Haven

Introduction

Haven was one of our first experiences in China and immediately introduced us to a completely different side of the immersive scene. Instead of following the more traditional escape room formula, Haven embraces immersive experience — and does so beautifully.

It was very different from what we were used to and showed us just how far immersive entertainment can go in another direction. I was impressed from the beginning — but I was not prepared for how much it would eventually affect me.

Story & Emotion

Throughout the story, we travelled alongside its characters, and this is where Haven did something particularly well: it created a genuine attachment to them. Through the interactions and the time we spent together, they gradually stopped feeling like performers simply moving the story forward. We started caring about them, their relationships and what happened to them.

For me, this attachment is what made the finale so powerful. Haven had spent the entire experience quietly building that connection, and by the time the story reached its conclusion, I was completely invested in their journey.

The experience hit me far harder than I had expected, and I genuinely cried. It didn’t feel like an emotional moment that had simply been added for effect. Haven had earned that reaction by first making me care. That, more than anything, is what stayed with me afterwards.

Set & Atmosphere

The production quality of Haven is fantastic. The different environments create a convincing dystopian world, but what impressed me just as much were the large-scale mechanics used to physically move us through it.

The elevator in particular was a highlight for me. Without revealing what happens, it wasn’t simply a set piece or a transition between scenes — it became part of the experience itself. The scale and execution of the mechanics surrounding it made our journey through this world feel surprisingly real.

There is a strong cinematic quality to Haven, but it never feels like we are simply watching something happen. We are inside the scenes, moving through this world together with its characters. The physical production plays a huge role in making that illusion work.

Puzzles & Teamwork

There are no puzzles in Haven — and that is exactly the point. Our role wasn’t to stop the story every few minutes to solve something. Instead, we participated, observed and interacted while allowing the narrative to carry us forward.

For us, this was one of the most fascinating aspects of the experience. Haven showed us that immersion doesn’t necessarily need puzzles to create engagement. We were engaged because we wanted to know where this journey would take us and what would happen to the characters accompanying us.

As one of our first introductions to this much more theatrical style of immersive experience in China, Haven completely changed my expectations of what we might encounter during the rest of the trip.

Final Thoughts

Haven showed me a very different interpretation of what an immersive experience can be. There was nothing to “solve”, yet I never missed having puzzles.

What stayed with me instead was the combination of an impressive physical production and a story that managed to make me genuinely care about its characters.

I certainly didn’t expect one of our first experiences in China to end with me in tears. But Haven did exactly that.