In a recent PlayStation blog post, Sony unveiled the PS5 release date for the upcoming co-op RPG, Haven. The game will release on PS5 on December 3rd, 2020, and early in 2021 for the PS4. Alongside this news, the post also shares information about how the game's co-op systems will work, and it looks absolutely seamless.
According to PlayStation, Haven was developed as a single-player experience first and foremost, but the developers couldn't pass the opportunity up to include couch co-op in the game given its focus on two protagonists in a relationship with one another. With that in mind, the game can be played in full either by oneself or with a friend or romantic partner.
The PlayStation Blog post goes into more depth about how developer The Game Bakers created a relaxing and enjoyable cooperative experience, far different from its previous title, the fast paced action game, Furi. As this came from the PlayStation Blog, there was no news about the release date of the game on other consoles.
One of the most appealing things shown about the game's co-op is the ease of its drop-in, drop-out system. In a short gif, it's shown that picking up a second controller and pressing any button will immediately initiate co-op play without requiring any sort of pausing or setup. Likewise, second player can drop out in an instant, allowing the first player to take control of both characters simultaneously again. This easy and seamless transition will go a long way towards keeping the immersion alive for couples playing the game together, but that's not where the co-op features stop.
Another interesting characteristic of the game's co-op is how the dialogue options are handled. Rather than making second player sit in the passenger seat and watch the first player's decisions unfold before them, both players are required to agree on a dialogue choice before moving forward. According to the devs, this has been a source of a lot of conversation during playtesting players debate over which dialogue option makes the most sense to them. There are also several cooperative combat features that will make for interesting gameplay.
The December 3rd release date puts the game just about 5 weeks away, though it should be noted that this is only for the PS5 version. The PS4 version is confirmed to be coming sometime in early 2021, and there's not yet any news about the release date on the other consoles such as Xbox One, Switch, or PC, though Haven will be an Xbox Series X launch title.
Haven releases on launch day for the Xbox Series X, December 3rd on PS5, and later on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: PlayStation Blog
