Harmony: The Fall of Reverie

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 136 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 136 reviews
story58 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals, beautiful character designs, and excellent voice acting that enhance the overall experience.
  • The branching story mechanic allows for meaningful choices, creating a sense of agency and engagement with the narrative.
  • The emotional depth of the story, particularly around themes of family, grief, and societal issues, resonates well with players.
  • The writing can be inconsistent, with some plot points feeling underdeveloped or confusing, particularly in the later acts.
  • The Augural system, while innovative, can disrupt the flow of the story and lead to frustration when choices feel limited or arbitrary.
  • There is a lack of replayability features, such as a skip button for previously seen dialogue, which can make multiple playthroughs tedious.
  • story184 mentions

    The story of "Harmony: The Fall of Reverie" is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing premise, character development, and unique storytelling mechanics, while others criticize its disjointed narrative and lack of coherence. The flowchart system intended to enhance player choice often disrupts immersion and can lead to confusion, leaving some feeling disconnected from the plot and characters. Overall, while the game features beautiful visuals and ambitious themes, many reviewers feel that the execution of the story falls short, resulting in an experience that is both captivating and frustrating.

    • “I love this game, the characters are endearing, the story is really interesting, and the story tree mechanic is fun.”
    • “The story is compelling; I personally had no issue with its political tone or motivations.”
    • “Don't nod definitely delivered a great, engaging, and compelling story with multiple branches that I can't wait to see what outcomes will they bring.”
    • “None of the gameplay or story elements mesh well with each other, leaving the direction confused and underdeveloped.”
    • “I played through twice to see if there was a more coherent story I was missing, but no, the disjointed and arbitrary story seems to be intended.”
    • “The constant jumping back and forth between the real world and the augural was taxing and disruptive to the overall story.”
  • gameplay59 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily centered around a choice-based mechanic, known as the augural, which allows players to navigate a decision tree that influences the story's outcome. While some players appreciate the complexity and visual appeal of this mechanic, many criticize its execution, noting that it can lead to a lack of engagement and a disjointed narrative experience. Overall, the game is seen as a visual novel that prioritizes storytelling through choices, but struggles with integrating gameplay elements effectively.

    • “I love this game; the characters are endearing, the story is really interesting, and the story tree mechanic is fun.”
    • “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.”
    • “None of the gameplay or story elements mesh well with each other, leaving the direction confused and underdeveloped.”
    • “The actual gameplay is handled rather poorly, but with a better narrative and writing would probably have been okay.”
    • “Sadly, this is also the only 'interactive' game mechanic present.”
  • graphics45 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style, vibrant colors, and smooth animations, creating an immersive visual experience that enhances the storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful character designs and the overall aesthetic, which stands out against the often dull palettes of other modern titles. While the visuals are celebrated, some critiques mention that they do not fully compensate for weaknesses in the narrative.

    • “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.”
    • “The graphics, especially the few animated scenes, are gorgeous!”
    • “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!”
    • “I won't pretend to understand the flow charts, but the graphics are pretty, the game is moving, the voice acting is top tier, and this is some great character development and world building.”
  • music34 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, enhancing the overall experience with an outstanding soundtrack and excellent voice acting. Many reviewers highlight the atmospheric quality of the music, which complements the game's visuals and character designs, although a few express disappointment with its lack of innovation. Overall, the combination of engaging music and voice work contributes significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The soundtrack is outstanding, although it is only like a 10 hour game, but still the soundtrack through those 10 hours borders on perfect.”
    • “Beautifully designed and voiced characters, lots of choices to make, very interesting story, love the soundtrack.”
    • “The interesting character designs, the moving soundtrack, and the emphatic voice acting are all phenomenal.”
    • “My only real gripe with the game is the music.”
    • “The presentation is as boring as the rest of the game; the music is lame, etc. This is far from the quality of Pentiment or the emotional games Dontnod produced in the past.”
    • “Little to no music.”
  • character development16 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while many praise the charming character designs, exceptional voice acting, and immersive storytelling, some critics feel that certain characters lack depth and undergo changes off-screen, leaving their development feeling flat. Overall, the combination of strong writing and expressive character designs contributes to a memorable experience, though inconsistencies in character depth are noted.

    • “The character designs, especially for the gods, perfectly exemplify each god’s specific emotion.”
    • “Overall, I really enjoyed the game and was hugely impressed with the character development, world building, and story.”
    • “Very immersive story with deep character development and superb writing.”
    • “The characters feel flat—I know next to nothing about most of them—or change off-screen without me witnessing the character development.”
    • “Overall, I really enjoyed the game, and was hugely impressed with the character development, world building, and story.”
    • “Love the use of color throughout the game, from the character designs to the background art.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its intense and powerful narrative, featuring themes of personal conflict, systemic issues, and character bonds that resonate deeply with players. While some reviewers found the emotional impact to be profound and moving, others criticized the execution and presentation, suggesting it fell short compared to other emotionally rich titles. Overall, the game evokes a range of feelings, from inspiration to heartbreak, though opinions on its effectiveness vary significantly.

    • “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.”
  • replayability11 mentions

    The game offers high replayability due to its branching paths and multiple endings, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes. However, the lack of a chapter select and the inability to skip cutscenes can hinder the experience, making repeated playthroughs feel tedious at times. Overall, while the replay value is significant, the execution could be improved to enhance the experience.

    • “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).”
    • “Great story with plenty of replayability options, but could have a better intro as the first few minutes are a bit confusing.”
    • “Many of the choices will obviously lead to different outcomes, so the replay value is very high, which is very much helped by a 'restart chapter' button on the main menu.”
    • “I'll just mention a small annoyance... for replayability, it sometimes takes a bit of time to skip the scenes you already know.”
    • “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.”
    • “Given that this game's emphasis on choices and branching paths relies on replayability, it makes replaying a slog.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often involving lengthy and unengaging dialogue and navigation that detracts from the overall experience. While the game's art and brilliance are acknowledged, the excessive grind and poor design choices make replaying it feel burdensome.

    • “It's a really boring game plagued by bad design choices, tedious and unnecessary navigation through an uninspired story that never delivers.”
    • “I want to replay it, but in the current state of the game, it's just too tedious.”
    • “If I have something to remember about this game, it would be that the game is brilliant and the art is gorgeous, but some chapters are a bit tedious and way too long.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    While the game's art direction, voice performances, and score by Lena Raine are highly praised, there is no specific mention of optimization in the reviews, suggesting that this aspect may not have been a focal point for players. Overall, the emphasis is on the game's aesthetic and narrative qualities rather than its technical performance.

  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the enjoyable and immersive quality of the music, which significantly enhances the overall experience.

    • “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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