Harmony, a hero shooter from developer Firewalk Studios, not too long ago had two betas in order that anybody interested by making an attempt the sport out forward of its August 23, 2024 launch date may achieve this. Apart from one map and a sport mode, each betas have been the identical, with all 16 characters from the roster open for anybody to play as from the second they launched it.

I’ve seen various content material creators and followers on the market saying that the world doesn’t want one other hero shooter and that Harmony isn’t as much as the duty of competing with behemoths like Overwatch 2 and Valorant as a result of the concurrent participant numbers on Steam weren’t that prime. Having performed just a few hours of the sport’s betas myself, I’m not saying that it may well or can’t make a dent available in the market. However the sport feels prefer it has extra character than each different hero shooter on the market due to one key and really fleshed-out element: The characters.

As quickly as you initially launch Harmony, it places characters entrance and middle. The sport’s story is instructed by way of weekly cutscenes that play earlier than you bounce into matchmaking and enjoying, that means you’ll by no means miss them. These present how the ragtag group of characters proven within the opening cutscene are doing of their journey to develop into the best Freegunner crew within the galaxy.

Each scene solely includes a handful of characters, however they really feel just like the connective tissue between bigger plot factors which can be, finally, the matches you play. The scenes everybody within the beta noticed have been the crew first gaining their Freegunner standing. The second expands the universe with a dialogue about how the primary crew ever grew to become Freegunners and the way they made the map, which all crews now use, out there without cost.

In isolation, this doesn’t imply a lot. Collectively, these scenes assist us be taught what this universe is about and provides context for each match you play. Getting this info proper off the bat while not having to look by way of menus and skim by way of in-game paperwork makes it a lot extra approachable, and the story will develop on this manner every week, that means it’s going to really feel such as you’re working by way of a story so long as you log in and play no less than as soon as per week. After all, you’ll be able to return and entry all this info by way of paperwork when you’d like.

Harmony‘s characters proceed so as to add extra character to the sport over time as you play increasingly more matches. In most sport modes, you’ll be able to choose and alter your character with each respawn. This lets you see them, their skills, and their tacky intro strains a number of occasions in each match. Whereas this will get fairly boring when you’re enjoying a particular character every time, these strains are simply the tip of the iceberg.

Each character is exclusive and actually stands out from the group by way of the best way they communicate, their skills, and what they put on. Teo is perhaps your common soldier, however his eagerness to leap into battle, rifle effectiveness, and velocity inform the story of a hothead who desires a little bit extra glory from life than guarding shops or working within the army.

1-Off, the enormous yellow robotic, is obsessive about holding issues neat and tidy. Even his weapon and skills stick near this theme. He can hoover enemies up or blast them away, sucking in hearth to taste his weapon when you time issues proper. He’s a usually mild soul, although, and you’ll really feel that by way of his happy-go-lucky perspective and the best way he’s actually simply in a match to have a superb time. Finally, he’s good to go so long as all the pieces’s saved clear.

Harmony can be one of many few hero shooters that assigns pronouns to its characters. This might sound small and trivial to you, however small components like this actually do matter and assist gamers establish with every hero on a deeper stage. It’s onerous to know what gender a mushroom creature and a cleansing robotic establish with, and having that on-screen means you’ll be able to really feel so much nearer to those shells that you simply put on as you bounce into varied sport modes over the course of what may find yourself being tons of of hours.

Even in matches, although, each character simply looks like a person as you play as them. Kyps, a pink undercover agent android with a silenced pistol, is a fast-paced character with easy skills. She will deploy surveillance drones to detect enemies throughout the map, however her actual energy is sneaking up and defeating them from the shadows.

Lark is my favourite mushroom alien character who makes use of spore-based skills to buff allies and debuff enemies. They will drop mushrooms that create areas that can improve all allied skills and velocity whereas additionally buffing any enemies that transfer by way of them. One other mushroom turns into a respawn level they’ll teleport to in a pinch. Even their weapon, the Razorpod Launcher, is exclusive in that it fires off spores that can residence in on enemies for devastating injury.

A personality’s archetype, Anchor, Ranger, Breacher, Hang-out, Warden, and Tactician are like pointers that offer you a tough concept of the way to play them. However in actuality, these characters are all very completely different from each other, and also you gained’t take advantage of them till you’ve realized and mastered their skills and hidden strengths by exploring them for just a few matches.

Lastly, it’s not simply the best way these characters look and what’s written about them in-game; it’s how they act that units Harmony out as a hero shooter with extra character than most. In matches, you’ll hear them hearth off a remark after they do just about all the pieces. Reloading, therapeutic, utilizing their skills, all of it comes with a line of dialogue.

The variations on these all say roughly the identical factor, nevertheless it’s the best way they’re stated that deepens your reference to the characters. Some, like Teo, are simply barking, however that’s as a result of he desires to be quick and to the purpose with all the pieces he says in battle. He doesn’t have time for frivolity in his sentences when he could possibly be taking pictures different Freegunners and profitable the match.

Emari, then again, is a hulking large with a novel defend means. She talks about recharging her batteries in relation to therapeutic and even chuckles about it. These small particulars are precisely what hero shooters want to assist differentiate their characters.

With out them, Teo is the soldier, and Emari is the tank with a defend. I feel that it’s all too simple to fall into the entice of treating characters like they’ll solely be performed in a particular manner in hero shooters. With this added character and the best way that every character simply must be performed to their very own strengths and never solely to suit a job, I can see Harmony adopting a sizeable fan base who has been in search of a shooter with a little bit extra aptitude than the trade is used to.