Harmony: The Fall of Reverie Review

New IPs like Concord: The Fall of Reverie haven’t got the simplest time within the fashionable gaming panorama. They should not solely stay as much as the expectations of those that have skilled their developer’s present titles but additionally impress newcomers seeking to discover out whether or not or not this new providing can stand among the many slew of present properties.

I used to be undoubtedly amongst those that weren’t positive what to make of Do not Nod’s latest title previous to my preview again in Could, however the transient time I spent with the sport had me excited to take a look at the complete product. Now, a number of dozen hours later, I can safely say that Concord: The Fall of Reverie is a superb new providing from the hallowed builders and stands amongst their different works as probably the most impactful narrative experiences round.

As is normally the case with Do not Nod video games, nevertheless, the sport is not an easy story set firmly in actuality. As a substitute, it follows Polly, a younger lady who has returned to her hometown following the disappearance of her mom. Whereas investigating, she is drawn into the world of Reverie, a aircraft of existence that runs parallel to our personal and is inhabited by Aspirations – godly beings formed by human needs and drives.

Polly then learns that her mom’s disappearance is carefully tied to a cataclysm set to affect Reverie and that she is the one one who can set issues proper in each worlds. How she does this, and which Aspirations she turns to for assist in her endeavors, is as much as her, and he or she’ll must resolve for herself what’s most essential to her earlier than her journey’s conclusion.

It is a fittingly dramatic and fantastical plot, and the truth that it is advised within the type of a visible novel works wonders for it. Every small character tick, and the minor particulars that could be misplaced by utilizing visuals alone, are delivered to the floor due to the stellar writing. 

The gameplay of Concord: The Fall of Reverie, in the meantime, is about what one would anticipate from a visible novel, however with some worthwhile twists. Although the vast majority of the sport is made up of clicking by way of dialogue, the remaining is made up of mechanics meant to reinforce the sensation of selecting one’s path towards the title’s completely different endings.

In-between story segments, gamers can be tasked with working their manner by way of a map of potential selections and outcomes dubbed the Augural. That is executed by choosing completely different nodes alongside the map which supply completely different views or segments of the story, and decide how the remainder of the plot will play out.

This is not at all times so simple as selecting a path to go down although. Typically, gamers might want to activate each out there node as much as a sure level to progress the story additional. Different occasions, they’re going to want to decide on one node over one other and decide how the remainder of their story will play out. Different occasions nonetheless, they’re going to have to advance down a sure path by a given quantity earlier than a Node additional again will open up, forcing one to undergo no matter they’ve already skilled however from a distinct angle.

Sure nodes will likewise internet the participant Crystals tied to sure Aspirations or take away Crystals for others. Doing so means opening up or closing off sure selections although, ensuing within the scales of Reverie being tipped towards a given final result for every chapter and even the sport’s ending. 

If this sounds somewhat intensive, it is as a result of it may be; or at the very least, it’s at first. Concord: The Fall of Reverie tosses quite a lot of data at you early on, and it may be tough to see precisely the way it all matches collectively within the first couple of chapters. And but, as soon as one will get the possibility to check out every of the completely different Nodes and see how they affect one’s development by way of the plot, the handful of mechanics develop into far much less intimidating than they could have appeared initially.

Gaining the flexibility to see additional alongside the map of potential selections additionally helps considerably, with the results of 1’s actions turning into a lot clearer and extra measurable. This likewise makes it simpler to plan out one’s selections, fastidiously weighing the way you want to proceed earlier than ever activating a single Node. This could be a godsend when one is working towards a selected ending and might stop an ill-advised selection from throwing off a whole playthrough’s price of labor.

All of those mechanics proved to be worthwhile additions to the visible novel framework and made the choice-driven gameplay really feel impactful. I used to be repeatedly left impressed at how different the potential approaches to an issue within the story have been, and the way completely different the endings I might obtain for every chapter have been. I felt a lot the identical concerning the sport’s potential endings, with the one I earned feeling like a logical finish based mostly on the alternatives I made but additionally one in all many potential outcomes.

Rounding out the expertise have been the sport’s visuals and the sound design, and consider me once I say Concord: The Fall of Reverie may simply be one in all Do not Nod’s greatest titles up to now. The sport goes all in on the visible novel motif through a 2D artwork type and an array of fashions for the entire characters, which cycle out from scene to scene based mostly on what’s occurring and the feelings the characters are attempting to convey.

Although this leaves the title feeling extra flat than the developer’s different titles in a really literal sense, each member of the forged stands out greater than most any character from Life Is Unusual. That is largely due to their fantastical and imaginative designs and different coloration palette. The Aspirations particularly are exceptionally nicely executed, with every of them completely exemplifying their namesakes by way of their coloration palettes, equipment, and every thing else about them.

This stays true whether or not the participant is immersed in the true world or Reverie too, guaranteeing they’re by no means wanting for visible stimulation or hints of life within the title’s cutscenes.

This in flip is bolstered by the sound design. Along with a soundtrack stuffed with each mellow ambiance and spikes of heated feelings, the voice performing is greater than robust sufficient to carry the forged to life. I used to be nearly at all times absolutely sucked into the story due to the coy confidence of the Chaos aspiration’s voice strains, the low bellow of the Energy Aspiration, or the various deliveries made by Polly’s voice actors throughout a wide range of conditions, and could not wait to hearken to the interactions between the remainder of the forged following every new selection I made.

Concord: The Fall of Reverie brings some fascinating concepts to the desk and manages to profit from them regardless of a considerably intimidating begin. Followers of different Do not Nod video games can be rewarded with yet one more hanging narrative expertise, whereas everybody else can be handled to one of many extra accessible and streamlined visible novel titles in latest reminiscence.

Concord: The Fall of Reverie was reviewed on PC with a duplicate supplied by the developer over the course of 26 hours of gameplay – all screenshots have been taken in the course of the technique of evaluate.