Harmonia and a visual novel developed by Key for the PC. Interestingly, in an unusual twist, the English version was released a few months before the Japanese version. Considering the English translation of Key visual novels are usually released years after the Japanese version, this feels like a miracle. The game is defined as a “kinetic novel”. Harmonia removes even the most basic of gameplay of visual novels. There are no choices, decisions or any other gimmicks that pause the story, instead, it is literally a visual novel. You read the story from start to finish with no player input at all. This also means that it is a linear path, there is only one ending. Text comes in huge chunks and usually half the screen is dedicated to the text, at times expanding to the whole screen.
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where when the population peaked, it started to decline (as they do). Humanity up until that point had managed to create androids, known as phiroids, to be their workers, companions and everything else. Phiroids were dramatically improved to be almost humans themselves, with true AI, able to eat and convert that to energy, have the five senses and look the part with artificial skin. Yet their internals remain mechanical.
The visual novel begins when one of these phiroids wakes up and finds himself in an abandoned factory. He goes outside and explores before quickly encountering a friendly girl by the name of shiona. Stating his name as Rei, the pair lives together as Rei starts to get a better understanding of the world. Shiona had lived by herself in the outskirts of a town. He learns that the world has a dire energy shortage. Electricity is precious and so nearly everything that can regress back to analogue has done so.
It is a bleak world but at the same time, there is some warmth. People still go about with their lives. This is a peaceful town but there is talk of violence happening elsewhere. Rei will meet two more important characters, Madd being the perpetually angry shopkeeper, and Tipi, a small girl who constantly cries and is the librarian. Harmonia has a typical story structure by Key with a slow beginning. It follows a predictable structure where Rei starts to warm to his current life and then decides he wants to help the people around him. The story then follows one arc after another as he understands the problems that is plaguing others and causing them to be sad. All this is accompanied by the fantastic pieces of music that is also typical of Key.
Key themes of the story include Rei slowly discovering his own humanity. As a phiroid, he was initially confused due to his feelings, but as he experiences them more and more, he understands what he wants to do. Mixed into it is his relationship with Shiona. Shiona is portrayed as a sweet girl, but later on, it becomes hard to understand her actions, actions that seemingly go against her nature. Rei can never escape that fact that he isn’t human. He has the notion that once he reveals that he is a phiroid, no one will ever accept him. Yet because his body is mechanic, he needs to keep himself serviced, and fix himself up if anything breaks down. Despite the slice-of-life tone of the story, this is set in a post-apocalyptic world and the story takes a turn for the darker.
Due to the speed at which the arcs go by, you don’t develop a good solid bond with each character. Sure, their plights are sad, but it lacks the familiarity of a close relationship such that you are truly invested in them. As a result, the resolution of their arcs kind of falls flat. As if to emphasize this, Harmonia has a short story; it only takes three to six hours to complete it, depending on your reading speed. It’s a small game, taking place in a very limited amount of areas, only four voiced characters and only those four characters have artwork.
The twist in the story can be easily predicted. While there is a section where you’re confused as it throws piece after piece at you that make it more mysterious, ultimately, it is nowhere near as impactful as some other Key games. Nevertheless, the climax and ending was still sad, and you have developed just enough of a bond to still empathize with the characters’ plights. Despite that, you can’t help but feel just like the rest of the game, it was rushed and could have been a lot more impactful if more time was allowed to see it all play out.
Despite the lack of replay value after you have finished the story, Harmonia is a solid visual novel. It has pretty artwork, sweet serene music, and a story that eventually pays off. While it’s not a story that has a huge emotional impact, the ending will still tug your heartstrings as you think of what it could have been for the characters.
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