I did all of my homework early this week, so I am rewarding myself with a bunch of video games, including a Nextfest demo. I wanted to play a platformer because I am always a fan of platformers and I found a game that filled that little platforming void in my soul. This week is a non-violent, precision-platformer where music takes center stage.

This week is Symphonia.

Symphonia is a precision platformer from Sunny Peak and Headup. The game will release in Q4 of 2024 for all current gen systems.

The demo does just place the player somewhere NOT in the beginning of the game where it is very difficult to understand what the hell is going on in the story, so having a little guide is key. The player takes the role of a faceless, masquerade mask wearing, violinist who has been brought back from the dead to re-activate the sound generating machines to bring the world back to life. The world that Philemon inhabits needs your help to get its music back and you will have to do a bunch of precision platforming puzzles to do so.

Symphonia is much like the games that precede it in the genre. You have a dead world that fills you in every once-and-a-while about what is going on, but a lot of the time you are jumping, swinging, flicking and trying not to die on the multitude of threats/traps littered around this dead world.

The entire Symphonia demo really lends itself to making you understand how to traverse this world. You are given the ability to jump and are given an area to get the feel for how light the character is when they are falling. Then, once you have that down, you are given the ability to wall jump and double jump. Go through the motions and BAM! you are introduced to flick yourself really far with the violin bow.

The environments lend themselves really well to the tutorial as it gives the player plenty of playtime with each platforming ability to make yourself feel like an expert at it. Towards the end of the demo the game truly tests the player in their ability with a hint of the “precision” in the precision platforming. It’s okay if you fail because Symphonia just lets you start back at the beginning of the room. The game understands that it may be difficult and doesn’t punish the player by forcing them to play whole section over again.

The demo is set up to where you can really learn the core mechanics of the game and really explore how to use them in ways that, first of all, look stunning and feel really great too.

Symphonia is a beautiful looking video game. I really enjoy the musical instrument inspired architecture. There are times where you be running around and spot a pair of cymbals that are attached to a larger structure made entirely out of organ pipes. The overall art design is absolutely beautiful and with those little touches make the game so above and beyond.

Symphonia has a fun orchestral soundtrack that pairs really well with the platforming. The brass surges through when in the heat of the moment and the flutes and violins accompany without missing a beat. It all works so incredibly well and as a fan of orchestral music, I want to find the OST and bookmark it. Other than that, I really enjoy the subtle sounds that Symphonia incorporates too. The sounds while running, wall climbing and the the FLICK! of the bow when flinging yourself are all crisp, clean and add so much to the overall experience.

I liked Symphonia though the demo was incredibly short. The traversal was as good as I want in a precision platformer, the “precision” had its moments too making for tense moments navigating tight corridors. The game looks really good and performs well. Overall a fun experience.

The demo is really fun, though short, it was an enjoyable experience. I recommend wishlisting it.