DISHARMONY

About

DISHARMONY is a single player role playing game with horror and fantasy themes. It was developed by Boot-Cat Studio and was released on June 30, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Disharmony is a turn-based role-playing game with elements typically found in rhythm games. It is currently being developed for Windows, and possibly other platforms in the future. In this game, You take control of Tay, as you travel through a fantasy-world/sci-fi world based on music. It's filled with music-related puzzles, characters, references to tons of bands/musical groups, and more. You als…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

music8 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features a unique blend of RPG and rhythm game mechanics, providing a fresh and engaging experience.
The artistic expression and changing art styles throughout the game are impressive and add depth to the narrative.
The soundtrack is atmospheric and well-composed, enhancing the overall experience and fitting the game's various environments.

The rhythm-based battle system suffers from synchronization issues, making it difficult for players to rely on audio cues.
Character development is lacking, with many characters feeling underdeveloped and their emotional arcs not resonating with players.
The game has a steep difficulty curve with limited customization options, which may alienate casual gamers and those unfamiliar with rhythm games.

music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its quality and enjoyment, particularly for fans of midi and sample tracker tunes, while others criticize the soundtrack for feeling repetitive and lacking variety. Additionally, issues such as inconsistent volume levels, the absence of audio sliders, and unpleasant character dialogue noises detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many players find the music engaging and integral to the rhythm-based gameplay.
- “First of all: the music was super duper good 10/10.”
- “The music, story, and gameplay were great and fun to experience.”
- “I found the battles challenging but fair, the music enjoyable (mostly because I'm fond of MIDI and sample tracker tunes), some of the visuals striking, and some of the narrative ideas quite compelling.”
- “In my initial draft, I criticized how the soundtrack itself sounds kind of samey, without being able to figure out why that is.”
- “Gameplay scratches a 'difficult rhythm game itch' despite the difficulty stemming from unresponsive and cramped controls, and no music sync.”
- “There are no audio sliders, character dialogue noises are unpleasant and annoying, the volume of the music tracks feels inconsistent, and the overall volume of the game is much lower than everything else on my PC (which could have been remedied with a simple master volume slider).”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging artistic expression and enjoyable music, but it suffers from poor execution, including unresponsive controls, lack of tutorial guidance, and awkward mechanics introduced late in the game. Players noted that the rhythm and puzzle elements feel poorly planned, leading to a frustrating experience despite the game's potential. Overall, while the gameplay has its fun moments, it is marred by significant design flaws.
- “The music, story, and gameplay were great and fun to experience.”
- “Game took five hours to beat with baby mode activated.”
- “Gameplay scratches a 'difficult rhythm game itch' despite the difficulty stemming from unresponsive and cramped controls, and no music sync.”
- “Great artistic expression and ideas, undermined by its gameplay execution.”
- “Gameplay has little tutorial, tossing you into its awkward baseless puzzle solving and rhythm content that feels not very planned.”
- “Moreover, the combat systems are introduced in a wall of text, not through gameplay itself.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The story is engaging and features a strong attention to detail, though some players feel it lacks depth and coherence, particularly in character development and plot resolution. While the game draws inspiration from Undertale, it may rely too heavily on this influence without establishing a compelling narrative of its own. Overall, the music and gameplay complement the story, making for an enjoyable experience despite its shortcomings.
- “The music, story, and gameplay were great and fun to experience.”
- “Story was interesting enough and carried through the game, and attention to small details is intensive (maybe too much for a single dev).”
- “I have finished the main storyline, and now trying to do all the behind-the-curtains stuff.”
- “Don't do this 'it's all a game' schtick halfway into your story.”
- “That said, it is very much an Undertale-inspired game (perhaps too inspired without much driving plot as to why).”
- “The four girls you meet throughout the story are barely characters.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's graphics are characterized by a variety of abstract art styles that effectively convey the trauma of the characters, with some visuals being striking and unique, particularly during enemy encounters. However, many players noted that the overall presentation feels flat and dimensionless due to a head-on perspective and a lack of detail, which is further emphasized by the expansive and sparsely populated maps. While the art styles are impressive, the execution leaves some players wanting more depth and detail.
- “And these art styles in particular are what is most impressive about this game.”
- “I found the battles challenging but fair, the music enjoyable (mostly because I'm fond of MIDI and sample tracker tunes), some of the visuals striking, and some of the narrative ideas quite compelling.”
- “While abstract in nature, they retell the trauma of the people he helps through various changing art styles, small puzzles, and fights.”
- “Visuals are low on my list of things to care about, but almost all of the art in the game is in this head-on perspective that makes everything feel flat and dimensionless. The lack of detail in the artwork is made to stick out even more by the maps being unnecessarily large and spread out.”
- “Each enemy seems to have unique visuals for their dodge minigame, but I wouldn't know, as I was relegated to baby stick mode near instantly.”
- “Visuals are low on my list of things to care about, but almost all of the art in the game is in this head-on perspective that makes everything feel flat and dimensionless. The lack of detail in the artwork is made to stick out even more by the maps being unnecessarily large and spread out.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as charming and entertaining, with well-crafted characters and jokes that add depth, despite some rough edges and instances of pointless dialogue. While it offers a fun experience, some reviewers feel it doesn't reach the comedic heights of games like Undertale. Overall, it strikes a balance between humor and depth, making it an enjoyable experience.
- “It is truly very charming with so many details to a lot of things that may have inspired it or are just very funny to experience yourself, while also having quite some depth in general, even with its rather rough edges.”
- “I found the writing, especially the characters and jokes funny and entertaining.”
- “It does have a lot of pointless dialogue though, and is not as humorous as Undertale.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features engaging object interactions, stylized cutscenes, and heartfelt exchanges, aiming for emotional depth through its narrative. However, many reviewers feel that the emotional moments are undermined by underdeveloped characters, making it difficult for the intended impact to resonate. Overall, while there are attempts at creating emotional connections, the execution falls short due to character flatness.
- “There are a lot of heartfelt exchanges and dark reveals, along with painfully saccharine moments of reaffirmed friendships and emotional support.”
- “The game features amazing object interactions, easter eggs, and stylized cutscenes sprinkled around the map, creating heartwarming experiences.”
- “The puzzles and platforming are a lot of fun, adding to the overall emotional engagement of the game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in the game is highly praised, with each musical track perfectly complementing its respective area, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
- “Each track is very well suited for the area it plays in and creates a highly atmospheric experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches reported by users, indicating that the code is unstable and prone to errors.
- “The code is going crazy; look at all the glitches!”
- “The code is going crazy; look at all the glitches!”