Harmony is just not the catastrophe the discourse round it will lead you to consider. This on-line first-person shooter – a debut effort from Sony studio Firewalk – has outrageous manufacturing values, a good enterprise mannequin, and a genuinely entertaining gameplay loop. Its largest problem is its lack of identification: there’s no denying the developer has been closely impressed by Guardians of the Galaxy, and whereas the title does genuinely attempt to blaze its personal path, that’ll largely be its downfall.
For many who haven’t been following, that is the second of PlayStation’s much-discussed stay service efforts, following on from the record-breaking success of Helldivers 2 earlier within the 12 months. Obtainable on PS5 and PC, this can be a premium launch with a $40/£35 value level, and all 16 characters and 12 maps can be found for everybody from day one. There are not any microtransactions, Battle Passes, or hidden prices – though the studio has stated it plans to promote cosmetics at a later date.
You play as a Freegunner from a ship named the Northstar, a ragtag crew of sci-fi mercenaries tasked with taking up excessive stakes missions. Every match, throughout a complete of six modes, is framed as one in all stated targets. Characters embody a lizard-like particular person named Lennox, who wields a revolver and may heal himself. You’ll additionally discover Haymar, a pyromaniac with a penchant for crossbows, and Teo, an ex-elite soldier with a love for grenades.
Every of the 16 characters have their very own persona and package, offering them with distinctive gameplay prospects. Lark, a type of fungi-like humanoid, can deposit vegetation on the stage which permits them to both warp to protected spots or buff the mobility of their teammates. Emari, in the meantime, an unlimited hulking girl, can deploy armour for her allies and utilise her personal private defend to defend herself from incoming shrapnel and enemy fireplace.
A key gameplay mechanic encourages you to change between totally different characters in every match, as finishing a full spherical with one hero will unlock bonuses for one more. Selecting the hyperactive cat-girl It-Z, for instance, will enhance your motion velocity. You possibly can then utilise this whenever you respawn as a special character to extend your general agility. All of those techniques intertwine strategically, permitting you to collaborate with teammates to noticeably improve the capabilities of your chosen character.
So as to add much more tactical depth, variants of every Freegunner can be found to unlock. Whereas these don’t drastically change their package, they do introduce attention-grabbing gameplay wrinkles, resembling elevated ammunition reserves or higher therapeutic capabilities. The upper pressure modes – like Flash Level and Cargo Run, which don’t have respawns – actually drive you to think about your team-building priorities, and reward you for understanding a number of characters, as profitable a spherical will completely lock you out of your at the moment chosen hero for the rest of the match.
The manufacturing values are off the charts, with dense detailed sky packing containers and excellent animation. All the characters are movement captured, and whereas there’s a level of uncanny valley to among the heroes, it nonetheless all appears extremely spectacular in movement. Personally, we’re not significantly eager on among the designs: 1-Off, a recycling robotic armed with a large industrial vacuum cleaner, is ridiculous – and DeVeers is inexplicably geared up with Tupperware on her head.
It’s additionally exhausting to shake the dearth of originality in locations. Star Baby, a beefcake shotgun wielder with purple and blue pores and skin, is successfully Drax – and Teo is your typical textbook PS3 protagonist from 2008. We wouldn’t be shocked if he’s voiced by Nolan North!
The developer clearly desires you to fall in love with the characters regardless. It’s promising weekly cinematic skits with the intention to join you with the solid, and these look as costly as they sound. Frankly, we’ll be shocked if it’s capable of afford to maintain making these past the primary few seasons, and we’re not completely positive how a lot they add to the general expertise. The identical may very well be stated of the lore library, which expands as you discover extra maps and progress with totally different characters.
We must always reiterate, there are not any Battle Passes or shady enterprise fashions right here: all the things might be unlocked just by enjoying the sport. This consists of different outfits, equipment, attachments, and extra. Whereas the studio has admitted it intends to promote cosmetics later down the road, it’s refreshing to play a multiplayer recreation not burdened by microtransactions, and there’s an inexpensive quantity to unlock on day one. It stays to be seen how far more will get added in future seasons.
It’s value mentioning as nicely that the consumer interface is a murals. It captures the title’s retro sci-fi theme completely, and all the things is introduced cleanly and clearly. There are additionally no actual bugs that we’ve encountered, though we did get caught to the spot in direction of the tip of 1 match, that means we couldn’t transfer to help our group. Thankfully, we’ve been unable to duplicate this problem and we’re assuming it’s uncommon.
Our largest concern, past the general lack of identification, is how the sport goes to retain gamers’ curiosity long-term. There are solely six modes obtainable at launch, virtually all of that are variants of playlists you’ll be acquainted with from different video games, and there’s not the lure of a endless record of quests and targets like in Fortnite. The studio clearly hopes gamers will get a kick out of the gameplay itself and never all the surrounding fluff, however that’s a troublesome ask on this aggressive market. We clearly can’t communicate to how a lot the title will develop and evolve past launch.
Conclusion
Harmony is a clear and well-meaning first-person shooter, with no shady enterprise practices besides. Its lack of actual identification is a matter, and it’s tough to find out simply how a lot Sony goes to get behind it long-term. Nonetheless, there’s a refined and superbly introduced expertise on supply right here, with some attention-grabbing tactical team-building techniques and elegant animations. Firewalk’s debut might not be out of this world, nevertheless it’s genuinely fairly good general.