Launch Replace – August 23, 2024:
After spending 15 hours with Harmony throughout its misleadingly named “Early Entry” interval, practically all of my impressions from the beta (which you’ll learn in full additional down) stay related. That’s each good and dangerous, as a result of whereas I nonetheless get pleasure from how Harmony usually nails its team-based aggressive fight, the little that’s been added doesn’t do a lot to alleviate the considerations I had. There are some new maps, a pair new sport modes that, as is the case with all of the modes, exist already in lots of different video games, and to date that’s about it – there isn’t even a single new cutscene except for the 2 that have been within the beta. It feels somewhat gentle on content material at current, although as a live-service sport, developer Firewalk Studios has already laid out an formidable roadmap to hopefully fill in these gaps. I nonetheless need to sink some extra hours into Harmony earlier than I put a closing rating on this evaluate, however proper now I’m doing so fairly fortunately – this may occasionally solely really feel like a stable basis in the meanwhile, however I’m beginning to suppose it’s one which has a shot at rising into one thing particular.
Although extra lore-soaked cutscenes are set to reach within the coming weeks, to date the primary drops of worldbuilding you’ll get come within the type of the Galactic Information, a map stuffed with nodes the place you possibly can examine Harmony’s areas and characters. I’ve spent a good bit of time scrolling by means of this sizable library of quick descriptions, and although a lot of it’s well-written, it’s a woefully poor substitute for in-game storytelling that I fear gained’t come usually sufficient to maintain me invested. Nice characters squandered by a whole lack of narrative is mainly a trademark of the hero shooter style at this level, nevertheless it positively doesn’t get any simpler to swallow that particularly bitter tablet.
The gameplay stuff we didn’t already see within the beta contains two sport modes” Sign Hunt and Space Management. These are serviceable king of the hill and zone management modes, respectively, that do precisely what you’d count on, however as soon as once more lack any form of novelty. The brand new maps, nonetheless, fare loads higher – with only a few exceptions, Harmony’s arenas are extraordinarily prime quality, permitting for tons of technique and pairing completely with the equally spectacular fight. Actually my solely nitpick is that some ranges are a bit too massive, and it may be an actual ache to spend 20 seconds working again to the king of the hill management level after every respawn, particularly when the enemy is allowed to realize fairly just a few factors in your absence. Fortunately, maps with that situation are fairly few and much between.
One factor that was absent earlier than Harmony’s wider “launch” at this time is a beauty retailer the place, as per ordinary, you’ll be requested to spend actual human forex on skins and diverse digital baubles, which appears just about par for the course. As at all times, the query is how a lot adore it will present gamers who would somewhat earn cosmetics by taking part in, since many live-service video games lock the overwhelming majority of their cosmetics behind a paywall and starve these unwilling to cough up the dough. I’ll be placing an eye fixed towards that stability this weekend.
I stay up for seeing how Harmony evolves now that it’s totally out To date I’m nonetheless having a number of enjoyable, whereas additionally being a bit disenchanted that there’s not a lot for us to chew on total. However with such a powerful cornerstone to construct off of due to its satisfying FPS motion and best-in-class arenas (which you’ll learn extra about in my beta impressions under), the long run appears to be like fairly brilliant.
Unique Beta Impressions – July 15, 2024:
Seize a duplicate of Overwatch off some dusty GameStop shelf and rub it underneath the musky armpit of the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Peter Quill and also you may need one thing near the sensation of Harmony. As aggressive hero shooters go, this sci-fi contender from Sony performs it fairly secure, full with instantly charming characters immaculately rendered in gobsmackingly lovely cutscenes and ability-based PvP fight that by no means addresses why these characters are combating each other once they’re clearly allies in stated cutscenes. However simply because it doesn’t provide a lot in the best way of innovation doesn’t imply Harmony isn’t extraordinarily enjoyable to play. I nonetheless have heaps extra to see when it launches correctly subsequent month, however with 16 characters and 4 acquainted sport modes accessible in its preorder beta this previous weekend, the overwhelming majority of the ten+ hours I’ve spent with it to date have been a sweaty, gun-toting good time.
You and your squad will type a five-person group of super-powered characters, every with their very own distinctive strengths, weaknesses, and particular talents, after which convey them to bear towards an opposing group in a wide range of formulaic sport modes. These embrace an ordinary deathmatch mode, a “Kill Confirmed” mode known as Trophy Hunt, an attack-and-defend mode known as Cargo Run, and a zone management mode known as Conflict Level – none of which possess even the slightest trace of novelty. However being overly acquainted isn’t essentially a nasty factor for those who’ve acquired best-in-class gunplay and superior characters with compelling powers to again it up, and boy, Harmony has acquired each of these down pat.
Harmony sagely retains its weapon choice very slim, with simply two choices given to every character by default and no method to customise that – however the upshot there may be that each single weapon feels extremely responsive and finely tuned, and no two characters have weapons that really feel in any respect related. The sector-controlling previous girl, Duchess, wields a submachine gun that’s devastating at shut vary, whereas the sneaky and tactical Vale principally depends on a long-range sniper rifle to take out enemies from afar. Not every little thing appears completely balanced – I, for one, suppose most issues ought to in all probability die once they take a sniper rifle shot to the pinnacle, and it’s a bit bizarre that the character that makes use of a slow-loading missile launcher as her foremost weapon doesn’t do extra injury with it – however all of them really feel actually good to make use of, and meaning I’ve been having enjoyable even when it seems like one thing wants tweaking right here and there.
Equally, the talents that complement these weapons are incredible, numerous, have very beneficiant cooldowns, utterly altering the best way fight performs out relying on which character you’re taking part in as. The floating, fireball-chucking Haymar can blind opponents for a time frame and make them pay for standing in the identical spot too lengthy, whereas the rampaging ogre, Star Baby, can shut distances rapidly together with his charging assault and smash the bottom to do heavy injury round him. Not all characters really feel fairly as authentic, like how Teo is the world’s most generic soldier and comes geared up with a smoke grenade and cluster grenade as his two powers, however these bland choices are few and much between. Studying every character, utilizing their talents to counter the group comp of your opponents, and juggling the insanity on the battlefield with top-notch gunplay was simply as enjoyable in my first match because it was in my thirtieth, and I definitely can’t say I’ve felt that approach about most hero shooters I spend time with.
One of many few novel twists Harmony brings to the style is the best way its aggressive playlist works. In contrast to the informal playlist the place you possibly can play whichever character you please (as long as another person hasn’t already chosen it), in aggressive you cleverly aren’t allowed to pick out the identical character once more for those who win a spherical whereas utilizing them. Since matches go to better of seven rounds, meaning successful one will push you to get outdoors of your consolation zone and use a minimal of 4 completely different characters. Not solely is that this a neat method to power folks to grasp greater than only one or two choices, it additionally encourages communication together with your group between rounds to make sure you’ve acquired correct protection to play out no matter technique you’re attempting to tug off as your choices get slimmer.
The opposite attention-grabbing wrinkle Harmony provides to the system is character variants: Barely completely different variations of current characters that include a novel perk and an altered look, and which might be unlocked by finishing particular goals throughout matches. For instance, the gunslinger Lennox can usually reload his weapon by dodging, whereas the variant you possibly can unlock for him loses that capacity, however will get extra ammo for all his weapons as an alternative. The 5 variants accessible for every character to date provide principally minor modifications like this, however they positively add a significant factor to chase that gives extra choices in fight. Maybe extra importantly, additionally they provide the alternative to fudge the numbers a bit within the aggressive playlist, since variants depend as separate characters in your crew, and subsequently, allow you to play as the identical characters in a number of rounds.
I additionally simply love that Harmony is chock stuffed with goofy phrases in its “How To Play” tutorial part, like the way it tells you if sure sport modes are more likely to be sweaty by assigning them a “Sweatstrum” score, or the way it explains you possibly can recharge your talents with “Sloops,” AKA “Ability Loops.” There won’t be a lot of a narrative but, however this sport’s acquired attraction popping out of its Martian ears.
There’s nonetheless extra I haven’t been in a position to play on this early beta model, like the 2 sport modes that stay locked for now, however Harmony is already shaping as much as be a heavyweight hero shooter I might simply see competing with the style’s giants. It doesn’t look like it would convey a lot new to the desk, and that’s a little bit of a bummer contemplating we’ve already performed nice video games similar to this one earlier than, however I’m heartened by what I’ve seen to date and am wanting ahead to taking part in a complete lot extra when it launches subsequent month.