Developer Prototype announced that the 2016 visual novel Harmonia is getting a Nintendo Switch port, with Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese being available at launch as text options and Japanese voices.
Harmonia was a visual novel created in 2016 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Visual Arts’ Key brand. The game takes place in a far future world devastated by war. The story revolves around a phylloid, a kind of emotional doll, and a girl who picks it up and becomes friends with it.
▍Harmonia Story
We begin with a story of the distant future. The earth has been severely scarred by a great war. The atmosphere was gray and dirty, the earth was devoid of life, and the waters were drying up. The population was greatly reduced from its peak. Humanity was huddled together to survive the day.
In the midst of these times, a robot called “Philoid,” an emotional doll awoke in a decaying facility. A crystallization of pre-war human science, it is literally a humanoid robot with emotional functions.
This being was promised to be a new partner for the ningen and to make their lives better.
However, upon awakening, the phylloid soon discovered that it lacked emotional functions.
His right hand, which must have been left in the middle of production, was also not covered with artificial skin, leaving the mechanical skeleton bare.
Then one day, the phylloid was picked up by a girl. The girl takes him into her care, thinking he is a human…The town is small but warm. The boy then gradually learns to feel emotions in his life with the girl.
▍Harmonia’s Exclusive Features on Nintendo Switch
■ Fully-Voiced Dialogue with Multi-Language Text Options!
In the original version, only the main characters were voiced, but now, on Nintendo Switch, all characters, including NPCs, are fully voiced!
■ Full Nintendo Switch Function
- You can disable the Nintendo Switch’s auto sleep setting for auto mode and other auto progress events.
- Ability to jump between chapters that have already been read.
- Jumping forward or back to a selected message in the backlog is now possible.
- Fast-forwarding from the point of loading saved data is also possible.
- Up to 120 save slots!
- Quick save and quick load functions
- Auto mode time adjustment function
- Voice volume adjustment for each character
- Adjustment of the color of the Nintendo Switch touch screen.
- “Gallery” and “Music” viewing menus are provided.
▍Harmonia Gameplay
The game is characterized by its “kinetic visual novel” format, in which the story is read as if enjoying an anime, movie, or novel, without branching off by choices, etc. The story can be enjoyed with the unique presentation of a game.
▍Harmonia Characters & Cast
■ Rei – CV: Ryô Nishitani
A mechanical boy who lacks emotional function, and wakes up in a decaying factory-like facility. His right hand is not covered with artificial skin, perhaps because it was left in the middle of production, and thus, he always wears gloves to hide his bare mechanical hand.
■ Shiona – CV: Kaori Mizuhashi
A girl who lives in a church in a village that functions as a town in a devastated world. She is always smiling and gives comfort to those around her. She often expresses people’s feelings and emotions in colors and shapes, which takes time to understand at first.
■ Tippie – CV: Misaki Kuno
A girl lives in the back of the library in the town, a mysterious place where paper books are kept despite the fact that books are now mostly electronic. The townspeople know of her existence, but they do not want to get too close to her.
■ Madd – CV: Kenta Miyake
A strong-looking man who runs a general store in town. He is good at detailed work.
He finds broken tools in the dump of an abandoned factory, repairs them, and sells them.
He gets angry easily over trivial matters, however.
