Haven: Call of the King

"A Haven for any platformer fan"

Okay, so I love Platformers. They are just plain fun. So when I found Haven: Call of the King for PS2, I just had to pick it up. And not only was it fun, but worth the price tag.

Story (5/10) Your typical guy must save world, guy must save girl, yada yada yada. Seems the typical story right? Yep. Its about trying to save his people by answering a voice he hears in his dreams. It’s the game story that’s been done to death.
The story is simple. You play Haven, who keeps hearing voices in his dreams. You than set out to free your enslaved people, relying on your gauntlet. Now the gauntlet is very cool, because the shield you create also is used to solve puzzles.

Graphics (7/10) Good Graphics, good frame-rate, basically great everything. The only thing that doesn’t give this portion perfect is the water effects just don’t seem as real as it could be. But this problem only arises a couple of times, and doesn’t take away from the overall wonderful experience of the game

Sound (10/10) Great sound. Done very well. Everything seems to be just the perfect pitch. Definitely spent a lot of time on this, and for god reason.

Control (7/10) The control can be awkward at times, especially since the camera doesn’t seem to want to move, you must do it by using the analog stick. Can be hard during puzzles. Other than the camera having to be moved by hand, the control is perfect.

Fun factor (10/10) the game can be quite hard, but it pays off big time. Everything flows perfectly, and most gamer’s shouldn’t reacquire a guide. The programmers and makers of the games seem to make everything flow into another. This allows you to concentrate more on the fun, without having to read through a guide. And if you do find something’s hard, just find a hint pot. Puzzles aren’t hard, and the action parts are great. From riding the four wheeler to piloting a speedboat, everything is fun.

Replay-ability (8/10) the game, once beaten can be played through again. There are goodies to be unlocked, and up to three different endings. The endings depend on the amount of keys and runestones you collect.

Overall 8/10: sure there are some pet peeves, but overall, it’s a great game to play

Rent or buy? I suggest you buy it. I picked mine up for only $20, and it’s definitely worth at least $40

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/11/03, Updated 02/11/03