the narrative is worth experiencing despite the gameplay but if the gameplay is a complete deal breaker, the novels are an ok way to learn more about the setting. Just keep in mind that the events and the people depicted in the novels do not exactly match their game counterparts. Some differ only in minor ways, others are entirely different. On a personal note, I also strongly dislike how the novels handled the Loop and Aliya's character arc. I would recommend the game over the novels but the recommendation is partially due to subjective personal preferences.

Almost unplayable for AZERTY keyboards users, and keys cannot be binded otherwise. I will change my evaluation if this problem is resolved. I have no answer in the forums for more than 20 days. it is a shame because the story seems very good, and I am pretty sure I played a demo just fine, so why the finished game have this problem?

Translation Puzzles are great. Story is interesting and structured in a way that rewards a replay. Some of the UI and control is a bit janky and could have been smoothed up.

Some games pull you in with action. Others with mystery. Heaven's Vault tries to do the latter, and for a while, it worked. I wanted to know what happened to the missing scholar. I wanted to understand this strange universe and decipher its forgotten language. The problem is that curiosity can only carry a game so far. The world is beautiful. The art style gives the game a unique identity from the very beginning. The soundtrack quietly supports the atmosphere without getting in the way, and the voice acting is excellent whenever it's there. One feature I genuinely loved was the "Story So Far" recap every time you load your save. It's such a simple addition, but I wish more games did something similar. The biggest disappointment for me was the translation system. On paper, it's exactly the kind of mechanic I love. In practice, most of the time I was just making educated guesses and waiting for the game to confirm whether I was right. I kept expecting that moment where everything would click, similar to what happens in Tunic or Chants of Sennaar, but that moment never came. The slow pace doesn't help either. But if you enjoy slow, contemplative games where the narrative takes center stage and you're happy to immerse yourself in the world at its own pace, there's probably a lot to appreciate here. It just wasn't the experience I was looking for. TL;DR: Heaven's Vault has a fascinating premise, gorgeous art direction, a welcome "Story So Far" recap, and an intriguing mystery. Unfortunately, the gameplay never matched that promise for me. The translation mechanic stayed closer to educated guessing than genuine discovery, and the slow pacing eventually outweighed my curiosity. 6/10.