Haven Park Critic Reviews

Haven Park isn’t going to make you forget its influences – and you should definitely play those other games before playing this one, since they’re both much better – but it’s still enjoyable enough that if you’ve got a few hours to spare and want to play something charming and wholesome, it’ll do the trick.

Honestly, I struggle to find criticism for Haven Park. Is it the most stunning, groundbreaking game you’ll ever play? No, but it doesn’t need to be. While it feels like it draws some inspiration from the Animal Crossing series, it remains its own separate entity with its own identity. For a game about walking and fixing up campsites, it’s short, sweet, beautiful, and even at times, moving. It left me wishing for more, but in the best way possible.

Haven Park is the kind of game that will completely absorb you until several hours have passed and, suddenly, you’ve beaten the game! The story is warm and fuzzy and bittersweet, and if you’re a fan of a quaint, relaxing game don’t hesitate to put this one in your collection.

Haven Park is a lovely game that suffers a bit from strange movement choices and a partially underbaked camp construction system. These cons aren’t dealbreakers by any stretch, but they do somewhat sour what could’ve been a truly stand-out example of a bite-sized, wholesome little game. We’re still glad to recommend it, but don’t expect the same level of polish as other bird-based island exploration jaunts you can find on Switch. Oh, and if you press 'A' with nothing to interact with in front of you, Flint says 'Pew'.

Ultimately there’s no escaping the fact that Haven Park simply isn’t as fun or polished as its obvious inspirations. Despite this it never feels like a cash grab or a soulless clone, and is still well worth investigating if you’re after a new relaxed indie experience.

Haven Park is similar to Animal Crossing, but requires you to run your own campsite.

Haven Park certainly fits in with the current trend of wholesome games. It’s warm, it looks delectable, and you can make Flint say “Pew” every time you hit the A button. But like many of its ilk, that wholesomeness is a cover for an experience that is largely unengaging. Nothing here coalesces into a complete package or meets its full potential, leaving players with an assortment of good ideas in desperate need of some solid execution.

If you haven’t played A Short Hike yet, you might get into Haven Park for a little bit. But it’s a game that seriously needs more original ideas and better implementation of ideas in general.