'Heaven's Vault' news: Archaeological sci-fi game to release sometime this year

A screenshot of the game "Heaven's Vault." Inkle Studios, the developer and publisher of the games "Sorcery!" and "80 Days," revealed that its new project, an archaeological science-fiction (sci-fi) game titled "Heaven's Vault," is scheduled to release sometime this 2018.Inkle Studios official website

Inkle Studios, the developer and publisher of the games "Sorcery!" and "80 Days," revealed that its new project, an archaeological science-fiction (sci-fi) game titled "Heaven's Vault," is scheduled to release sometime this 2018.

According to the Steam page of the game, "Heaven's Vault" will release this year. Players take on the role of Aliya Elasra, an archaeologist who is exploring a mysterious space region named the Nebula with Six, her robot sidekick. She is hoping to reveal the secrets of the long-forgotten past. When a roboticist from the University of Iox went missing, Aliya will begin a series of discoveries that will lead her and Six to the very edge of their world — as well as to the primeval secret of Heaven's Vault. 

The key features of the open-world game include sailing through fast-flowing space-rivers, discovering forgotten ruins, exploring primordial sites, finding artifacts and translating peculiar hieroglyphics. PC Gamer reported that Inkle narrative director Jon Ingold said that the hieroglyphics players will have to translate have meanings that combine into words and getting them wrong would mean players will have a misconception regarding a ruin discovered or what an artifact is for. The game will allow players to discover the history of Aliya's world and learn an entire alien language. 

The Steam page of the game pointed out that "Heaven's Vault" is not the players' usual linear adventure game. Players have the ability to go through the game in whatever path they choose as the game is designed to remember every choice and every discovery players made as well as every action taken by players which will subsequently, influence how the story will progress. Moreover, the game will also introduce a myriad set of characters who are made to remember everything players said and whose attitude toward the players will be determined by the way players act. 

"Heaven's Vault" will release to Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and PlayStation 4.