DON’T NOD are one of the best development teams when it comes to gripping narrative adventures: we have been continually wowed by Life is Strange, for which they are most well-known. Can Harmony: The Fall of Reverie on Xbox and PlayStation match those highs?
A Break from the Norm
Releasing today on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 – following a launch on PC and Nintendo Switch earlier this month – Harmony: The Fall of Reverie takes a turn away from DON’T NOD’s more realistic and grounded works, and throws us into a near-future, semi-fantasy environment.
You’ll be experiencing things from the point of view of Polly – a woman returning to the Mediterranean-style island of Atina, for fears that her mother, Ursula, has got on the bad side of mega-corp MK. MK dominate every facet of Atina, with drones in the sky monitoring citizens, to snapping up most people as employees. It’s a totalitarian regime that you don’t want to anger – and it seems that the missing Ursula has done just that. It is of course your goal, as Polly, to get to the bottom of this conspiracy.
The Realm of Reverie
As is the case with DON’T NOD’s previous works, Polly soon realises she has been bestowed with a supernatural gift. Here, Polly can enter the Reverie dimension, assuming the form of Harmony. Within this dimension exist personifications of each of the Aspirations of Humanity – Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond and Truth – with these folk helping Polly on her quest.
The Aspirations will particularly give advice when it comes to shaping the narrative yourself. You know the deal – Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a branching narrative title with ‘choose your own adventure’ elements, and each decision you make will of course have a significant impact on the story.
Graphically, the colourful cartoonish art style fits perfectly with the island of Atina, as well as the celestial Reverie dimension. So too does the whimsical soundtrack, laid down by composer Lena Raine.
Features of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie
- DECIDE YOUR DESTINY – As Polly, or Harmony, each action you take will affect both worlds and send you down sprawling narrative paths. See into the future and explore the consequences of possible choices in the Augural, a game board and visual representation of Polly’s gift of foresight. In pursuing whichever destiny you desire, you’ll also bond with and obtain crystals from the Aspirations. These will unlock different paths at important crossroads that will change how the thread of the story unravels, and ultimately the fate of humanity.
- FIND THE NEW HEART OF HUMANITY – Whichever Aspiration comes to lead Reverie, with Harmony’s help, will also become the heart of humanity. Their personality and style of rule will change Reverie while also giving the people of our world a new direction too: when the link between worlds is stronger, Reverie has a bigger influence on the state of our world. Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth are all wildly different entities with their own distinct personalities, goals, and opinions on how to make things better. You’ll get to know each of them as visit Reverie in your dreams as Harmony, but only you know best – as Polly – what your world needs.
- A COLORFUL WORLD – As you play, revel in artistic direction that is bright, vibrant, and futuristic. Immerse yourself in the daily life of a Mediterranean city and get to know its people, with a cast of characters who are fully voiced and animated. Enjoy an enchanting soundtrack by award-winning composer, Lena Raine.
Play Harmony: The Fall of Reverie on Xbox and PlayStation!
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch and PC. Before heading over to the Xbox Store and getting a copy for £22.49, we strongly advise you check out our preview of the first few chapters of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie here.
You cannot play Harmony: The Fall of Reverie on Xbox One, only Xbox Series X|S.
We’ll be following with full review.
Game Description
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’.
In the very near future…
When Polly returns home after a few years abroad to look for her missing mother, she quickly realizes that her hometown has drastically changed. A megacorporation named MK is using its power to control the population, and her community is in danger.
She soon discovers that she has a gift of clairvoyance that connects her to Reverie, the realm of the Aspirations of Humanity: Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth.
In this world, Polly becomes Harmony, an Oracle who has the power to choose the Aspiration that will ultimately rule over Reverie and restore the delicate balance between the deities’ world and ours.
The fate of humanity is at stake. To which destiny do you aspire?
