Harlow
- March 14, 2022
- Good Trouble
Get on Steam"Harlow" is a single-player platformer game that won the Gold Award at the 2022 NYX Game Awards. As a compact robot aboard the R1-Humanity, you must evade dangers of an ancient planet, gather materials, and plan a surprise party for the colonists. Utilizing physics-based controls, players can jump, roll, and evade various obstacles like oceans of acid, ancient machinery, and lavafalls. The game offers stunning visuals, a stellar soundtrack, and the ability to unlock different endings based on how you transform the ship into a stellar celebration.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Harlow features beautiful art style, charming visuals, and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- The gameplay is fun and engaging, with well-designed levels that provide a good balance of challenge and relaxation.
- The game offers a cozy atmosphere with cute characters and a heartwarming storyline, making it appealing even to those who typically don't enjoy platformers.
- The controls can be buggy and inconsistent, particularly with the throw mechanics and mouse cursor, which can disrupt movement.
- Checkpointing is poorly implemented, leading to frustrating experiences when players are sent back to repeat difficult sections due to unexpected obstacles.
- The game can feel tedious and repetitive over time, with a lack of meaningful mechanics introduced as the difficulty progresses.
- music17 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in Harlow is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, featuring a charming lo-fi, pop-ambient soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack not only complements the game's beautiful visuals but also creates a cozy atmosphere that keeps players engaged. Overall, the music is considered a standout element, contributing significantly to the game's polished and memorable experience.
“Harlow’s beautiful art style, fun gameplay, and excellent soundtrack all come together to form a super polished, memorable experience.”
“Also the music is fantastic as well - the soundtrack would stand well on its own even outside of the game.”
“The visuals: 10/10 (this hazy, dreamy, almost glowy atmosphere evokes such a feeling of anemoia), the music 10/10 (it's got this lo-fi, pop-ambient feel that takes you to another world).”
“As you get in a trance from the lofi music, an impression sets in that this game is a cute, cozy game… and then the next thing you know - you’re on level 12, wanting to throw your mouse out the window because this game’s innovative level design keeps challenging you into insanity!”
“The music is so relaxing.”
“I love the art style and music; it's slick as hell.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Harlow is characterized by its polished mechanics and well-designed levels that facilitate a flow state, making it accessible and enjoyable for players. While the difficulty progression is mild and introduces few new mechanics, the game excels in creating a cozy atmosphere with charming visuals and a captivating soundtrack. Overall, it offers a unique blend of relaxing yet engaging gameplay, appealing even to those who typically do not favor platformers.
“Harlow’s beautiful art style, fun gameplay, and excellent soundtrack all come together to form a super polished, memorable experience.”
“It's always great to find a game that has both tight gameplay mechanics and a well laid out level design that allows you to reach flow state.”
“The visuals: 10/10 (this hazy, dreamy, almost glowy atmosphere evokes such a feeling of anemoia), the music 10/10 (it's got this lo-fi, pop-ambient feel that takes you to another world), the gameplay: 10/10 (it's chill, it's mellow, there are challenging moments, but overall, the controls are easy and the physics-based movements are just unpredictable enough to keep you glued to the screen).”
“There are 40 levels, and the difficulty only mildly increases from start to finish with very few meaningful mechanics introduced.”
“Mechanics were just a bit wonky when starting with keyboard and mouse, as the game could autonomously reset my angry-birds-slingshot-style (rear aiming and firing) back to the forward-facing-trajectory-style (front aiming and firing).”
“I'm not someone that usually likes platformers, but the calm aesthetic, soundtrack, and simple mechanics make Harlow a platformer that leans more cozy than adrenaline-pumping (exactly my preferred type of game).”
- graphics10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of Harlow are widely praised for their beautiful art style, characterized by a colorful, layered, and dreamy atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the polished visuals, which contribute to a cozy and charming aesthetic, making the game visually memorable despite some repetitiveness in level design. Overall, the stunning visuals and excellent soundtrack create a captivating environment that keeps players engaged.
“Harlow’s beautiful art style, fun gameplay, and excellent soundtrack all come together to form a super polished, memorable experience.”
“The visuals: 10/10 (this hazy, dreamy, almost glowy atmosphere evokes such a feeling of anemoia), the music 10/10 (it's got this lo-fi, pop-ambient feel that takes you to another world), the gameplay: 10/10 (it's chill, it's mellow, there are challenging moments, but overall, the controls are easy and the physics-based movements are just unpredictable enough to keep you glued to the screen).”
“The aesthetic pretty much stays exactly the same and the levels start to all feel pretty much the same.”
“Although Harlow explores the old planet by collecting 'party data' in order to throw a party for colonists, you, the player, get to explore this aesthetically pleasing world of color, layers, and depth that Harlow glides through each level.”
“I love the art style and music; it's slick as hell.”
- story5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a charming narrative that combines a "it's going to be okay" theme with intriguing mysteries about a machine-filled planet devoid of humans. Players appreciate the emotional depth and curiosity it evokes, enhanced by delightful music and engaging puzzles. Overall, the storyline is both cute and thought-provoking, leaving players eager to uncover its secrets.
“I love the storyline and the 'it's going to be okay' theme of the game.”
“The story itself has got me curious so far since finding a secret or two that might explain why this planet is full of machines and could be habitable for humans, but there's no humans around.”
“The developer has such a tear-jerker story too!”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its dreamy, hazy visuals and soothing lo-fi music, creating an immersive and relaxing experience. Reviewers highlight the combination of soft tones and ambient sounds as key elements that enhance the overall enjoyment, making it a captivating world to explore.
“Simple to control, tricky to execute, the flow of motion and the super chill music, with the soft-toned atmosphere makes this a great game to settle in for and enjoy.”
“The visuals: 10/10 (this hazy, dreamy, almost glowy atmosphere evokes such a feeling of anemoia), the music: 10/10 (it's got this lo-fi, pop-ambient feel that takes you to another world), the gameplay: 10/10 (it's chill, it's mellow, there are challenging moments, but overall, the controls are easy and the physics-based movements are just unpredictable enough to keep you glued to the screen).”
“Excellent gameplay, narrative & atmosphere.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Harlow is praised for its emotional depth, characterized by its charming visuals, heartwarming music, and endearing robot characters. Reviewers highlight the game's wholesome atmosphere and delightful writing, making it a captivating experience that lingers even after gameplay.
“Harlow is such a charming and heartwarming game, with beautiful visuals and music that you'll want to keep playing even when you're done gaming.”
“All the robots are wholesome and adorable, and the writing is charming and funny.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by charming and funny dialogue, particularly from the cute and wholesome robots, which adds a delightful touch to the experience. Players appreciate the unique unlockables that enhance the excitement of exploration, further contributing to the game's lighthearted tone.
“The robots are so cute with hilarious dialogue, and the unlockables are so unique that I am always excited to research the next thing for the ship.”
“All the robots are wholesome and adorable, and the writing is charming and funny.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While players enjoy many aspects of the game, there are notable concerns regarding stability, particularly related to buggy controls that detract from the overall experience.
“I love everything about this game, except for the buggy controls.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy.”
“I keep experiencing random freezes that ruin the gameplay.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious and repetitive, which can detract from the overall experience.
“The game is a bit tedious and repetitive, making the grinding feel like a chore.”
“Grinding in this game becomes monotonous very quickly, leading to a lack of motivation.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
