Harmony: The Fall of Reverie

Harmony shows off DONTNOD's narrative chops with unconvential storytelling, unique deicison mechanics, and stellar character designs.

73%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, grinding

69% User Score Based on 172 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a single player casual management game with fantasy and drama themes. It was developed by DON'T NOD and was released on June 8, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

The fate of humanity is at stake. Use your gift of clairvoyance to see into the future and stop an apocalypse that threatens the balance between your world and the deities'.

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews

story69 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The visual art style and animations are vibrant, colorful, and beautifully designed, enhancing the storytelling experience.
Voice acting across the cast is strong, emotional, and adds depth to the characters.
The game features an innovative choice mechanic (the Augural) allowing players to see potential futures and plan choices accordingly, offering a unique strategic layer to visual novels.

The story writing and narrative pacing are inconsistent, with some sections feeling confusing, overly expositional, or emotionally flat, and the final act particularly regarded as weak or unsatisfying.
The choice system and interface often break immersion by frequently interrupting the narrative flow and limiting the feeling of meaningful agency due to locked choices and the requirement to plan far ahead.
Technical and quality-of-life issues, including lack of skip or fast-forward options for seen dialogue and animations, no manual save or load slots, and confusing UI navigation, hinder replayability and player enjoyment.

story
245 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The story of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is praised for its mature themes, emotional depth, and diverse, well-voiced characters, exploring complex social issues like depression, capitalism, and identity. However, many criticize its pacing, overly linear and railroaded narrative, confusing mechanics that break immersion (notably the augural choice system), and a disappointing, inconsistent ending that undermines earlier story elements. While visually and thematically ambitious, the story often feels fragmented and less engaging than expected, appealing mainly to players who appreciate experimental, philosophical narratives over traditional plot-driven storytelling.
- “Good story telling, great depiction of depression by the end of act 3.”
- “The voice acting is incredible, the art and UI beautiful and satisfying, the characters complex and resonate, and the story is one of deep emotional connection to the self, to others, and to the world.”
- “Harmony: the fall of reverie is a real visual novel, with a nicely developed story and fascinating characters to follow.”
- “The story is heavily railroaded, with most of your decisions leading to really no meaningful differences in how the story ultimately plays out, and the 'true' ending was particularly lazy with how it resolves the conflict.”
- “Constantly switching back to the augural view between story beats broke the immersion and disrupted the flow.”
- “Several times I would plan my path through the nodes of the story only to find out that I couldn't proceed in the direction I wanted; by playing some particular node it locked me out of another or forced me down a path that then locked me out of other choices.”
gameplay
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
68%
4%
The gameplay of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie centers almost entirely on dialogue choices and an innovative "augural" mechanic that visualizes branching futures, offering a distinctive yet complex decision-making experience. While many appreciate the unique narrative structure and the ability to foresee potential outcomes, some find the mechanic confusing, heavy, and occasionally detracting from immersion and story flow. Overall, the gameplay appeals most to fans of visual novels who enjoy experimental storytelling and philosophical themes, though it may feel limited or mechanically frustrating to those expecting more traditional interactivity.
- “Gameplay in Harmony revolves almost entirely around dialogue and decision-making, but it introduces a distinctive system called the augural, which visualizes branching futures before choices are locked in.”
- “The mechanics are engaging, fun and feel impactful, the story is once again brilliantly written.”
- “Also called the augural, the choices screen is where you'll be doing the majority of the actual gameplay, thinking and deciding which choice is best for the given characters or the situations they are in.”
- “The main core mechanic of the game, the augural (aka plot map), actually ruins and takes you out of the game itself.”
- “None of the gameplay or story elements mesh well with each other, leaving the direction confused and underdeveloped.”
- “Novel gameplay mechanic, totally understand the thinking behind it - but not actually fun in execution.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
32%
5%
The game's graphics receive widespread praise for their vibrant, colorful, and polished art style, with many highlighting the stunning animations and beautifully illustrated visuals that enhance the visual novel experience. The distinctive, bright aesthetics and well-executed character designs are often noted as a major draw, even for players less engaged by the story. Some technical issues on certain hardware were mentioned, but overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature that significantly enriches the game’s atmosphere.
- “The very first words out of my mouth when the game started was, "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.”
- “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 artwork, character animations, and the superb voice acting embellish the feeling of being firmly planted in Atina where the action happens, providing jeopardy on the choices you are forced to make.”
- “The artwork is horrible.”
- “At first, I wasn't convinced by Harmony, mainly due to the art style that I don't really like.”
- “ Graphics don't matter in this game.”
music
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
23%
7%
The music in the game, composed by Lena Raine, is widely praised for its atmospheric, emotional, and enchanting qualities that enhance the visual and narrative experience. While most reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature—mesmerizing, well-implemented, and integral to the game's mood—there are a few dissenting opinions finding it forgettable or generic. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength that complements the art and voice acting effectively.
- “The soundtrack, composed by Lena Raine, plays a significant role in maintaining atmosphere, blending soft, introspective themes with more dramatic motifs that underscore pivotal moments.”
- “The soundtrack is outstanding, although it is only like a 10 hour game, but still the soundtrack through those 10 hours borders on perfect.”
- “Harmony: The Fall of Reverie offers mesmerizing music, a stunning visual style, vibrant and emotional voice acting, and, most importantly, a core philosophical concept that is surprisingly deep.”
- “The music is a single soundtrack that sounds like it was bought off some free website.”
- “The presentation is as boring as the rest of the game, the music lame etc. This is far away from the quality of Pentiment or the emotional games DONTNOD produced in the past.”
- “Little to no music.”
emotional
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game presents a sophisticated and emotionally resonant narrative with strong voice acting, expressive character design, and deeply grounded themes about personal and societal struggles. While certain sections deliver powerful emotional impact and thoughtful storytelling, others are criticized for being overly abstract, fragmented, or prioritizing mechanics over emotional immersion, leading to mixed responses on its emotional effectiveness. Overall, it offers a distinct, intense experience that may resonate deeply with some players while feeling less emotionally engaging or mature to others.
- “Overall storytelling and emotional narrative was beautiful.”
- “The voice acting is incredible, the art and UI beautiful and satisfying, the characters complex and resonate, and the story is one of deep emotional connection to the self, to others, and to the world.”
- “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.”
character development
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
35%
5%
Character development is generally praised for its expressive, diverse, and charming character designs, supported by superb writing and immersive storytelling. Voice acting and animation further enhance emotional depth, though some players find certain characters underdeveloped or lacking visible growth. Overall, the game excels in crafting memorable, nuanced characters that contribute strongly to its world-building.
- “Character designs are expressive, with subtle animation and framing that emphasize emotional nuance over spectacle.”
- “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.”
- “[h1] Very immersive story with deep character development and superb writing, but the augural system was a little frustrating to use sometimes.”
- “The characters feel flat--I know next to nothing about most of them--or change off-screen without me witnessing the character development.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game offers high replayability through numerous choices, branching paths, and multiple endings, enhanced by features like a "restart chapter" button. However, some players find replaying slower scenes or the lack of a chapter select option somewhat frustrating, which can hinder the overall replay 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).”
- “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.”
- “With a plethora of different endings and choices, the game is designed for replayability, though there is no chapter select.”
- “I'll just mention a small annoyance... for replayability, it sometimes takes a bit of time to skip scenes you already know.”
- “[Replayability value:] yes, with a plethora of different endings and choices, the game is designed for this, but there is no chapter select.”
- “Given that this game's emphasis on choices and branching paths relies on replayability, it makes replaying a slog.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often seen as tedious and overly long, with repetitive navigation and slow pacing detracting from the overall experience despite the game's strong art and design.
- “So I just clicked through 5 hours of tedious dialog where nothing of consequence happened, and then I headed back home.”
- “It's a really boring game plagued by bad design choices, tedious, unnecessary navigation, through an uninspired story that never delivers.”
- “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.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization aspect is seen as somewhat detracting from narrative tension by making outcomes more predictable, but it does not overshadow the game's strong art direction, voice acting, and music, which together create an engaging and memorable adventure.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is highly praised, with Lena Raine's soundtrack effectively blending soft, introspective themes and dramatic motifs to enhance key moments, creating an immersive and enjoyable experience.
- “The soundtrack, composed by Lena Raine, plays a significant role in maintaining atmosphere, blending soft, introspective themes with more dramatic motifs that underscore pivotal moments.”
- “The music is also very nice, and I found it really atmospheric and enjoyable.”

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83%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a casual management game with fantasy and drama themes.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie was released on June 8, 2023.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie was developed by DON'T NOD.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Harmony: The Fall of Reverie for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a single player game.

Similar games include Neo Cab, The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, The Pale Beyond, Minds Beneath Us, Gamedec and others.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie

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