Batora: Lost Haven

Self-described as an “interplanetary action RPG adventure with a rich, choice-driven story,” Batora: Lost Haven definitely checks the boxes that it sets out for itself. With the style of gameplay that it employs (isometric fast-paced action), Batora was right up my alley in terms of what my gaming appetite had been craving, especially as it was a single-player experience. What I consumed was a title that was fun, though perhaps had a bit of an identity crisis at times.

Batora: Lost Haven can be enjoyable from time to time, then, but it’s brought down by other things in addition to its clunky melee combat. It’s a short, linear game, with little opportunity or reward to go off the beaten path, for example. And while there are important choices to be made throughout your adventure, which will lead to one of numerous endings, the story isn’t particularly interesting and is filled with irritating characters.

Batora is admirable for its blend of button-mashing combat and a story with moral choices that takes itself seriously. But with the story as bad as it is, I can only recommend the game if you’re really into top-down action games and are willing to look past the story’s flaws and engage with it for what it is — an 8-hour Saturday morning cartoon in video game form.

God of War, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and several other notable games grace the action genre. There’s a robust variety, some with distinct ideologies that help them blossom, while others concentrate on filling the hole for unadulterated violence. It provides this safe avenue to alleviate the frustration that is sometimes festering in an individual’s heart after a hard day or getting your heart stomped by a cheating ex. Despite the vast array of differences spanning the many titles, one fa...

Batora: Lost Haven is a perfect fit for Nintendo Switch, sitting well alongside games like Immortals Fenyx Rising. The unique duality system makes for some interesting gameplay. There is a decent amount of replayability with the different endings, though you’ll still be through with it fairly quickly.

A solid hack 'n slash action RPG/twin stick shooter hybrid that is held back slightly by formulaic combat

Batora: Lost Haven is an isometric planet-hopping action RPG where you play as Avril, a teenager gifted with mysterious powers and tasked to save the Earth from catastrophe. With its ambitious narrative scope and innovative Nature-switching gameplay, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on, but its underbaked cast and somewhat wonky combat won’t appeal to everyone.

Batora: Lost Haven is a boring RPG with tedious dialogue and lackluster level design, saved only by adequate combat, respectable art, and a mercifully short runtime.