Nintendo Switch User Reviews

The gorgeous old-school diorama art style this game employs made me look past some of its flaws (not being able to see myself on a map, for instance). There are little map markers to help you figure out your location—sure, I felt lost sometimes but the realistic nature sounds and stunning natural vistas around every corner made me not mind it so much. Camp visitors definitely had a little more attitude than (newer) Animal Crossing. Ignore the haters—this game cost me $4 on sale. Set expectations accordingly & you won’t be disappointed.

I was really disappointed with this game after reading all the positive reviews. The music is very unremarkable, the story is basically non-existent, and the gameplay gets stale very fast as the decorating options are incredibly limited. The movement also felt very sluggish. Additionally, I didn't feel like it was very relaxing because I kept getting lost, as the map doesn't show the player's current location. If you can get it for free or for like a buck, give it a go, but I wouldn't recommend spending more than that on it.

Really wholesome and relaxing game, if you loved short hike then you'll love this too!

As much of an action and shooting game junkie as I am, looking for games that challenge me and provide thrills, a great game that moves in the precisely opposite direction can very much grab me. Whether something like Animal Crossing, **** Valley, or other titles out there, sometimes slowing everything down to enjoy some Zen-like calm can be very appealing. For me, Haven Park absolutely nailed the sweet spot for about 5 hours of my time and once I had started I simply had to see it through to the end, which can be difficult to do with as many games as I tend to play and review on a weekly basis. Your goal is a pretty simple one, to restore, improve, and find the many hidden secrets of this park you’ve inherited the responsibility for from your grandmother. This is an experience focused on exploration, the joy of discovery, a bit of puzzle solving, and taking the time to follow every path, check out every hunch, and simply enjoy yourself. I would say that towards the end of the game I did wish for an ability to set something up to allow myself to port around the map more quickly as I shored everything up but it’s a relatively small quibble, if you enjoy games that help you slow down and unwind this comes highly recommended. ****/2021/08/mini-reviews-august-5th-edition.html

A flagrant A Short Hike clone that’s nonetheless enjoyable, chill and fun. It’s not as refined or slick or smart or funny or playable as A Short Hike, but it’s still fun. It’s hard to copy an all-time indie classic, even if it’s a tiny three-hour one. :)

So yeah this is definitely cut from the same cloth as "A Short Hike," but I enjoyed both games equally if for slightly different reasons. I played them within weeks of each other, and of the two, it's "Haven Park" I keep returning to just to start a new game and experience the park again. For one thing, it's just pure eye candy and so beautiful. I'm not talking about pixel style or whatever but rather the color palette, characters, and environmental design. For another, it's more emotionally satisfying to me. While both games' main quests "end" on an emotionally resonant note, the experience is drastically different. The peak of "A Short Hike" conveys awe, isolation, and (surprisingly) intimacy, as if you've discovered the world's last and most remote phone booth. The peak of "Haven Park" leads to an equally moving encounter, but it also gently encourages you to continue connecting with and helping the enthusiastic park visitors. Obviously YMMV on this, but I find that "Haven Park" makes me happier overall. I think it's that message of finding peace and a sense of purpose through service and community that appeals to me. That and the gorgeous visuals. Anyway, they're relatively cheap games and pretty short, so if you like one you should definitely play the other. As long as you don't fall into the trap of thinking that any type of similarity is automatically somehow "bad," you'll probably have a good time with both.

Haven Park is an amazing cute little game. Atmosphere is lovely, it's overall very relaxing, and the developer is incredibly fast pushing out bug fixes and updates. They're also very willing to help you out with certain quests in their discord channel. It's a short game, but tons of fun, and for that price, you just can't go wrong either way. You can even catch the freaking fireflies at night!

There’s nothing bad I can really say about this game, it’s great and I would definitely recommend. Although it has a short story, you can continue exploring and discovering new things! There are some minor bugs here and there, but they aren’t inconvenient and they’re easily avoidable. Definitely buy it if you can

While this game is reminiscent of A Short Hike, it is probably more like its poor cousin. Both on an island. Both birds (although here you don't get to fly). Both involve roaming around and collecting things so as to give you more power/skills whilst learning about your environment. But while ASH is constantly lifting you higher and inspiring you to the top (figuratively and literally), Haven Park is more of a meander. There is a goal but it is not as satisfying when you reach it. Sadly, the controls are not quite as good, and I don't know why you wouldn't enable camera on the right stick since it's pretty much a standard on most games, so your exploration is a little challenging and mono-dimensional at times. But even though they're a little clumsy, and the game is a little rusty compared to ASH, it is still a lovely, pretty, and fun game to work through. A satisfying set of quests, as well as the main one (restore the holiday park) will keep you entertained for quite a while. It is easy to pick up and drop and not taxing on your brain cells too much. And much like ASH, that cathartic quality is one of its strong points. This is a place to go to chill, have a little fun, and explore. Just like a real holiday.