Viola: The Heroine's Melody

About

Viola: The Heroine's Melody is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Jelle van Doorne and was released on February 17, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

In "Viola: The Heroine's Melody," players follow the journey of Viola, a young musician with the power to control time, as she battles enemies and solves puzzles in a quest to save her sister. With its unique time-manipulation mechanic and hand-drawn art style, this game offers a refreshing take on the action-adventure genre. As Viola, players will explore a richly detailed world and uncover secrets while honing their musical and combat skills.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

music20 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Viola features a charming story that explores themes of self-love, friendship, and personal growth, making it a heartwarming experience.
The game combines engaging turn-based combat with rhythm mechanics, providing a unique and enjoyable gameplay experience.
The characters are well-developed and diverse, with delightful interactions and humor that enhance the overall narrative.

The game suffers from several bugs, including game-breaking issues that can prevent progress, which detracts from the overall experience.
Platforming mechanics can feel clunky and unresponsive, lacking the challenge that some players may expect from a platformer.
The combat can be overly simplistic, with some players finding it too easy, which may not satisfy those looking for a more challenging RPG experience.

music
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The music in "Viola" is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its delightful soundtrack and integration into gameplay, enhancing the overall experience. The game's musical themes are not only enjoyable but also serve as a core mechanic, allowing players to unlock secrets and progress through the story. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, making the game a worthwhile investment for music lovers and RPG fans alike.
- “The music is wonderful and is worth the price of admission alone.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “Most impressive is how well the concept of music and the musical gameplay is implemented into the game’s world.”
- “It would have been a crime for a game heavily influenced by musical instruments and music to not have good music.”
- “The story kind of drags initially, but the musical themes are endearing, such as Viola's party trying to get her to be herself when she's upset about being the only person who can't play music.”
- “Going into the game, I had a few initial apprehensions, the first being the aforementioned musical combat.”
story
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
58%
7%
The story of "Viola: the heroine’s melody" is a heartwarming and beautifully crafted narrative that explores themes of self-love, community, and artistic expression, set against a backdrop of a fantastical world filled with diverse characters. Players appreciate the engaging character development and personal quests that enhance the emotional depth of the story, despite some predictability in the plot. Overall, the game is celebrated for its charming characters, soothing atmosphere, and the meaningful lessons it imparts, making it a delightful escape for players.
- “The story is so beautiful and such a great meditation on loving oneself, finding community, moving through grief, and falling in love with artistic expression.”
- “Incredible heartwarming story with beautiful characters.”
- “The strong point of the game is the story; every character is a joy to see on the screen, and I can't think of anything in recent memory that made me cry as much as this game has.”
- “The story will not surprise you, but the characters will warm your heart.”
- “The characters can be charming and the story is okay, albeit predictable, and covers topics like loving yourself and such.”
- “The story kinda drags initially but the musical themes are endearing, such as Viola's party trying to get her to be herself when she's upset about being the only person who can't play music.”
gameplay
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
60%
8%
The gameplay of the game is a blend of RPG turn-based battles, light platforming, and rhythm-based mechanics, offering a charming experience despite some bugs and basic platforming elements. While the combat mechanics are engaging and add variety, the platforming can feel simplistic and at times janky, leading to mixed feelings about the overall challenge. Players appreciate the engaging storyline and character development, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy narrative-driven gameplay, even if the mechanics may not be groundbreaking.
- “Engaging storyline and likeable characters, platforming sections which are fun to navigate and turn-based battles give a good variety to the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay was neat; light platforming (with a couple of hiccups, but not a single softlock that I encountered; thanks for respawning me when I glitched out of the stage!), plus engaging turn-based combat.”
- “Charming RPG with timing-based mechanics integrated into combat which does a good job adding variety to the gameplay.”
- “As far as gameplay is concerned, it is nothing that will shock you, to be frank.”
- “The platforming is quite basic and a bit janky at times, and the RPG mechanics, while done with care, don't stand out.”
- “Overall, I would have enjoyed the game a lot more if it were just a walking simulator or standard JRPG - the platforming and combat mechanics only served to make the game more tedious for me.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The graphics are generally well-received, featuring fantastic artwork and a strong art style that enhances the overall experience. While there are some minor graphical issues and bugs, particularly with non-standard monitor resolutions, they are not significant enough to detract from the enjoyment. The visuals are complemented by a fitting soundtrack that aligns well with the game's aesthetic themes.
- “The artwork is also amazing.”
- “The art style is fantastic, whether it's the characters, enemies, or backgrounds.”
- “Graphics are standard, but good.”
- “There are some minor graphical issues, particularly if you don't have a standard monitor resolution, but nothing worth worrying about.”
- “I ran into a few bugs during my run, but they were all minor visuals, and the developer said that they'd be fixed, so no complaints there.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its unique and touching emotional depth, evoking nostalgia reminiscent of classic RPGs. Reviewers highlight its heartwarming story and well-developed characters, addressing themes of loneliness, race, acceptance, and love, making it a standout indie title that resonates with players on an emotional level. Despite some bugs, the overall experience is described as wholesome and highly recommended for those seeking a relaxing gameplay experience.
- “It's made me feel like I did when I picked up my Game Boy and remembered all the good times I had with the RPGs of old that I love.”
- “Incredible heartwarming story with beautiful characters.”
- “This is in my top 5 indie games for the year and would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys relaxing gameplay with a cute, emotionally driven band of characters that touches on loneliness, race, acceptance, and lastly, but most importantly, love.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The character development in the game is highly praised, with players noting that each character is well-crafted and possesses significant depth, making the story engaging and central to the experience. The combination of beautiful character designs and compelling narratives enhances the overall enjoyment, even for those who typically prioritize gameplay over story.
- “The story and character development really shines here.”
- “Each character has enough depth so you know what they are about as far as character development goes.”
- “This game is well worth the full price and more; usually I skip through a game's story as I am more gameplay focused, however the character development is really good and is the center of attention.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its hilarious dialogue and strong personality, providing players with a delightful sense of humor that leaves them both laughing and emotionally engaged. Overall, it is highly recommended for its comedic elements.
- “This game will leave you with misty eyes and lungs made lighter from laughing at the hilarious dialogue.”
- “It has a lot of personality and a lovely sense of humor, highly recommend.”
- “Great sense of humor.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences occasional bugs, likely due to being developed by a single individual, but overall, it remains a promising and enjoyable experience. While some players have noted minor glitches, the unique and touching aspects of the game shine through, making it a worthwhile endeavor despite its stability issues.
- “Unfortunately, it's a bit buggy.”
- “It is buggy at odd moments, due to the game being made almost entirely by one person.”
- “Can't say I've played more than an hour and a half so far, but a few minor glitches aside, this is very promising, especially for a solo developer.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, suggesting that a simpler format, like a walking simulator or traditional JRPG, would have enhanced their enjoyment by reducing the need for repetitive platforming and combat mechanics.
- “Overall, I would have enjoyed the game a lot more if it were just a walking simulator or standard JRPG - the platforming and combat mechanics only served to make the game more tedious for me.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as warm and welcoming, enhancing the overall storytelling experience.
- “The story is great so far, and the atmosphere is just so warm and welcoming.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Review: Viola: The Heroine's Melody
Hardcoregamer.com
80%

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Frequently Asked Questions

Viola: The Heroine's Melody is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Viola: The Heroine's Melody is available on PC, Windows and Xbox.

Viola: The Heroine's Melody was released on February 17, 2021.

Viola: The Heroine's Melody was developed by Jelle van Doorne.

Viola: The Heroine's Melody has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its stability.

Viola: The Heroine's Melody is a single player game.

Similar games include Beyond Galaxyland, Bloomtown: A Different Story, Jack Move, Cosmic Star Heroine, Chained Echoes and others.

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