Harmonium: The Musical — Everything We Know

The harmonium has become such an integral part of the Indian classical music scene. So much so that it's second nature to mention the instrument and Indian in the same sentence. But history lessons aside, it looks like gaming will soon get a musical feature of its own. Harmonium: The Musical was officially announced at the Game Awards 2023 event. Its goal is to shift the accessibility and creativity of the gaming landscape on its feet. 

The upcoming game plans to create a musical adventure that you experience purely via sign and body language. The key here, says The Odd Gentlemen studio, is to “feel” the music rather than “hear.” Sounds exciting? Well, let’s prepare ourselves for its arrival by exploring every minute detail we know so far. Here’s Harmonium: The Musical— Everything We Know.

What is Harmonium: The Musical?

Harmonium: The Musical is an upcoming adventure/narrative game recently announced at the Game Awards 2023 event. It plans to mesh together accessibility and creativity to create an inclusive entry for every gamer out there. 

More specifically, the game plans to show rather than tell its music through interactive sign language. If you don’t know sign language, don't worry. There’ll be visuals and body language as well, which the developers claim will be easy for everyone to infer and follow along with. 

Story

A 10-year-old Filipina-American girl called Melody Macato sets forth to deliver a performance of a lifetime in her upcoming debut show. She’s deaf, too, and so her only way to sing is through sign language, which she plans to embody in a way that the audience will feel, see, and feel accessible to. 

However, on her way to her performance, she finds herself in a musical and fantasy land. She has to make it home for her big show, but alas, an all-consuming enemy force called Cacophony stands in her way. With your help and Melody’s musical prowess, you’ll both master the skill necessary to defeat Cacophony using a one-of-a-kind masterpiece symphony for the books.

Gameplay

Described as a sign language musical adventure and narrative game, Harmonium: The Musical seems to place its sole focus on accessibility and creativity. It’ll showcase Disney-like music, except relay it through visuals and American Sign Language (ASL). The result is a new way to enjoy music, where instead of just listening to the soundtrack, every gamer can feel, see, and find it accessible, too.

Set in a fantasy land, Melody will need to jump over hoops to find her way back home in time for her show. There’ll no doubt be moments of wonder as you take in charming environments. According to the game’s description, players will explore this fantasyland using ‘innovative gameplay mechanics.’ 

Meanwhile, you’ll also come across narrative puzzles. Most puzzles will infuse the ASL. However, if you don’t know ASL, the developer confirms that the game will incorporate easy-to-decipher ‘body language, handshapes, and gestures.’

Features (via The Odd Gentlemen)

• Unique Sign Language Game Mechanics – The game uses sign language and a variety of other non-verbal communication in its puzzles and narrative gameplay. Players will observe and take action in gameplay mechanics that utilize body language and handshape classifiers to describe things visually. No prior sign language experience is required to play.
• An Accessible Experience – Accessibility design has been baked in from the start. The game features a visual language for music, animated subtitles for musical numbers, customizable captions, UI/controls, characters who fully communicate through ASL, a high-contrast gameplay mode, dubbed or subtitled mode, and more.
• Interactive Musical Numbers – Inspired by animated musicals and Deaf theater, the game features interactive and musical numbers that are signed and sung, branching dialogues that affect lyrics and gameplay, and puzzles that invite the player to tinker with visual musical toys.
• A Narrative Experience for All Ages – Harmonium The Musical is a highly polished narrative, seamlessly told through gameplay. Melody’s story is touching, charming, and humorous, with universal appeal. The game is designed to be an experience everyone can enjoy and share together.

Development

Developer The Odd Gentlemen is currently working on the Harmonium: The Musical project. They plan to release it soon in partnership with publisher Netflix. This won’t be The Odd Gentlemen’s first project. You may have played their previous one, called The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom, a puzzle-platform game. 

It received positive acclaim for infusing unique puzzle mechanics, which are also part of the gameplay in the upcoming game. Due to the fact that this isn’t their first rodeo, we have high expectations for an even better experience the second time around.

The Odd Gentlemen has built a reputation around developing accessible games that portray “positive messaging, innovative gameplay, and breathtaking visuals.” As far as we can tell, at least from the trailer, the upcoming game seems to check all the boxes.

Trailer

The Odd Gentlemen has done a great job painting us a vivid picture of what to expect in their reveal trailer released at the Game Awards 2023. Feel free to check it out for a soothing musical exploration of the characters you can expect. You also catch wind of the visuals, along with the music, accompanied by sign language that’s pretty easy to follow. The music does sound a lot like Disney, as do the environments, so do expect a charming game along those lines.

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

As exciting as Harmonium: The Musical sounds, you may have to wait a little while before getting your hands on it. Developer The Odd Gentlemen hasn’t clarified a specific release date yet. If we’re to estimate, perhaps a 2024 release window is likely. However, there’s still no way to know for sure.

Meanwhile, you can expect the game to launch on the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC  platforms. It’ll also launch on Xbox Game Pass and mobile platforms via Netflix Games for gamers with subscriptions. The team has yet to confirm any editions. In the meantime, feel free to follow the official social handle here for more updates. We’ll also be sure to let you know as soon as new information comes up.

So, what’s your take? Pumped about Harmonium: The Musical’s arrival? Planning to pick up a copy of the game when it drops? We’d love to know where you stand over on our socials here.