Each form has a basic combo and a special move, as well as a slightly modified dodge. The orange form is Physical, where she uses a magic sword the purple is Mental, where she is uses energy projectiles. There’s a lot of the former in the preview section, with Avril switching between two states. The main drive of the game will be a combination of combat and puzzle-solving. Honestly, it’s not the best way to showcase the game and left me feeling utterly detached rather than engaged. It’s just a lot of words and terminology. That’s all I really have as nothing is explained in the preview. Avril and Mila are apparently stranded on the planet Gryja in the aftermath of Earth’s destruction and are attempting to do stuff. She’s aided by a few characters other than Batora, such as Mila the walking midriff, and Carador, whose character portrait shows him as a big alien snake but who’s actually a golden rose on screen. One moment she’s spitting sarcastic barbs, the next she really cares about the planet she’s on, and then she’s back to rolling her eyes at the absurdity of it all. It’s hard to think of a more generic character. Batora’s voice had my teeth on edge right away, and Avril is the stock snarky, over-confident teen. However, the main issue wasn’t lack of context but lack of interest. Obviously, this is a work in progress, and the preview build dropped me in several hours into the game.

Upon keen inspection a few things began to niggle me straight away. As the Keeper of Balance or the Chosen, Avril is able to use comic space magic to fight against evil at the behest of the guardians. Earth has been destroyed by a mysterious calamity (again), and it’s up to teenager Avril to somehow put it right. She takes the form of a wizened old woman in a cloak thick with pretty fungus and one of the most instantly annoying voices I’ve ever heard. The titular Batora is an ancient being, who thinks of herself (for she is presented as a she) as the most powerful entity in the universe. Plucky protagonist, alien world in peril, twin-stick action and one character who appears to be around 80% bare midriff. It’s got everything that would usually make it ripe to steal all the hours of my life. When viewed from orbit, Batora: Lost Haven looks like just the sort of brightly-coloured, frantic place I’d like to land my colonisation ship and put down roots.

Free for ios instal Batora: Lost Haven