The first extended look at Heaven’s Vault’s gameplay has been shown ahead of its upcoming release. The uniquely animated art style shows the basics to exploration in a lost ruins. The creators at inkle Studios voice over the video below and describe the game as one where players will visit lost sites in an ancient world in order to decipher old languages in a heavily narrative-based story. The developers had previously made the game 80 Days, and now have focused on an immersive world full of choices and discoveries to be made.
Travel takes place by sailing through the sky on the Nightingale to each archeological dig site with Aliya Elasra’s sidekick, Six. The expansive worlds range from lost moons to other ruins of the Nebula in the “rivers of space.” She will interpret the concepts and words from the symbols that were inspired by real world Egyptian and Chinese hieroglyphics and writing systems. The words that will be deciphered are also formed out of smaller “atoms,” similar to the German language. Based on past writings and symbols that Aliya has come across, a set of options will be available for the player to choose from. inkle describes the puzzle mechanic as “the Guitar Hero of linguistics.”
The atmosphere and campaign mesh a mix of ancient explorers’ technology with science fiction to create a world that will be filled with secrets that can be found around every corner. Through a third-person point of view, players will choose Aliya’s own path and her decisions that cannot be undone. The story and cast of good and tricky characters will “remember and adapt to every choice.” The dialogue in Heaven’s Vault is not voiced, making for a game that will feel more like a story straight out of a book.
Heaven’s Vault is set to release this Spring on the PlayStation 4 and Steam Store.