What when you may peer into the long run and make choices based mostly on what you see? What in case your choices had a long-reaching influence on these you’re near and the material of actuality itself? Polly just lately returns to the Mediterranean island of Atina, the place she grew up, hoping to search out her lacking mom. As an alternative, she finds herself on this state of affairs and standing on the brink of two distinct-yet-interconnected worlds. Her selections may spell doom or salvation for each in DON’T NOD’s Concord: The Fall of Reverie.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a choice-heavy recreation with a visible novel type. It presents a thought-provoking narrative set in opposition to a colourful backdrop that also represents a considerably disconcerting close to future the place a mega-corporation could have extra say in folks’s lives than they know. Gamers tackle the position of the primary character, Polly, who’s unexpectedly thrust from our human world with acquainted guidelines into the fantastical Reverie, house to godlike beings generally known as Aspirations.
Aspirations signify totally different points of the human world: the bluntly easy Energy, the peaceable and community-minded Bond, the harmless and energetic Bliss, the educated Fact, the at present lacking Glory, and the mischievously enigmatic Chaos. Polly takes on the position of Concord in Reverie, permitting her to see potential outcomes and branching factors and assist one Aspiration or one other achieve extra affect of their realm. There’s extra to it, nonetheless, as no matter impacts the human world impacts Reverie and vice-versa. To uncover the reality behind all the pieces and probably maintain her group protected (maybe even all the world), Polly should fastidiously stability branching choices and actions.
Instantly, at first of the preview construct, you’re given entry to an Augural story map. The Augural lists goals for the story level that you-as-Polly are at present in, displaying totally different actions to take in addition to potential outcomes. It isn’t an all-knowing instrument, although. You possibly can’t backtrack when you’ve decided. There’s no approach to undo an motion and check out once more, plus the distant future is usually closed off out of your sight. You gained’t have the ability to catch a glimpse too deep into the long run till you advance additional alongside a given course.
The Augural is your important gameplay element in Concord, permitting you to view scenes as you encounter them. It even retains useful dialogue logs of previous scenes must you want a refresher on what occurred throughout them. First, you’ll have to choose differing paths within the Augural when the sport prompts you. Typically that is as straightforward as merely selecting one motion over one other, akin to speaking supportively to a personality fairly than critically. In flip, you’ll additional transfer down a specific story path.
Different instances, development by means of the Augural can get tough. The Aspirations are vested in what occurs in the true world and generally vie for affect over Polly’s choices. Particular actions you make enhance an Aspiration’s affect within the type of crystals you’ll be able to purchase. As an illustration, determine to behave as Bliss suggests, and it’s possible you’ll web your self a Bliss crystal. Particular factors on the Augural are blocked to you until you purchase sufficient crystals to activate them, and you may both achieve or lose crystals relying on what you select at a branching level. This element helps to tailor the crux of the decision-making portion of the sport. As an illustration, do you go along with one thing Fact suggests as a result of it’d result in a later end result you’re curious to see? If that’s the case, you’ll want to use your decision-making method to safe the wanted sources.
Buying crystals additionally has a direct affect on the facility stability of Reverie. You possibly can maintain the Aspirations on roughly the identical enjoying subject or lean towards specific Aspirations changing into stronger by buying extra of their crystals and seeing their extra favorable scenes. This energy play guarantees to have a long-lasting influence on Reverie and important future outcomes within the human world. Sadly, important chapter outcomes are sometimes blocked till you purchase the prerequisite Aspiration crystals to unlock them. On the finish of story chapters, you’ll be able to solely entry one potential end result of these you will have unlocked to advance the story.
Story factors on the Augural, known as nodes within the recreation, typically open or turn out to be closed based mostly in your choices. Consequently, there are events the place you should see quite a few narrative factors earlier than Concord lets you advance. The primary few acts characteristic simplistic maps with some participant choices to assist ease you into the method, however later map bushes department out in a number of advanced methods based mostly on even probably the most minute of selections. It’s fascinating to see how your determination influences what occurs within the subsequent scene. The sport actually encourages replayability if you wish to uncover each narrative path obtainable.
I’m intrigued by the quantity of selection given to assist transfer the story alongside in distinct methods. Polly and the varied characters she interacts with within the human realm are compelling and believably written. The Aspirations themselves are an enchanting bunch, neither really good nor evil, and easily wanting to make sure that their world’s existence continues regardless of the struggles of the human one. Even the generally seemingly adversarial Chaos makes an attempt to assist Polly out of their approach. The selections you make in the course of the story preview all have sensible outcomes with good and dangerous factors. You’ll by no means really feel fully positive of any path you are taking, as there’s at all times reasoning behind why one other may very well be simply as viable. It’s advanced with out being overwhelming, and the malleable narrative scope is fascinating. I stored going with no matter motion I felt most substantial based mostly on the paths I’d opened, discovering a compelling yarn ready to be untangled.
Visually, Concord: The Fall of Reverie is a gorgeously vibrant VN. I really like the animated cutscenes and the way expressive character animations are when characters discuss in a extra conventional visible novel setting. Concord isn’t a static recreation with nonetheless artwork by any means, and I really like the pops of shade and a focus to element within the character designs and backdrops. As well as, the graphics assist vividly carry the story presentation to life, and the Augural’s UI is straightforward to navigate and perceive.
Concord’s sound results get used effectively, and the background music helps readily set the stage. The voice performing for the entire characters is phenomenal all through the demo. I’m additionally significantly impressed by how polished the script work is at this early stage, particularly with the various branching factors all through the preview. The sport is controller-friendly and seems to save lots of routinely at very common intervals.
I’m impressed with my deep dive into the opening acts of Concord: The Fall of Reverie. It’s a strong starting for what guarantees to be a extremely choice-heavy visible novel expertise. Plus, it boasts fairly an attention-grabbing premise and a core forged of characters with a variety of coronary heart and depth. Now I’m desirous to see what the long run will maintain when Concord: The Fall of Reverie releases in full in June!
