Previews

EGX 2015: Lost in Harmony is a beautiful rhythm-action game from the creator of Valiant Hearts

Music to my ears

EGX 2015: Lost in Harmony is a beautiful rhythm-action game from the creator of Valiant Hearts
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| Lost in Harmony

Valiant Hearts got a lot of things right, but one of the things it got spot on was its style. It was a unique game, with a heart and soul that set it apart from the rest of the App Store.

With that in mind, consider this - the build of Lost in Harmony that Yoan Fanise shows me in the press room at EGX is utterly spectacular.

There are still a few rough edges, and design choices that might change by the time the game hits iOS in January, but for the three minutes the level lasts I'm utterly transfixed.

The game merges rhythm action and auto-running skateboarding into a fluid and mesmerising mix. It's beautiful, often breathtaking, and as it reveals its secrets the deeper I get, I can't help but smile.

You're skating towards the camera, thrashing through a constantly changing neon cityscape that warps and distorts to a rearranged piece of classical music.

The action switches between different input methods. Sometimes you're swiping to avoid traffic and obstacles, sliding up on the screen to perform ollies.

Other times you're tapping in time to circles appearing on the screen. You need to tap some with a couple of fingers, and chaining together perfectly timed presses earns you extra points.

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In practice it's a complex and wonderfully entertaining experience. It's tough as well. The action switches styles quickly, and you need to pay close attention to ensure that you're not missing beats or smashing into barriers.

There's just one track to play at the moment, but it shows the scope of the game brilliantly. It's almost impossible not to get sucked in, and once the game has me I want to play more and more.

Fanise tells me of additions that his team are adding. Roads will be curved, there's an impressive array of composers creating music for it too, from Wyclef Jean to Fanise himself.

And you can tell he's energised by the project. He's animated as he shows it off, scribbling down concepts that aren't in the demo to better explain them to me.

I leave genuinely excited about getting my hands on the finished project. There's just something about Lost in Harmony that screams of new ideas and new ways of playing. And in this industry that's something to cherish.

The game should be out in January next year, and we'll let you know more about it in the coming months.

Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.