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Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a stunning visual novel title. What’s more, it has various branching subplots, a host of intriguing characters, and an incredible world to explore. Moreover, it seamlessly blends real-world narratives with a strange fantasy existence. As such, it tells an incredibly emotive story that is tough to put down.
Developed and published by DON’T NOD, this is an accomplished visual novel title. What’s more, it has swathes of strange moments and masses of protagonists and antagonists to enjoy. Accordingly, you’ll navigate a brilliantly paced plot that enables you to control the narrative.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is captivating.
The fantasy elements within this game could become distracting. However, the emotional family ties cement all the madness together. Therefore, no matter the direction you take, the story always focuses on the hero’s desires. This was great, as it keeps the otherwise absurd elements grounded.
You are Polly, a girl who returns home after years of travelling. Yet, once she arrives at her mother’s house, things aren’t as they seem. The beautiful Mediterranean setting is spoilt as her mother is missing. Moreover, a megacorporation called MK is endangering the local populous. The hero soon discovers she has the gift of clairvoyance. This new power enables her to travel to another realm called Reverie. From here, she can choose her destiny and how they save mankind.
Exceptional storytelling!
Visual novels are tough to review as I don’t want to spoil a thing. Where Harmony: The Fall of Reverie excels is its exceptional storytelling. I won’t ruin anything, but the node-based progression system allows you to take the paths you wish to see. However, occasionally, your hands are tied as nodes are locked or prerequisites have not been met. When this happens, you may have to revisit a previous chapter to tweak the narrative.
The action focuses on 6 aspirations. Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth are vying to become the leader of the “Aspiration” realm. Each of these emotions is represented by strong and demanding characters. Accordingly, the writers have nailed each trait perfectly. For example, Power pushes for actions to be completed immediately. Furthermore, he has no flexibility in his approach. Alternatively, Bond (one of my favourite characters), desired peace and a rounded viewpoint. The blend of characters created a genuinely intriguing plot that was tough to predict. What’s more, there was no right or wrong and that was fantastic.
Excellent mechanics.
Polly or Harmony’s new gift is represented in the Augural. This overworld enables the player to see the events of the upcoming chapter. Additionally, it highlights the requirements to unlock the chapter outcomes. Therefore, if you wish to focus on chaos, as an example, you can push the plot and events towards this aspiration.
Thankfully, though, you don’t need to endure a one-dimensional story. Instead, you are free to blend complementary emotions to create a varied experience. This was phenomenal, as it represents the inner turmoil we all experience. This idea is further cemented thanks to the awesome inner monologue of the hero. The touching and often secretive thoughts often juxtapose the surrounding world and the characters you are interacting with. Consequently, it creates a deep and rich narrative that works on many levels.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is gorgeous.
This genre isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, you have to admire its artistry. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie has to be one of the best-looking VN games I ever played. The stunning character models, the exceptional backdrops, and the vivid colour palette are gorgeous. Alongside this, the basic animation seamlessly links each scene. In short, the developers have done an incredible job of creating an almost cinematic experience.
The audio wonderfully complements the visual approach. Every character was brilliantly voiced, and the casting was exceptional. Subsequently, at no point did the story flounder or fail. Instead, each branching moment followed without issue. On top of this, the music was stunning. The airy and often dreamlike soundtrack creates a sense of wonderment. However, occasionally, there was a call for aggression and drama, and the score matched these moments.
So much replay value.
Like its peers, this has a simple control system. Consequently, you can relax, have a drink and enjoy the flowing action. Furthermore, there is an auto-text option to speed things up if you so wish. As such, you won’t worry about complicated gameplay or a tough learning curve.
Visual novels are renowned for their replay value. However, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie goes above and beyond! With multiple subplots and 6 champions to focus on, you can revisit this multiple times. Additionally, the combination of each aspiration and the varied monologues makes this a fascinating and moreish experience.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a market-leading title.
If you’ve never experienced this genre, then I suggest you start here. Yes, there are some amazing alternatives, but Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a market-leading title. Accordingly, I recommend that you buy it here! Can you control your destiny and save mankind? Choose a champion or stay balanced as you explore this wonderful story.
