What would the world be like without the beauty of music to drown out the noise?A world without rich gaming OSTs,GDQ Kingdom Hearts speedrun singalongs, and ABBA. Quite frankly, it’s not worth thinking about. Or so you might think.
Symphoniais a game that bravely dares to cast you in a world after the day music died, and you serve as the last bastion of hope for this ruined world, as you must use your string instrument mastery to platform through the chaos and restore the world to its former glory, putting on a show as you do.
It’s a game that you’d bet dines out on its musical theme, but truthfully, it’s thetight and refined platformingthat really steals the show. But don’t just take my word for it; allow me to be your conductor as I guide you through the symphony, that is,Symphonia.
There’s A Finesse To It
As mentioned,Symphoniamay be a game with some interesting themes and striking art, which I promise we will get on to. But it would be criminal not to immediately wax lyrical about the platforming mechanics within this game, which are sublime.
Symphonia places you in the shoes of Philemon, a mysterious musician tasked with striking up the band, getting the orchestra of this musical world back together again, and breathing life back into this world. But to do that, you’ll need to navigate it in its rather broken state.
The biggest compliment I can pay Symphonia is that, at times, this game felt akin to the best platforming sections present in Hollow Knight, albeit without the stress of combat.
Which, as you might have guessed, will almost immediately lead to you hopping across gaps, avoiding projectiles, and trying desperately not to impale yourself on the innumerable spikes that frame each screen you occupy.
Nothing particularly new in the world of platformers there, but how you navigate this world sets Symphonia apart. You’ll have your trusty violin at hand, and while it’s a handy tool to play music and activate machinery, the bow is by far your most treasured piece of kit.
With your bow, you can use this to strike the ground below, effectively pogoing you upward, and if you want to cover some ground in either direction, you can chain these pogo movements, provided you can get into a bit of a flow state.
It’s a simple and intuitive design that feels incredibly satisfying to use and master, and just as soon as you do, a new area of the map will flip the script and milk even more enjoyment and challenging level design out of this simple but effective platforming gimmick.
Then, in addition, you have the various cushioned areas where you will be able to hang from like a bat and launch yourself from, often offering a moment of respite to gather yourself.
Each area of the map feels like a bespoke platforming puzzle to overcome, checkpoints felt challenging but fair, and there was an instant reload upon death that makes trying over and over addictive rather than frustrating. In short, it is everything you could ask of a precision platformer.
A World That Strikes A Cord
When it comes to the overall gameplay present in Symphonia, there’s very little that I can knock marks off for, as it’s a simple gimmick taken to the Nth degree, and done so with aplomb.
However, for this gameplay to really strike a cord, there needs to be a setting that hums in the background, offering eye candy as you hop around the place with care and precision.
Something that Symphonia certainly delivers on, offering four corners of the world with distinct biomes and unique quirks that make each chapter of this game a joy to play through.
Whether it be the sleepy tunes that play as you explore the area with a clock dial day/night cycle with a full moon to your back, or the beautiful overgrowth that engulfs the initial area you encounter, there is always something happening, whether it be visual or auditory, to keep the player enthralled as they leap, slide and pogo to their next destination.
There are a multitude of eye-catching locales within this game and an overall art style that is well worth commending. However, I do have one small gripe with the visuals on show.
At times, mainly when the game tries to marry 2D and 3D assets to offer a more layered look to particular scenes, the 3D assets can often look like rubbery textured eyesores that you’d often see when playing games on the Nintendo 3DS. This begs the question, why even attempt this at all when the 2D visuals are so impressive?
All in all, though, the world crafted here is a memorable one, setting the scene for a grand narrative to unfold. But it seems someone missed their cue, as the story hits a bum note.
Narrative White Noise
Despite the satisfying gameplay, rich audio assortment, and eye-catching visuals lay a strong foundation for the developers to weave a memorable silent narrative that never quite happens in Symphonia.
I am of the opinion that, in precision platformers such as this, narrative is a bonus by all accounts, as gameplay is king. However, you do need something that offers a reasonable amount of substance, or it presents a disparity and generates discussion about the game ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’
One ‘have-not’ the game suffers from is a threadbare storyline and a real lack of personality. This begins with the player character that has a character model that isn’t cute, striking, or memorable, which is a bit of a faux pas in a platformer such as this.
Then you have the silent story woven throughout the game, which is, at best, obtuse and, at worst, non-existent.
The game is rather fortunate that the gameplay is so strong because if it wasn’t, there would be little reason to push on through this story. As you don’t form a bond with your player character, and there’s very little within this world that serves as a question to which you are desperately seeking answers.
The game essentially dines out on the core concept of getting the four founders back together for a grand show, but that’s about as deep as it gets in truth. There is some light environmental storytelling and lore to be divulged as you go. But all in all, the storytelling is easily the weak link here.
Impressive, But Not An Earworm
As you would expect, Symphonia, being the musically themed title, has a rather wonderful soundtrack. Employing the talents of French composer Olivier Esman, the game manages to create bespoke tracks for each area of the world, each offering a thematic sound that encaptures the spirit of this corner of the world.
Then, to further pour praise on Esman’s work, as you encounter characters within each area, and navigate climactic finishing sections, the music ebbs and swells in appropriate measure to provide a steady pace to proceedings, even if you do get stuck on a particular part for what feels like an eternity.
This auditory detail boils right down to the finest aspects of the game, where you’ll be able to play your violin to activate machines, reveal secret collectibles, and more, and each time you do, you’ll likely enjoy a new riff that is a treat for the ears.
It’s hard to be critical of this game’s sound and score, mainly because it’s clear as day how much effort and musical understanding is at play here. However, my one complaint is that because of this, it perhaps feels at odds with what a video game OST should be.
The best way I can paint this picture is by, again, mentioning Hollow Knight. Whether it be the battle theme in Kingdom’s Edge as you face Hornet, or the beautiful theme as you explore the City of Tears. The key takeaway is, I can play those note for note in my head right now.
Symphonia’s music is excellent, but it’s not distinct. It can create a feeling and evoke emotion in the moment, but it’s not something I can reconstruct in my brain now that the dust has settled.
Which, for a game that sets out its stall as a music-fuelled experience, isn’t exactly what you want.
I don’t want to be too critical because, as mentioned, the music is phenomenal, but perhaps the focus on symphonic, professional overtures has led to a less memorable final product.
A Performance For All
One thing I love to see in a precision platformer is a design that caters to all players, as these games, in their most punishing and rigid form, can be rather alienating to some.
So, I was overjoyed to see that this game provides a series of difficulty modifiers, labeled effectively as optional character powers, which allow you to tailor the gameplay to your respective skill set.
The game is designed so that you can take it on in its most difficult and challenging format, where you only have the ability to leap once and use your bow to pogo.
However, if you take the time to find some early-game hidden items, you’ll gain the ability to double jump, slow down time, and over the course of the game’s run, you’ll gain even more of these modifiers.
It’s impressive to see a game that doesn’t implement an ‘easy mode’ to belittle players, but instead creates a framework where these powers can be used to help you get through sections that you may not be capable of precisely navigating.
I’m of the opinion that accessibility is at its best when it’s simply part of the fabric of the game, and Symphonia nails this.
Closing Comments
Symphonia is a sleeper hit that I can only hope will soon take the platforming genre by storm. The platforming mechanics here are refined, satisfying, and a joy to master. Which is only accented by the incredible art direction that serves as eye candy as you go. This symphonic-inspired world is a treat for the eyes and ears, with level design that walks the tightrope between challenging and satisfying with aplomb. And while the narrative present here hits a bum note, I can wholeheartedly recommend Symphonia to any platforming fanatic.
