Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a nice deconstruction | Kaser focus

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With all the excitement of gaming this summer, I haven't had a chance to talk about several of the games I've played over the past few weeks. One of those games is Don't Nod's new visual novel, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie. And since this week has been relatively quiet (and short, for those celebrating an American holiday), I'd like to take the time to do at least a mini title review. Although my thoughts haven't changed much since I read the preview, I think it deserves attention - so that's what this Kaser Focus is all about.

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Strangely, what reminds me most of Harmony is the deconstructed food. I'm not a cutting edge chef, but my understanding is that deconstructed food is meant to deliver familiar ingredients in a raw new form to give dinner a refreshed experience. That's the vibe I get from this game: it has all the familiar elements of a visual novel, but presented in an alternative way. This makes it a very different game from other games of the same work. Unlike other visual novels, the game introduces its choice mechanic (and the whole game is built on the choice mechanic) via a Twine-like choice layout called Augury.

Harmony's visuals are strikingly beautiful, with Aspirations making a particularly strong impression. Each embodies their respective sentiment, Chaos being a mess of discordant colors and mischievous attitude, Truth a dark pillar covered in eyes, and Bliss a little floating bundle of joy. Both Reverie and Brittle have a distinct and pleasing appearance. The story is also engaging with a central mystery hook and an emotional payoff that tugged at my withered old heart strings. Also, I can't sing the praises of the voice actors enough: they all did a great job.

However, if I have one complaint, it's that Augur's utter honesty can be intimidating if, like me, you're decision-fatigued. Most visual novels leave an element of mystery to your choices to encourage you to play again later. And while Harmony has some replayability, the layout of the entire Augury blueprint can feel a bit overwhelming, especially as you progress and the choices become more complex. It's a small complaint considering the game is otherwise lovely and delightful, but it may be a turn off for some players.

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