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Indie games are all about taking new, interesting and creative ideas and creating incredible games out of them. This trend is further shown by Sonority, developed by Hanging Gardens Interactive. Sonority is a relaxing, calm puzzle adventure game featuring a beautiful soundtrack, stunning visuals and engaging puzzles. While the game is pleasant, the short length was very disappointing and left me longing for more.
Sonority A Story of an Abandon Civilization
Sonority follows Esther, who is searching for a cure to her friends illness. The friend informs Esther of a melody that can cure any illness and is found in place where humans and animals lived in harmony. Upon finding this location, Esther finds out that is in ruins. While some remain, most have abandoned this land after its destruction. One of the few who remain is an old racoon and a singing rock friend who keeps him company. While hesitant at first, the racoon and the rock help Esther on her journey as she learns about what lead to the downfall of this place and who exactly they are.
The plot of Sonority is fantastic. The basic plot which follows the raccoon’s change in attitude, from distrust in humans to trusting and relying on Esther, it’s rewarding to see this change. Furthermore, you can use musical elements you find along your travels to learn more about this place. I found the story to be simple yet enjoyable, having a lot of depth if you are willing to find all the musical elements.
Create a Melody to Progress
In Sonority you will use sequences of musical notes, from a variety of instruments, to make platforms rise, fall and rotate to allow you to adventure further into the ruins. These puzzles can be quite challenging, however nothing is ever too difficult to where you would need a walkthrough. These puzzles are very rewarding to complete and often have alternative solutions that may lead to a secret. There are two types of secrets. Chests, which upon finding gives the player a little challenge to complete. Upon completing this challenge, a song from this game’s phenomenal soundtrack will play. The other secret is a musical element, which can be used on tablets to learn more about the world. These secrets are both worth seeking out, as it allows you to further enjoy this game’s charm. All things considered, this is an engaging and satisfying game to play.
Unfortunately, the game felt a bit too short. While I had fun with the gameplay, it felt like there was still a lot more potential with the game. While the puzzles did get progressively harder, it didn’t feel like I used my full arsenal of abilities in the end. Even though it’s a short game it is still very enjoyable to play and I had a great time figuring out all the puzzles.
A Charming World
The environments in Sonority are breathtaking, from the different shades of green in the grass, to the vivid blues of the water, this game looks incredible. Throughout my time with the game, I would admire the environments. However the character models are a different story, often looking quite stiff when moving. While this is not a huge issue, it is worth noting. Unfortunately, due to the underpowered nature of the Nintendo Switch, I would experience frame rate dips, which broke my immersion. Thankfully, while there are performance issues, it didn’t affect the enjoyment I had with the game too much.
As previously stated the soundtrack of this game is amazing, featuring soothing vocal tracks as well as calm instrumental tracks, which helps with the enjoyment of the game immensely. The sound design is also great, whether its the satisfying movement of platforms or the environment noises. This game also features full English and German voice acting. I played using the English voice acting, which is very well done featuring and helped further immerse me in the world.
Sonority, a Charming Adventure
From the fantastic visuals to the brain-teasing gameplay that tests your musical knowledge, this game is a delightful experience from start to finish. Although the Switch version of the game has some performance issues, the game is still a delight to play there. Even if the game is a little short, the story will keep you hooked from start to finish.
