
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good soon and, for one reason or another, these eShop-exclusives are close to our hearts.
Today, Jim nominates HarmoKnight, a rhythm platformer from the team behind Pokémon...
So, what's it called again?
HarmoKnight. It might sound tough and brutal, but trust us, it's really sweet.
Who made it?
Game Freak. "Wait, you mean the Pokémon guys?" Yep, it's the Pokémon guys, but don't worry, there are no pocket monsters here. Just vibes.
What's the premise?
The world of Melodia is under attack by Noizoids who have kidnapped the princess of Symphony City, Ariana! Hmm, a world under siege and a kidnapped princess? Is this ringing any bells?
Fortunately in HarmoKnight, you literally have to get those bells a-ringing. This isn't just your standard platformer, this is a rhythm platformer, so you have to run, jump and attack to the beat of the world around you if you are to make it through each toe-tapping level.
Like all the best rhythm games, the soundtrack is the real star here, but there is enough in the story barrels to keep you playing level after level without fatigue.
Why should I play it?
It is always a pleasure to play a non-Pokémon game from Game Freak. The team knows its stuff about catching and battling, but it turns out that there is much more in the bank besides (who would have thought it)!
It sounds obvious with a game in this genre, but HarmoKnight really is elevated by Minako Adachi's brilliant score, which is like a warm hug of childhood bliss while you jump to collect musical notes and swing your legendary staff to clear the path ahead.
There is a cartoony visual style which might be off-putting to some, but we found that it suited the tone of the game down to a tee. Combine that with a comic book-inspired approach to cutscenes, and HarmoKnight is a title packed with style.
This is a game that reels you in with a simple control scheme (the tutorial lasts for just a number of seconds) before exposing you to levels of varying difficulty where you will have to learn to master the button inputs to make it through increasingly challenging rhythmic tracks. It's the kind of game where you will begin by thinking that you could play it in your sleep only to very quickly find that you have a lot to learn.
There is a great Iwata Asks interview on the game — always a good sign — that you can also check out for some light reading in-between levels. What's not to like!?
How much is it?
$14.99USD / £12.99 / 14,99€. It's a game where you get out as much as you put in, but a price like this cannot be scoffed at for the hours of gameplay available from the get-go.
We'll be back soon with another 3DS or Wii U eShop recommendation as part of this 'Countdown' series. Let us know below if you've already got this in your collection and share your thoughts. Also, feel free to nominate other games — we just might highlight those in the coming days, too.
Comments 26
The discount using platinum points page said that offer expired in 2019. Is that just me?
Only the thumbnail loaded for me initially and I got my hopes up that HarmoKnight was coming to Switch 😭
Always wanted to play this one myself. In case it wasn't blatantly obvious, I'm a pretty big fan of Game Freak's works and I particularly like it when they diverge from Pokemon to make some truly off-the-wall experiences and HarmoKnight definitely falls into that category for me. Also James Turner was the main art director on this one and ooh it looks SO good
While I appreciate that the authors of these series take the time to lay out the My Nintendo reward info, unfortunately these offers haven't been available for at least 3ish years when Nintendo fully dropped 3DS support for the gold coin eShop discounts on Switch. I'm surprised the product reward pages are even still searchable.
I tried the demo for this game and liked it, though I never picked up the full suite.
I got Crimson Shroud years ago but I'm still missing HarmoKnight. Thank you for the reminder
So sad that a sequel was never made for this game. It was sooo good.
I finally succumbed to years of this game being pushed as a great game. I bought it about two months ago just so I wouldn't miss out on it once the stores close. I hate this game. It's not fun. It's not really that cute. The music isn't very good. I really don't get it.
@Tyranexx @TheBigBlue That's my bad — I wasn't signed in when I checked the page, so the 'No longer available' message didn't appear for me. Thanks for the spot, I've removed that line from the text.
I picked this up earlier this month. I'm currently playing some Dead or Alive Dimensions and Yugioh Zexal on my 3DS, but I'll play this game and Steel Diver next.
Over here in Mexico it costs about 300 pesos, it's above the average cost of other games 3DS eShop games here in Mexico.
Mostly for that reason I haven't gotten it, but I will once the last 2 weeks arrive. I'm saving the more expensive games for those last weeks.
This is a pretty fun little game if you like rhythm games. Worth having on the 3DS, for sure
HarmoKnight's a good pick. I don't think it's as strong a rhythm runner as Bit.Trip Runner, but you're still in for a good time regardless.
@Goofonzo likewise: I played it, wanted to like it, but quit after an hour or two.
One of my favorites from the 3DS eShop. Also a big fan of Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, if anyone is looking for other rhythm-based 3DS eShop exclusives.
I hate that I genuinely didn't like this game. The soundtrack just felt too samey for each area, and the only truly memorable songs were....the few pokemon songs present. To those who enjoy this, I'm glad you do. Wish I could too though.
It's been so long since I played it but I remember this being quite fun and charming. I mostly remember it for the cool boss levels.
I never did beat this game back then...I do own it, though...and downloaded it a while back after hearing about the 3DS eshop news.
This is the one game I still need to get before the eShop on the 3DS goes down. And of course make sure all of my games are updated on my XL.
I've had this on backlog for years. I need to fire up the 3ds and play it! I have everything I want from the Eshop. Absolutely loved the Level 5 games. Plus all those kemco rpg's. It's been a good run on 3ds
I love rhythm games but not this one. Story and characters are meh and the boss Battles are terrible. Instead of playing a song you just repeat a given pattern and if you miss you have the redo the whole thing.
In general the soundtrack is forgettable.
Pocket Card Jockey is my preferred non pokemon Gamefreak title.
@Goofonzo
If you think HarmoKnight isn’t cute, it’s because you haven’t gone through World 3. The game is pretty boyish in Worlds 1 and 2, especially because of all the full screen cutscenes (only the very first and very last cutscenes in the game are cute). World 3 is where the cuteness level goes from “cutesy” to “ridiculously cute,” and it rises from there for quite a while.
Unfortunately a lot of people get stuck on the World 2 final boss, quit, and start bashing the game. (Seriously guys, don’t give up playing your games that easily. (Unless it’s called Pocket Card Jockey, since that one’s a genuinely terrible RNG murderfest that can become a bad habit very quickly.) There are tips on GameFAQs and games of skill like Harmoknight aren’t impossible to beat if you’re persistent in your attempts. (I’ll also offer you tips if you let me know what’s giving you trouble.)
Yes! Nintendo Life mentioned HarmoKnight! Let’s not let anyone who might enjoy the rhythmic knightlife miss out on it!
This game’s boss battles aren’t everyone’s taste, but I think they’re genius, especially the area final boss battles, because they seamlessly alternate between predetermined movie-like action scenes and play. They redeemed putting movie-like features into a game for me, something I needed to see since previously I saw a good game series butcher its 3DS debut when it added a movie-like feature. HarmoKnight really makes the players feel like they’re supplying the action to an animated feature.
Also, you don’t have to restart the boss battles over making just any mistake. You’d either have to fall, lose all your health (you have 5 hearts by default but can carry up to 8 into a level through a handy trick), or miss the final hit to fail.
@sinalefa
I have the exact opposite opinion on which non-Pokémon Game Freak game is better and I’ve even come up with some points:
RNG Presence:
Pocket Card Jockey: contains an absolutely disgusting amount of RNG; you can do absolutely everything right and still lose and you can get screwed out of your win very early in the race or even before it starts; but that’s not even the full extent of the RNG in this game
HarmoKnight: 100% free of RNG, which is lovely, because in cases like these the principle “you can do anything you set your mind to” applies; if anything goes wrong you can correct it on subsequent runs with experience, attention to detail, and/or sometimes even a little knowledge
Character reactions when you don’t win gold:
Pocket Card Jockey: Obnoxious; ranges from mild to irritating to catty: the main character and the stable manager complain about the non-win after every race. The stable manager is irritated with if you don’t win a G1 in Growth Mode. He’s also irritated with you every time you pick out a new horse until you win your first G1 (which is NOT easy; you really have to know what you’re doing to win one, especially without items or an absolutely amazing horse). Owner characters show up to voice their displeasure if you don’t place first in a debut or maiden race (even if you came in second, which the game even tells you is high enough to win a place bet) The first owner character you meet breaks out the all-caps on you if you don’t win a debut or maiden race on his slow-as-molasses horse with no characteristic and mediocre skills (good characteristics and skills are practically required to win races easily)… get this: while you’re still learning the ropes.
HarmoKnight: Sweet 90+% of the time. The supporting characters will give advice or encouragement on most levels if you don’t score high enough to earn gold; the main exception is on bonus levels, on which they tend to comment on the music instead.
Punishment for losing:
Pocket Card Jockey: Harsh: lose a race in Pocket Card Jockey, and it’s gone. If it’s the Royal Derby, Royal Oaks, or the Baron’s Mile (or any other Triple Crown Race), you can’t attempt it again until you have another horse, which is not guaranteed to be as good as your last one. Even if it’s a race you can attempt multiple times with the same horse, you have to go through a lot of others to reach it again. If your horse loses three non-King’s Gate races in Mature Mode, his or her career ends. Let’s also not forget the above section.
HarmoKnight: None to speak of; it you lose a level, it’s no big deal: you can retry it over and over, as many times as you need to.
Genre:
Pocket Card Jockey: puzzle and strategy with a horse-racing theme, now that I think about, we may as well categorize it under “luck” too
HarmoKnight: Action and rhythm
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who likes platformers but hasn’t played any rhythm games (if you’ve played any rhythm games, try the demo first). Rhythm Heaven fans seem to love to hate this game. Almost all negativity I’ve seen about this game is from people who have played another rhythm game and insist on bashing HarmoKnight just for not being similar.
@Wild_Silvally_Dreams I don't care how good it is later, it sucked enough up front to not make me want to keep going. Dud game.
The only “dud” here is that guy’s attitude. What’s with some people spending money on things and not even seeing them through to the end?
I didn’t like Petz Fantasy: Moonlight Magic (which is not to say its sister game Sunlight Magic would have been any better) but I still 100%-ed it. (It’s such a shame how badly Ubisoft butchered that cool concept, especially when just copy-pasting the formula from the other Petz games of that time would have made it an excellent game.) I didn’t like Mii Force for what felt like the longest time, but I stuck to it and eventually I got skilled enough that it grew on me. I’m also still trying to beat Pocket Card Jockey despite not enjoying it at all (and have already posted a guide and shared tips along the way).
If I end up writing bash reviews/negative comments, etc. about games I didn’t enjoy, they will deserve 100% of it because I will have seen everything: I would not have left an inaccurate bash review from having judged it too early, like all the HarmoKnight detractors, who very clearly based on their responses got no much more than 25% in (or the Mii Force reviewer complaining about the supposed lack of literally exactly what the game’s Arcade Mode (which is basically the post-story bonus mode) lets players
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