Harmony just isn’t the catastrophe the discourse round it could 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 greatest situation 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 strive to blaze its personal path, that’ll largely be its downfall.
For individuals 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 yr. Obtainable on PS5 and PC, this can be a premium launch with a $40/£35 worth 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 goals. Characters embody a lizard-like particular person named Lennox, who wields a revolver and might 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 potentialities. 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 infinite hulking woman, 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 may then utilise this while you respawn as a unique character to extend your general agility. All of those techniques intertwine strategically, permitting you to collaborate with teammates to significantly 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 fascinating gameplay wrinkles, corresponding to elevated ammunition reserves or higher therapeutic capabilities. The upper stress modes – like Flash Level and Cargo Run, which don’t have respawns – actually power 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 very good animation. All the characters are movement captured, and whereas there’s a level of uncanny valley to a few of the heroes, it nonetheless all appears to be like extremely spectacular in movement. Personally, we’re not significantly eager on a few of the designs: 1-Off, a recycling robotic armed with a large industrial vacuum cleaner, is ridiculous – and DeVeers is inexplicably outfitted with Tupperware on her head.
It’s additionally onerous to shake the shortage of originality in locations. Star Youngster, 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 stunned 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 stunned if it’s capable of afford to maintain making these past the primary few seasons, and we’re not solely certain 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 should always reiterate, there are not any Battle Passes or shady enterprise fashions right here: all the things could be unlocked just by enjoying the sport. This contains various 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 affordable 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 effectively that the person 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 the direction of the tip of 1 match, which means we couldn’t transfer to help our staff. Fortuitously, we’ve been unable to copy this situation and we’re assuming it’s uncommon.
Our greatest concern, past the general lack of identification, is how the sport goes to retain gamers’ curiosity long-term. There are solely six modes out there at launch, nearly 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 goals like in Fortnite. The studio clearly hopes gamers will get a kick out of the gameplay itself and never the entire 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 as well. Its lack of actual identification is a matter, and it’s troublesome to find out simply how a lot Sony goes to get behind it long-term. Nevertheless, there’s a sophisticated and superbly introduced expertise on supply right here, with some fascinating tactical team-building techniques and elegant animations. Firewalk’s debut is probably not out of this world, however it’s genuinely fairly good general.