Harmony: The Fall of Reverie

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 140 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie Game Cover
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is DON'T NOD's best work to date, showcasing an gripping story with an interesting approach to player choice.
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"Harmony: The Fall of Reverie" is a highly acclaimed visual novel featuring a vibrant cast of fully-voiced characters and a magical soundtrack. Its emotionally charged story allows players to make choices that affect future outcomes, offering multiple endings to explore. Players step into the role of Polly/Harmony in a world of colorful mystery. Critics have praised its stellar writing and player choice mechanics, making it a must-play for narrative-driven experience enthusiasts.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 140 reviews
story52 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals and excellent voice acting, creating an immersive experience.
  • The unique choice mechanic, allowing players to see potential outcomes, adds depth to the gameplay and encourages strategic decision-making.
  • The story explores complex themes such as grief, freedom, and societal issues, making it thought-provoking and engaging.
  • The narrative can feel disjointed and rushed, especially in the later acts, leading to a lack of emotional impact.
  • Players may feel locked into certain paths due to previous choices, which can diminish the sense of agency and satisfaction.
  • The absence of a skip function for previously seen dialogue and cutscenes can make replaying the game tedious.
  • story150 mentions

    The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique premise and complex themes, while others find it disjointed and lacking in character development. The innovative storytelling mechanics, such as the flowchart for choices, are seen as both a strength and a distraction, often breaking immersion and making the narrative feel convoluted. Overall, while the game features beautiful visuals and engaging voice acting, many reviewers feel that the execution of the story does not live up to its potential, leaving it feeling unfinished or unengaging.

    • “Harmony offers a thrilling plot with high stakes and relationships you have to manage as you walk a path of chaos or collaboration, of authority or love.”
    • “Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is Don't Nod's best work to date, showcasing a gripping story with an interesting approach to player choice.”
    • “Overflowing with replay value, engaging characters, and great writing, the end result is that Harmony: The Fall of Reverie offers up some of the most compelling storytelling Don't Nod has ever come up with.”
    • “I tried for a while, but the story just isn't captivating.”
    • “The end result is I honestly barely know any of these characters as instead of talking to them I’m picking choices that I have no idea how they relate to what is going on in the story.”
    • “Despite its lovely aesthetic and heavy worldbuilding, the messy plot and inability to show nuance or interesting developments make this an ultimately dull experience.”
  • gameplay47 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily centered around choice mechanics, with a unique "augural" system that allows players to see potential future choices and outcomes, enhancing the narrative experience. However, many reviewers noted that the execution can feel lacking, with some sections dragging on and limited interactivity beyond making selections. While the mechanics are engaging and visually appealing, the overall gameplay experience may not satisfy those seeking more traditional gameplay elements.

    • “Amazing visuals, interesting & enjoyable gameplay mechanics and loveable characters.”
    • “The mechanics are engaging, fun and feel impactful; the story is once again brilliantly written.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, the game offers the player many choices to make through the use of the augural.”
    • “The actual gameplay is handled rather poorly, but with a better narrative and writing, it would probably have been okay.”
    • “The problem is this is a visual novel; the only gameplay is picking choices.”
    • “Novel gameplay mechanic, totally understand the thinking behind it - but not actually fun in execution.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals, vibrant colors, and beautiful art style, which enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the impressive animation and design, noting that the visuals stand out in contrast to the often dull aesthetics of other modern games. However, some critiques mention that while the graphics are exceptional, they do not fully compensate for shortcomings in the narrative and gameplay mechanics.

    • “The visuals of the game are striking and colorful, offering a welcome change from the bleary, washed out color palettes of many other modern games.”
    • “The very first words out of my mouth when the game started were, 'Oh my god, I love this art style!' The bright, saturated colors on Mediterranean architecture and the fun street art of Atina; the whimsy of the clashing decor and novelty of the pool-turned-living space at the Naiads; and the surreal fantasy of Reverie and its realms all make the world of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie feel so realized.”
    • “Harmony convinces with breathtaking visuals, bright colors, and an interesting plot.”
    • “At first, I wasn't convinced by Harmony, mainly due to the art style that I don't really like, but the demo sold me on the game!”
    • “Harmony: The Fall of Reverie comes through as a mixed bag for several reasons, but the art style isn’t enough to make up for the way choices work.”
    • “The graphics, especially the few animated scenes, are gorgeous!”
  • music26 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional impact, enhancing the overall experience with a relaxing and atmospheric quality. Many reviewers highlight the outstanding soundtrack and voice acting, noting that they contribute significantly to the game's engaging characters and visuals. While some mention that the music can be sparse at times, the general consensus is that it is well-implemented and complements the game's narrative effectively.

    • “The soundtrack is outstanding, although it is only like a 10 hour game, but still the soundtrack through those 10 hours borders on perfect.”
    • “The interesting character designs, the moving soundtrack, and the emphatic voice acting are all phenomenal.”
    • “Great choose your own adventure, the visuals and the music are just beautiful.”
    • “My only real gripe with the game is the music.”
    • “Voice acting and music is okay, I guess, but that's it.”
    • “There is not a lot of reviews for this, which surprised me when it came up on queue and I saw that Lena wrote the music.”
  • emotional13 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as intense and powerful, with a nuanced narrative that resonates deeply with players, often evoking strong feelings and even tears. While some reviewers appreciate the grounded character bonds and the weight of choices, others feel that certain plot developments undermine the emotional core. Overall, the game is recommended for those seeking a captivating and emotionally interactive experience, despite some mixed opinions on its execution.

    • “It is extremely emotional and powerful about how it addresses corruption and capitalism and the reality of trying to fight against systemic issues, and the bonds between characters feel very grounded.”
    • “This game is intense, emotional, and inspiring.”
    • “Animated, queer, beautifully nuanced narrative -- I cried like 4 times.”
  • character development12 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while many praise the dynamic and expressive character designs, as well as the strong voice acting and emotional depth conveyed through visuals, others feel that some characters lack depth and undergo changes off-screen, leaving their development feeling flat. Overall, the aesthetic elements, including character design and ambiance, are highlighted as standout features, but the narrative depth varies significantly among characters.

    • “The character designs, especially for the gods, perfectly exemplify each god’s specific emotion.”
    • “The voice acting, character designs, backgrounds, and music are all phenomenal.”
    • “Character designs are dynamic, expressive, and memorable.”
    • “The characters feel flat—I know next to nothing about most of them—or change off-screen without me witnessing the character development.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its branching paths and engaging narrative, allowing players to explore various outcomes and character interactions. However, some users noted that the inability to skip cutscenes can hinder the replay experience, making it feel tedious at times. Despite this, the compelling storytelling and character development contribute to its strong replay value.

    • “The element of clairvoyance introduced allows countless replays of situations impacting divergent consequences later in the game, with seemingly endless possibilities to explore in the moment (definitely replayable).”
    • “Overflowing with replay value, engaging characters and great writing, the end result is that Harmony: The Fall of Reverie offers up some of the most compelling storytelling Don't Nod has ever come up with and in doing so gives visual novel fans a superlative offering that is without peer.”
    • “It excels in all aspects of game analysis, from its core mechanics to its fictional and narrative involvement, artwork, and replayability.”
    • “It has a lot of replayability, but the problem is there is no skip button and you can't skip cutscenes, which is terrible for a game like this.”
    • “All of this poses a barrier to replayability.”
    • “Given that this game's emphasis on choices and branching paths relies on replayability, it makes replaying a slog.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to lengthy and inconsequential dialogue that detracts from the overall experience. Many express frustration with the overwhelming number of decisions and the slow pacing between gameplay and cutscenes, making it difficult to stay engaged.

    • “I just clicked through 5 hours of tedious dialogue where nothing of consequence happened, and then I headed back home.”
    • “I want to replay it, but in the current state of the game, it's just too tedious.”
    • “The intervals between decision-making gameplay and cutscenes can be tedious.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    While the game's art direction, voice performances, and score are highly praised, there is no specific mention of optimization in the provided text, suggesting that this aspect may not have been a focal point in the reviews.

  • atmosphere1 mentions

    Reviewers consistently highlight the game's music as a key element that enhances its atmosphere, describing it as both enjoyable and immersive.

    • “The music is very nice; I found it really atmospheric and enjoyable.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

74% average critic score

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