Dissonance: An Interactive Novelette

About

Dissonance: An Interactive Novelette is a single player action game. It was developed by Philip Royer and was released on December 1, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Dissonance follows the story of Bartholomew Brittle (a movie theater projectionist) and Clementine Cleu (an inquisitive theater patron) in a thought provoking discussion of the meaning of life.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

Single-Player

Dissonance: An Interactive Novelette screenshot

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

music1 negative mentions

The game offers a unique philosophical experience that can provide joy and hope, especially during tough times.
It is a short and enjoyable experience, taking about half an hour to an hour to complete, making it accessible for players.
The audio feature adds an interesting dimension to the game, enhancing the storytelling aspect.

The game lacks substantial content and replayability, making it feel a bit expensive for its length.
Many players found the writing to be poorly executed and the philosophical themes to be trite or heavy-handed.
The interactive segments do not significantly contribute to the overall story, leading to a disjointed experience.

story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The story is seen as a mixed bag; while it conveys a moral about perseverance and offers a unique narrative experience, many reviewers criticize its writing quality and character development, finding it unengaging and inconsistent. The interactive elements are deemed ineffective in enhancing the overall storytelling.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Not a game in the expected sense, but a really neat story in the end.”
- “The interactive segments, while minimal, contribute to a unique storytelling experience.”
- “From a story perspective, I found it poorly written and completely uninteresting to read.”
- “I cared very little for the character, and there were certain inconsistencies that I found distracting from the overall story.”
- “From a pure gameplay perspective, the interactive segments do nothing for the overall story.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is described as soothing and calming, providing a relaxing experience that can help players feel at ease.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is considered a thoughtful experience best enjoyed in a single sitting, with limited replayability, which some players find acceptable given its price.
- “Thoughtful game, to be played in one sitting and experienced; no real replayability to it, just fine for the price tag.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
- “The lack of different endings or choices makes replaying the game feel unnecessary.”
gameplay
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The gameplay is criticized for being disconnected from the overall narrative, with interactive segments failing to enhance the story or provide meaningful engagement.
- “From a pure gameplay perspective, the interactive segments do nothing for the overall story.”
- “The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through the game.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are overly simplistic, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement.”