Two Sides of a Dream: Building the Worlds of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie

Summary

• A look into how the two worlds of Harmony: The Fall of Reverie were created.
• Learn more about the inspirations and ideas behind the Aspirations and how the story is balanced between Brittle and Reverie.
• Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is now available for Xbox Series X|S.

Hello! We’re so pleased to be launching Harmony: The Fall of Reverie on Xbox Series X|S today. It’s a narrative adventure with two colorful worlds, a cast of eclectic characters, and a captivating story we hope you will all enjoy!

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie was born out of a single concept: being able to see forthcoming narrative branches and acting on them accordingly through your desired choices. From this mechanic came the idea of dreams as fuel for future actions, a lens through which to see and dissect the complex world we live in, and care for. We knew from the beginning that the game would be set in a slightly futuristic world, close enough to ours to let us tackle contemporary issues yet distant enough to lend us more creative freedom.

Building Reverie, the home of ancient godlike beings known as Aspirations, was the next logical step to tie together the gameplay mechanics and narrative intention, but it was also the hardest one. Reverie and the Aspirations were meant to give Polly (and you) a broader, almost metaphysical view of the world.

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But we didn’t want this realm to feel overly divine: it needed to be fragile, withering in the face of capitalism’s dreamless system. It was also our solution to bridge the gap between this far-reaching gameplay, suited for big choices and even bigger consequences, and the intimate story we wanted to tell.

We decided to paint Brittle (the real world) as a bright, vivid world where social issues are hidden from plain sight. On the other hand, Reverie’s lands are cold, arid, and scattered with ruins akin to our past civilizations, echoing the absence of dreams in Brittle. It all serves the idea that dreams are where hope can be found when all seems lost, where great things can be born from emptiness. Thus, Reverie serves as a set of paths to help Polly navigate her complicated life, and the Aspirations as guides to help her find her own voice.

We based the Aspirations off a few mythological and psychological theories, amongst which are the Spiral Dynamics and pop culture classics like “Sandman” and “Inside Out.” They needed to be broken and feel real, not like omnipotent Greek gods. It helped give them more character and pen them as magical, erratic beings who, despite being immortals, are still struggling with their own community. Their struggles mirror what happens in Brittle and help bind Polly’s quest with that of the Aspirations.

We found it difficult to flesh out two worlds simultaneously with our narrative system. The difficulty lay in balancing narration between Brittle and Reverie, and it took some iteration before we decided to make Brittle the main setting of the game. So, on the occasions when Reverie’s story takes the stage, it feels important – weaving threads that affect humanity – and intimate, tied as it is to Polly’s personal history.

We hope you enjoy the story and draw as much inspiration from it as Polly does from Reverie throughout her journey. You can play Harmony: The Fall of Reverie starting today on Xbox Series X|S.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie

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The fate of humanity is at stake. Use your gift of clairvoyance to see into the future and stop an apocalypse that threatens the balance between your world and the deities’. In the very near future… When Polly returns home after a few years abroad to look for her missing mother, she quickly realizes that her hometown has drastically changed. A megacorporation named MK is using its power to control the population, and her community is in danger.   She soon discovers that she has a gift of clairvoyance that connects her to Reverie, the realm of the Aspirations of Humanity: Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth. In this world, Polly becomes Harmony, an Oracle who has the power to choose the Aspiration that will ultimately rule over Reverie and restore the delicate balance between the deities’ world and ours.    The fate of humanity is at stake. To which destiny do you aspire? DECIDE YOUR DESTINY  As Polly, or Harmony, each action you take will affect both worlds and send you down sprawling narrative paths. See into the future and explore the consequences of possible choices in the Augural, a game board and visual representation of Polly's gift of foresight. In pursuing whichever destiny you desire, you’ll also bond with and obtain crystals from the Aspirations. These will unlock different paths at important crossroads that will change how the thread of the story unravels, and ultimately the fate of humanity. FIND THE NEW HEART OF HUMANITY  Whichever Aspiration comes to lead Reverie, with Harmony’s help, will also become the heart of humanity. Their personality and style of rule will change Reverie while also giving the people of our world a new direction too: when the link between worlds is stronger, Reverie has a bigger influence on the state of our world.  Glory, Bliss, Power, Chaos, Bond, and Truth are all wildly different entities with their own distinct personalities, goals, and opinions on how to make things better. You’ll get to know each of them as visit Reverie in your dreams as Harmony, but only you know best – as Polly – what your world needs.     A COLORFUL WORLD   As you play, revel in artistic direction that is bright, vibrant, and futuristic. Immerse yourself in the daily life of a Mediterranean city and get to know its people, with a cast of characters who are fully voiced and animated. Enjoy an enchanting soundtrack by award-winning composer, Lena Raine. 

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source https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/06/22/building-the-worlds-of-harmony-the-fall-of-reverie/

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