Who made it?
Bizarre game. “Wait, you mean the Pokémon?” Yes, those are Pokémon, but don’t worry, there are no pocket monsters here. Just vibes.
What is the premise?
The world of Melodia is under attack by the Noizoids, who have kidnapped the princess of Symphony City, Ariana! Hmm, a world under siege And A kidnapped princess? Is this a bell?
Luckily in HarmoKnight you really have to get those bells. This is not just your standard background, this is a rhythm platform, so you have to run, jump and attack to the rhythm of the world around you if you want to pass each toe touch level.
Like all the best rhythm games, the soundtrack is the real highlight here, but there’s still enough plot content to keep you playing level after level without getting tired.
Why should I play it?
It’s fun to play a non-Pokémon game from Game Freak. The team knows its stuff about capture and combat, but it turns out there’s more to it than banking (who would have thought)!
It sounds obvious for a game of this genre, but HarmoKnight is really elevated by Minako Adachi’s amazing score, like a warm embrace of childhood happiness as you dance to collect musical notes and swing his legendary staff to clear the way ahead.
There’s a cartoonish visual style that may be off-putting to some, but we found that it matches the tone of the game all the way to tee. Combine that with a comic book-inspired cutscenes approach and HarmoKnight is a stylish title.
It’s a game that draws you in with its simple control scheme (the tutorial lasts only a few seconds) before taking you to different difficulty levels where you’ll have to learn how to master the maneuvers. Enter the button to overcome the increasingly difficult rhythm. song. It’s the kind of game where you’ll start off thinking you can only play it in your sleep to quickly realize that you have a lot to learn.
there is a great thing Iwata asked game interview – always a good sign – that you can also check out some light reading in between levels. What’s not to like!?
how much is this?
$14.99 USD / £12.99 / 14.99€. This is a game where you get as much as you spend, but a price like this cannot be mocked for the hours of gameplay available in the first place.
We’ll be back soon with another 3DS or Wii U eShop recommendation as part of the this String ‘Countdown’. Let us know below if you already have this in your collection and share your thoughts. Also, feel free to nominate other games — we may also feature those in the coming days.
