Harmony is Sony’s subsequent massive PlayStation guess on dwell service gaming and the sci-fi shooter is only a couple months away. A latest batch of previews lastly gave us a greater thought of what to anticipate, and the reactions to date are as combined as followers’ have been after seeing the preliminary gameplay finally month’s PlayStation 5 showcase.
With its “we have already got Guardians of the Galaxy at residence” cinematic trailer and 5v5 hero shooter construction, it’s simple to pigeonhole Harmony as simply one other Overwatch clone hoping to capitalize on the frustration round that sport’s lackluster sequel. However Firewalk Studios’ first-person enviornment shooter sounds prefer it’s really making an attempt to mix components from video games as completely different as Future 2 and Valorant.
PC Gamer had enjoyable with a preview construct of the sport however discovered its characters form of meh. VGC summarized the gunplay as “Future capturing, with barely slower motion, and round double the time-to-kill of Name of Responsibility.” IGN discovered the motion floaty and had issues in regards to the stability and readability of its lessons. Recreation Informer, in the meantime, made it sound like the sport introduced lots higher in-person than in its latest trailers.
Whether or not that pastiche can congeal into one thing enjoyable, a lot much less sturdy over the lifespan of a contemporary game-as-a-service, is a query we received’t know the reply to till nicely after Harmony’s August 26 launch date on PS5 and PC. For now, right here’s a bunch of recent particulars about how the shooter works and what would possibly set it other than a crowded discipline:
12 maps can be found at launch
The completely different fight arenas showcase completely different components of Harmony’s sci-fi world and embrace the fortified outpost Freewater, the stormy fishing rig known as Water Hazard, the lightning harvesting facility Shock Danger, and the mountainous observatory Star Chamber. The PlayStation Weblog additionally states that gamers will get to check a map known as Bone Mines in July.
And Six modes, together with some with out respawns
Previewers bought to play three of those modes, one in every of which was much like Name of Responsibility’s Kill Confirmed deathmatch mode during which gamers should retrieve tokens from their opponents’ corpses. Whereas that mode included respawns, others didn’t, with rounds ending if a group was worn out. In keeping with the PlayStation Weblog, that features Cargo Run, the place gamers compete over a bundle, and Conflict Level the place they battle over management for a selected space.
I hope you want double (and triple) jumps
Every of the 16 Freegunners (heroes) may have a novel equipment of stats and skills, and there are even gentle deck-building mechanics for customizing your bench of heroes earlier than every match. One factor many of the Freegunners have are double jumps. In keeping with PC Gamer, some even have triple jumps. In addition they have dodges that momentarily pull the digicam out right into a third-person view.
There aren’t any ultimates or supers
Not like Overwatch and Valorant, PC Gamer reviews there aren’t any ultimates in Harmony (or supers in the event you’re Future-pilled like me). Every Freegunner has two distinctive talents, like the enormous robotic 1-Off that may suck up trash, in addition to one passive. However there’s no meter charging up over the course of the match to allow you to wreck havoc on the opposing group.
Gamers can deploy constructions to assist them that stick round
What Harmony does have, in line with Recreation Informer and Display Rant, are talents that deploy tools that lasts between rounds until it’s destroyed by your enemies. This gentle construct mechanic the place gamers can attempt to management sure areas of the map with persistent shields, therapeutic pads, and different advantageous constructions is unquestionably one thing that would add a novel layer of ways to enviornment fights.
What makes Harmony distinctive?
To the diploma that Sony’s hero shooter has a standout gimmick, it appears to be the best way character switching works throughout matches. PC Gamer reviews that gamers increase their roster by “rescuing” completely different characters, and may solely take six of them into any given battle. Nevertheless, once they swap between them throughout rounds or respawns, they get so as to add the earlier useless character’s class bonus to their present one, offering over 100 completely different combos of bonuses to play with at any given time.
Put up-launch updates might be free
Firewalk Studios has already talked about the way it plans to launch a brand new cinematic teaser for its in-game characters and universe each week. Now the studio has additionally confirmed that future content material updates might be free. Right here’s the precise language from the PlayStation Weblog: “expertise simply among the content material that might be accessible when the sport launches on August 23 and can develop over time via post-launch updates at no further price.”
Microtransactions will solely be beauty
Priced at $40 similar to Helldivers 2, Harmony is someplace between the present freemium mannequin of Overwatch 2 and the outdated full-priced loot field mode of the unique Overwatch. Firewalk Studios assured VGC that the one paid microtransactions within the sport might be beauty. “There are purely beauty items that you could select to additional customise the look of your character, that you could select to buy,” the studio advised VGC. “These don’t have an effect on gameplay. We imagine so strongly that the complete expertise ought to be accessible to all of our gamers.” It appears like new maps, characters, and modes might be free and accessible to everybody who owns the sport.
Beta Early Entry weekends are in July
Gamers will have the ability to attempt Harmony for themselves subsequent month. The closed Early Entry beta takes place on July 12 – 14 and requires pre-ordering the sport to get into (one pre-order will get you 5 keys so just one particular person in your good friend group must take the hit). The Open Beta that’s free to everybody takes place on July 18 – 21. Throughout these betas, that are principally simply demos, gamers may have entry to all 16 Freegunners, 4 maps, and three modes. There’s additionally a $60 “deluxe” model of the sport that offers gamers early entry to the complete sport three days earlier than launch on August 20.
