In many ways, Haven from The Game Bakers studio is truly a unique RPG. Although its gameplay revolves around traveling to a distant planet and fighting alien monsters, Haven’s true strength lies in intimate moments between the two main characters.With
the game releasing today on GOG.COM, we thought it was the perfect time to ask Emeric Thoa, one of the game’s creators, a few questions about the game and the inspiration behind it.
GOG.COM: The idea for Haven's storyline is quite unique. How did you come up with it? Did you have a very precise vision from the beginning of what you wanted to show to gamers or did Haven’s concept slowly evolve?Emeric Thoa, Creative Director of Haven: The desire to make a game about the intimacy of a couple was at the heart of the project. There have been love stories in video games, but they always talked about “falling in love”, in a very fairy tale kind of way. With Haven, we wanted to show what everyday love is, and why it’s worth fighting for it. All the gameplay has been built around that idea.
2020 wasn’t a good year for traveling, yet the journey into the unknown plays an important role in your game. What emotions would you like to evoke among gamers as they set off on their quest to the lost planet in Haven?We actually want Haven to be like a journey for players. An escape from reality. In a way, all video games do that, but a lot of games bring either complexity or adrenalin. Haven is a break from bigger games, and from the stress of the real world - it’s a cozy space with your two best friends Yu and Kay. There’s suspense, emotion, and tension of course, but overall, we hope it will make people feel good.
The game’s story is fueled by the relationship between two main heroes, will keeping them together be as challenging as fighting alien creatures?There will, of course, be fighting, but that’s really not the key point of the story. Actually, combat is just a means, never an end. You encounter creatures that are dangerous, and you can help them by “pacifying” them. But you can also skip most of the combat if you prefer. Fighting to stay together is more about their whole journey, what they do to stay together. The first thing they did was to “escape to a lost planet”, which is not a small decision. Would you quit everything and everyone to go live on the moon, alone with your loved one?
Haven’s visuals are clearly inspired by Japanese anime. Can you name the titles that inspired you the most while creating the game's visual style?We mostly focused on finding an artist who could give the characters subtle facial expressions on the 2D portraits. But the Persona series is for sure a strong reference.
The game features an atmospheric electro OST from DANGER. What was it like working with this interesting musician?Like on Furi, it was a pleasure! Danger is known for a darker style of synthwave, but after Furi, he released an album called Taiko which had exactly what I was looking for. Working on Haven, he had to widen his spectrum of styles, going from energetic-almost-funk melodies, to tracks more in his comfort zone with a high level of out-of-space-melancholy. Overall, the soundtrack is fantastic and will be perfect to listen to on a road trip!
A love story, dynamic fights, and a fascinating journey to the unknown – all of this can be found in Haven, the outstanding RPG from The Game Bakers studio. You now have the chance to play the game on GOG.COM and see what secrets and memorable moments it has in store for you! 