"Sharp logic puzzles, saves that vanish on update"
About
Dimhaven is a first-person mystery from Zadbox, the team behind Quern. You arrive on an island looking for a missing uncle and work through logic, math and decoding puzzles built into the environment. A camera lets you photograph clues and sketch on the shots, which becomes a notebook for cross-referencing what you've seen. Progress runs across a demo area and three larger locations, with a graduated hint system that reveals solutions step by step rather than handing them over. The visual style mixes pixel art with low-poly geometry.
Verdict
When Dimhaven is feeding you a clever chain of logic and number puzzles, it earns the Quern comparisons and the photo-notebook gives you a tool you actually use. The trouble starts later, where clues turn murky and the trial-and-error creeps in, and it ends sooner than the island leads you to expect. The technical state is the real drag: wiped saves on update, softlocks, flicker and controller support that should never have shipped in this condition. There's a sharp puzzle game in here, and patches may smooth the edges, but right now it asks for patience the bugs don't reward.
You'll like it if …
- +You want logic and math puzzles that make you take notes and stare at the room
- +Myst and Quern are your reference points and you don't need a long runtime
- +A stylised, slightly blurry pixel-poly look reads as atmosphere to you, not a flaw
You'll dislike it if …
- −Obtuse late-game clues and reaching for a guide spoil the whole thing for you
- −Losing a save to a patch is a dealbreaker
- −You want a long, interconnected world rather than three separate puzzle pockets
Breakdown
- +The logic and number puzzles are the reason to be here, and they reward careful observation over guesswork
- +The photo-and-sketch camera gives you a real tool for tracking clues across rooms
- +Early and mid-game pacing of difficulty earns the solutions you reach
- −Late-game puzzles tip into trial-and-error, with clues vague enough that the visa puzzle in particular sends players to guides
- −Object manipulation is finicky and the camera handling gets in the way of inspecting things
- +Puzzle variety holds up across the run, from binary kitchen logic to photographing a bird's nest
- −Only three major locations, and they never feed into each other the way an island this size promises
- −Large, visible areas stay sealed off, which makes the island feel bigger than the game actually is
- −Linear and one-and-done: little reason to return once you've solved it
- +Atmosphere and environmental storytelling pull you forward, wanting to know what happened here
- +The setup holds interest even if the writing never aims high
- −The ending lands rushed and convoluted for several players
- −Dialogue and exposition are thin, and the missing-uncle hook barely registers
- +The soundtrack and ambient sound do heavy lifting, drawing you into the world
- +Voice work is consistently well received
- +For those it clicks with, the pixel-and-low-poly look has real charm
- −The deliberate stylisation reads as blurry and hard to parse for a vocal share of players, with some reporting eye strain
- −Several see it as a clear step down from Quern's visuals
- +The graduated hint system nudges without spoiling, and earns broad praise
- +Developers are visibly responsive to bug reports
- −Saves wiped on updates, enough to make some abandon a run rather than restart again
- −Softlocks, texture flicker, pop-in and LOD glitches across the island
- −Controller support is effectively untested and fights you constantly
- −Photo and inventory UI is cumbersome to work through
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