HarmoKnight

Game Info

So… rhythm games have never been my forte, but when Mike interrupted his nightly bloodfeast to give me HarmoKnight, I was intrigued, as was his victim. HarmoKnight is both music game and action platformer, and it does both remarkably well. You play a young man named Tempo who finds a musical staff after a meteorite falls, bringing aliens called Noizoids to his world of Melodia, and the task falls to Tempo and the allies he finds along the way to stop them and reclaim Melodia.

 

Each stage is a track, so you run automatically, but jump and strike to obtain notes and whack enemies to keep the stage’s music going. All the game’s worlds feature a different type of music, and its a great variety that keeps the game from getting stale. There are no checkpoints, so if you die, expect to go right back to the beginning, although a checkpoint mid-song would be odd. Thankfully, none of the stages are too long, meaning you won’t lose too much progress or punch a wall in frustration.

The graphics are basic and cartoony, but they fit the game well. The 3D compliments the look even more, and the boss battles are great to see. You’ll be able to tell this is a Game Freak game just from the creature design… aaaaand the various Pokemon themed bonus stages unlocked by completing each world. The levels are well structured and fun, to the point to where if I wasn’t satisfied with my performance, I would replay them two or three more times.

 

As far as sound goes, each stage is a multi-layered track, missing too many notes makes it sound like garbage. With practice, each level will get your feet tapping. There were a few instances where I felt the game’s timing was off, but with my modest sense of rhythm, this can most likely be attributed to my own mistakes. The musical themes or each world were well done and diverse, and at times, very intense.

Overall, I had a blast with this one. If you have a 3DS, I can’t recommend this one enough. The music is great, the gameplay is solid, and the package is just well put together. As I said above, the boss battles are just great fun to play, especially in 3D. The Stage Selector lets you hop around and replay any stage at any time, in either normal speed or fast. The bonus Pokemon stages were really cool to play as well. A host of great features make this game worth the purchase. Well played, Nintendo and Game Freak… well played.