It’s time to begin a brand new online game. There are some ways this explicit recreation might have caught your curiosity… Perhaps you noticed one in all its varied trailers main as much as launch; perhaps you heard about it out of your favourite web site or somebody you understand; it is attainable you even occurred upon it by probability throughout a sale or whereas scrolling by way of your gaming retailer of alternative. Whatever led you to this recreation, it is time — You begin it up, progressing previous its preliminary screens. You test your settings and put together your self to expertise an all-new world. You wait patiently, not realizing what to anticipate.
Within mere moments, a scattering of minutes, you get a sense that begins in your abdomen, creeping up into your chest — a heightening of expectation, a tensing of pleasure. There’s no option to know for sure, however you do; this online game goes to be immensely particular. Are you accustomed to the feeling? I’ve solely skilled it a handful of instances, with a few of my most beloved video games. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie gave me this sense, and it nearly carried that magic all through. Take a visit with me, and I’ll inform you all about it.
Disclaimer: This assessment was made attainable by a assessment code supplied by DON’T NOD. The firm didn’t see the contents of the assessment earlier than publishing.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie — Visuals and efficiency
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie begins with an exquisite, animated cinematic cutscene that appears pulled straight out of a beloved cartoon, establishing its most important character Polly and the world. These cinematics cap every main act (of which there are 5), however outdoors of that the sport is kind of an interactive visible novel. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie’s visuals are comprised of fantastically detailed background pictures to notate areas, in addition to distinctive fashions and animations for each character.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie
Developer: DON’T NOD
Publisher: DON’T NOD
Genre: Interactive visible novel
Install dimension: 7.4GB
Playtime: ~12 hours
Release date: June 8, 2023 (Windows PC, Switch) / June 23, 2023 (Xbox, PlayStation)
Price: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, Switch
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X
There are not any asset-packed 3D environments or an interactive open-world, as Harmony: The Fall of Reverie focuses totally on constructing the world by way of its story and characters. It succeeds at that, too, however that does not imply the sport is not fairly to have a look at. Everything is lovingly, persistently designed and rendered, all contributing to the overwhelming feeling that this world could possibly be actual. There’s not a stone misplaced.
The gorgeous cinematic cutscenes deliver the world into movement, and it is precisely what Harmony: The Fall of Reverie wanted to keep away from its less complicated visuals from changing into boring or predictable. This is a tremendous world, and I’d fortunately watch a full animated sequence set in it (and on this artwork model). The visuals are additionally supported by a beautiful, authentic soundtrack composed by the ever-talented Lena Raine, greatest identified for her work on Celeste, Minecraft, Guild Wars 2, and extra. The music in Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is commonly refined, but it surely’s at all times impactful.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie’s easy visuals do not cease it from wanting unimaginable.
As far as efficiency is worried, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie performed largely flawlessly on my Xbox Series X. Any lag or stutters can be more durable to note in a visible novel-style recreation, however I by no means encountered any points or bugs that detracted from my expertise. My solely criticism is that there are a variety of tiny loading screens on this recreation, and I imply lots. These loading screens are at all times very temporary (lower than a second), however they add up whenever you see one earlier than and after each node (checkpoints in a chapter), and even when one scene would possibly transfer to a brand new location or change the background artwork.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie — Story and world
At first, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie introduces its story as being small and extremely private in scale. A lady returns house after a few years away after studying that her estranged mom has disappeared. Now, she has to face her previous, reuniting with outdated mates and households, and try to find what occurred to her mom. Along the way in which, although, the story quickly expands to incorporate the destiny of the world… and extra.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie takes place largely within the island metropolis of Atina within the close to future. Atina boasts superior expertise and infrastructure due to the affect of Mono Konzern, an enormous megacorporation that may be discovered all over the place on the island. Polly has an advanced historical past with Atina and her mom, each, however now she has to come back to phrases with how a lot her childhood house has modified due to the machinations of MK.
Before she will be able to try this, although, she’s drawn to a mysterious necklace in her mom’s outdated room, as if it is really calling to her, and really abruptly discovers that the world is far, a lot bigger than she thought. In a mere blink, she is transported to a surreal, fantastical realm referred to as Reverie, and she or he meets the primary of a number of Aspirations. Enter: Bliss, the incarnation of humanity’s pleasure, love, and childlike innocence.
Polly learns that she has been chosen because the Oracle, a bridge between her bodily world (referred to as Brittle), and this ethereal aircraft occupied by the Aspirations. The Aspirations are usually not gods however are reasonably bodily manifestations of human ideas. Each main turning level in humanity’s evolution leads to the beginning of a brand new Aspiration, and these Aspirations in flip affect the trail of humanity by way of desires and feelings. In the fashionable age, the Aspirations embody Chaos, Bliss, Power, Bond, Truth, and Glory.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is in the end about being human, and it is a ravishing story.
A brand new Oracle could not have come at a greater time, Bliss reveals, as a result of Reverie is in hassle. Only the Oracle and their direct affect within the bodily world can probably save Reverie from destruction, and it is someway associated to Polly’s mom. Suddenly, Polly’s quest turns into a lot bigger than herself or her household, because the destiny of Reverie is actually the destiny of Brittle (and vice versa); each realms closely affect the opposite.
The ensuing story is one in all many decisions and branching paths and is guided each by Polly (performed by the participant) and the numerous, many characters in Harmony: The Fall of Reverie’s numerous and charismatic solid. Each character is totally realized and distinctive, and is backed by plausible, emotional, and total incredible voice appearing. As a narrative about humanity and the Aspirations shaped from their desires and wishes, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie touches on nearly each side of the human expertise. There is love and loss, pleasure and desperation, anger and damage, and a central theme of hope that humanity can transfer ahead.
It’s a fantastically written story supported by nice worldbuilding and insanely loveable characters, drawing me right into a tirade of feelings in contrast to any recreation I’ve performed since Citizen Sleeper. Both video games share the identical rock-solid basis, however Citizen Sleeper was a near-perfect execution on prime of it. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie stands out due to its fantastic voice appearing, however just a few narrative stumbles hold it simply shy of being a real masterpiece.
In order to maximise your decisions and their results, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie divides its story into 5 acts, every act into just a few chapters, and every chapter into a variety of nodes (that are principally particular person scenes). I solely seen one occasion the place two scenes did not seamlessly lead into one another after making a alternative (though there are doubtless different examples in case you take totally different paths), however this recreation’s greatest narrative weak spot comes from brevity.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie’s remaining act is not unhealthy, however its flaws stand out when in comparison with the wonderful earlier acts.
There had been a number of events, particularly in periods of excessive battle or stakes, the place I felt Harmony: The Fall of Reverie simply… slides previous what must be a strong or emotional second. What deserves a complete scene is relegated to a line or two, main you bereft of context or satisfaction. This is particularly true in Act 5, the finale, though I will not spoil something in regards to the recreation. Suffice to say, Act 5 is chronologically the longest of all of the acts, and I personally felt like main resolutions had been simply grazed reasonably than immediately confronted, taking away from the ability of the epic conclusion.
The recreation’s ending hours aren’t unhealthy, by any means, however they fail to hold the identical emotion and enrapturing magic as prior acts. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie relies upon nearly totally on its characters to drive house its story, however then relegates lots of these characters to the background throughout its conclusion. I perceive that it is at all times tough to write down a satisfying ending, not to mention a number of, particularly whenever you’re speaking a few longer choice-based recreation. Still, I used to be left just a little unhappy by the ultimate act of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, as if I used to be delivered to the highest of an not possible excessive curler coaster, solely to find that the drop down was far shorter than I anticipated.
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Harmony: The Fall of Reverie — Gameplay
Early on within the recreation Harmony: The Fall of Reverie introduces the mechanic that may make up the core of its gameplay. Up till then you might be merely following the story with out interfering, carried alongside as destiny wills it. Once Polly has been chosen because the Oracle, although, she enjoys a noble energy by way of her connection to Reverie: The Augural. This mysterious pressure permits Polly to look into the longer term and see attainable paths, altering the course of historical past by way of her choices. Now, that energy is in your palms, as each alternative is as much as you.
Polly will use the Augural to assist her discover her mom, uncover the reality behind what’s occurring in Reverie, and attempt to save her house from destroying itself from inside. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a story recreation within the model of a visible novel, however you might be behind each alternative. There are many branching paths, and it may closely affect the occasions of the story all the way in which to the top. You have to decide on what sort of Oracle and particular person you wish to be, and in the end determine which of Reverie’s Aspirations must be chosen to information humanity’s future.
You’re not simply making decisions on a whim, you are actively guiding the world to a way forward for your selecting.
I really love this strategy to decision-making, because it makes considering totally different paths an integral a part of the gameplay. You’re not simply given just a few choices, it’s also possible to see the place these choices might lead, get hints on outcomes, and attempt to plan the longer term you wish to see occur. It requires loads of forethought at time, particularly whenever you’re aiming for a selected ending or attempting to stay true to the Polly you wish to be. My Polly, for instance, was empathetic, trustworthy, and completely unafraid to care for herself when she wanted it reasonably than sacrifice the whole lot for the individuals round her.
So many outcomes and totally different paths inevitably means replaying some elements in case you’re unhappy with the conclusion. Unfortunately, you are restricted in how you are able to do that. You’re solely capable of restart chapters that you just’re at present enjoying, and there is not any option to rapidly skip scenes you have already seen, leaving you to mash buttons to progress by way of the textual content. Finally, there is not any means to return and replay particular acts or chapters after you have accomplished the sport, and I really feel there must be.
The Augural itself is imperfect, too. While it is laid out comparatively clearly, it may be an utter ache to navigate it on a controller, largely whenever you’re attempting to have a look at a selected node in a gaggle. This is one recreation the place I really feel an on-screen cursor would really be useful reasonably than detrimental. The Augural additionally has a ton of UI and UX components to let you understand when nodes are locked, must have situations met, affect different nodes or future paths, and extra. Most of that is intuitive, however there’s lots right here and there is not a persistent legend to assist remind you what the assorted icons and symbols imply.
The Augural is the interactive component of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, so any imperfections in its use is straight away noticeable. This recreation can be very replayable due to the branching paths and outcomes (you’ll by no means be capable of do the whole lot you need in a single playthrough), so it is a disgrace that DON’T NOD is not making it simpler for gamers to see elements of the sport they could have missed of their first playthrough.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie — Accessibility
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a comparatively simple, easy-to-play recreation, with its easy visible novel-esque recreation design lending itself to nice approachability. Still, going even additional to make sure as many individuals as attainable can play your recreation is significant, so what did DON’T NOD do to make Harmony: The Fall of Reverie extra accessible and approachable?
Unfortunately, accessibility settings are restricted right here, additional offset by some tough recreation design components and a common lack of localization. You have granular sliders for audio, and precisely three toggles for Autoplay (plus Autoplay velocity), displaying controls, and displaying tutorials. There are not any methods to customise the textual content dimension or distinction to enhance visibility, no color-blind choices, no option to rebind the (admittedly easy) controls.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie sadly lacks in accessibility and localization departments.
Like I discussed earlier than, the design of the Augural could make it tough to navigate, whereas the shortage of a legend could make it obscure. The Augural is the core of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie, however some gamers might discover it irritating to make use of. There’s additionally no option to skip sections you have already seen when replaying nodes or chapters, and you may solely restart chapters that you just’re at present in — there is not any option to restart acts or return to earlier acts.
Finally, localization is sorely missing in Harmony: The Fall of Reverie. Full localization is just obtainable in English, and there is partial localization (subtitles and interface) for 3 extra languages: German, Spanish (Spain), and French. Right away, that is going to make this recreation inaccessible to a variety of gamers, and that is actually unlucky. Localization is tough, however vital. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a particular recreation that as many gamers as attainable ought to expertise, however accessibility and localization each miss the usual for a contemporary online game.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie — Should you play it?
You ought to play this if …
- You love story with endearing characters and nice writing
- You get pleasure from choice-based video games with a variety of choices
- You do not want your video games to have extra concerned gameplay
You shouldn’t play this if …
- You want extra lively, engaged gameplay
- You want lacking accessibility or localization choices
I spent 12 hours in Brittle and Reverie, as I listened to all of the voice appearing and replayed just a few chapters. Within the primary ten minutes of enjoying, although, I discovered myself flooded with a sensation of pleasure and anticipation; I caught myself considering “This recreation could be a masterpiece.” DON’T NOD nearly carried that sensation by way of all 5 acts, however a gently disappointing finale and weaknesses in each the gameplay and recreation design subdued that feeling earlier than I reached the credit.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is an excellent recreation. I can see how a lot love and fervour was poured into creating this world, bringing these characters to life, and crafting an ocean-like story flooded with emotion, desires, and attainable futures. It stays one in all my favourite Xbox video games of 2023, and I can not suggest it sufficient to followers of narrative-heavy, choice-based video games. It falls shy of perfection, however that does not make me any much less grateful that I made a decision to present it an opportunity and play it.
