Harmony: The Fall of Reverie - Game Review
2Harmony: The Fall of Reverie - Game Review
Hey folks, welcome back to the Veteran Game channel. Today we're talking about DONβT NOD's new narrative adventure game, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie. DONβT NOD, the creators of Life is Strange, are no strangers to games with captivating storylines, but this time, they're taking it a step further, combining a Choose Your Own Adventure format with an extra layer of self-awareness that ensures a thrilling and heart-tugging experience.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie places you in the shoes of Polly, who returns to her changed hometown, Atina, to find her missing mother. During her absence, Atina transformed into a booming metropolis under the dominance of the megacorporation, Mono Konzern. After arriving back, Polly stumbles upon a mysterious necklace that transports her to a dimension known as Reverie. Here, Polly becomes Harmony, and the adventure really kicks off.
As the newly appointed Oracle of Reverie, Polly, or rather Harmony, has to navigate between both dimensions and accumulate a resource called Egregore to elect one of the Aspirations, the deities of this realm, to take the helm of Reverie, all while maintaining balance between both dimensions.
This game is truly a unique narrative adventure in that it gives players the reins to control the story. Using the Augural, a visual representation of Harmony's clairvoyance shown as a tree diagram of branching choices and consequences, players can forge their own path and witness the impact of their decisions on both worlds.
The choices you make are not without constraints, though. The Augural is only accessible when making a decision, and the game saves after every decision, so no going back. But if you're in the middle of a chapter and decide you want to take a different path, you can replay from the start of that chapter, giving you some room to reconsider your choices.
The narrative of Harmony is long, spanning across five Acts, touching upon a variety of themes ranging from political and social issues to romance and knowledge. While the story takes shape based on the Aspirations' dispositions, it's a multi-layered journey, equally compelling and extensive.
Despite some predictable parts of the story, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie succeeds in making your choices feel consequential and consistent with your expectations. Combined with the beautiful artwork, fully-voiced and well-written dialogue, and a lovely soundtrack, the game creates a vibrant, immersive world for players to explore.
One of the best features of this game is its replayability. With multiple endings and countless branching choices, the game encourages multiple playthroughs, allowing you to see what happens when you side with different Aspirations.
All in all, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie truly raises the bar for narrative-driven games, giving players a genuine sense of control over the story's direction. Even when things don't go as planned, the events that follow are just as intriguing. If you're seeking a compelling, choice-driven adventure, then this is a game you should definitely check out. Stay tuned for more game reviews, and as always, keep gaming!