“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” – W.B. Yeats
Overview
Harmony’s Odyssey is a 3D fantasy adventure puzzle game set in a series of mythical dioramas full of conundrums, creatures and chaos! Players get to join Harmony and her mischievous cat as they embark on a magical journey through a variety of thematic settings!
Developer: Mythic Owl
Released: 19th October 2022
Price: £11.39 – £13.49
Gameplay
Harmony’s Odyssey has a campaign mode and arcade mode and comprises of eight different zones that house over 100 dioramic puzzles for players to solve. The majority of these are jigsaw puzzles though there are a total of seven mini-games/puzzle types including spot the difference, hidden object, memory, mazes, and even Pacman-esque arenas. Some of these have a set number of lives before a reset, enemies, or a timer to make things more interesting and demanding.
The jigsaws are mostly 3D dioramas, some are multi-storey scenes that essentially consist of three different puzzles and some are 2D pictures. These are fun and satisfying but do get a little repetitive at times and further inclusion of the other mini-games and puzzles might have prevented this. The level of challenge increases throughout each section/zone and through the game as a whole, however, it does not get too difficult at any point and remains a relaxing experience overall. The player’s time and the number of moves used are displayed at the end of each puzzle allowing for some level of competition with oneself.
Like the rest of the game, the UI is quite minimal and does not use text. In most instances, this would make a game more accessible but the images used were unclear and navigating the menus and different game modes can be a little confusing.
Narrative and Styling
The game’s narrative follows Harmony and her cat as they explore the eight distinct biomes and bring peace to the troubled creatures and people that inhabit them. Told mostly through sporadic cutscenes, it is not a particularly detailed story, however, it does manage to be rather touching and uplifting in its conclusion.
Harmony’s Odyssey has a colourful 3D art style with saturated colour palettes and vibrant lighting. This is used to depict a large variety of charming (and not-so-charming) creatures and an array of fantastical scenery. The animation style is cute and jaunty and really brings the adorable protagonist to life along with the different NPCs and environmental items. The music ranges from jazzy to mysterious to rocky to magical, though remains mostly upbeat throughout. Players will hear flute, piano, gentle twinkling noises as well as edgier sounds such as electric guitar and drums amongst the various tracks which are always befitting of the current scene or puzzle. The overall aesthetic really suits the casual style of gameplay and the whimsical narrative.
Summary
Harmony’s Odyssey’s Campaign mode will take around four hours to complete and there is plenty more fun to be had in arcade mode. It is quite a simplistic experience overall but pleases players with its jolly and colourful aesthetic, varied and upbeat music, satisfying puzzles and adorable characters, especially the protagonist and her cat! It is a very fun game that will provide a mild and stress-free challenge and I’d happily recommend it to anyone looking for a cute and laidback puzzle experience.
If you like this game you may also enjoy these cute puzzle games:
Zodiacats – A Magical Game of Cat Puzzles and Astrology! – Lost in Play – A Surprisingly Tricky Puzzle Adventure! – Sizeable – Explore Beautiful Dioramas in this Charming Puzzle Game!
