TL;DR
Sonority is a charming puzzle adventure where you play Esther, who uses her pan flute to restore music to a silent world. The gameplay revolves around learning and playing musical notes to solve increasingly complex puzzles. While the graphics are clean and the core mechanic is innovative, the experience is slightly hampered by occasional animation quirks and frustrating camera controls. It's a unique and engaging title, especially on the Nintendo Switch, with a growing sense of musical mastery as you progress. Discover if this melodic journey is the right tune for you – read on for the full review!
In Sonority, players follow Esther on her quest to aid a friend. She employs her pan flute to overcome obstacles, beginning with single notes to solve puzzles. As she progresses, the musical complexity of the challenges increases. Along the way, she encounters a talking raccoon who provides helpful guidance. Esther inhabits a world devoid of music, and she represents its last hope to recover the knowledge necessary for creating beautiful melodies.
Sonority immediately appealed to me due to its innovative approach to the puzzle genre. While countless puzzle games exist, this title uniquely integrates music as a core mechanic. The gameplay is straightforward, presenting an isometric view of your avatar and generally providing ease of navigation, though I will address a specific issue later. Players start with a limited set of notes, gradually learning more complex musical pieces as they unlock additional notes throughout the game.
The game features clean and detailed graphics. Although the animations can occasionally appear somewhat unrefined, particularly involving the talking raccoon, this is a minor issue considering that Sonority is not a AAA title with a massive budget. Sonority maintains a compelling level of engagement, with enjoyment scaling alongside the number of unlocked notes.
Testing Sonority on the Nintendo Switch, I encountered no issues playing on the device’s built-in screen in portable mode. While elements appear small, it remains easy to maintain orientation and read on-screen information. For the optimal portable experience, I recommend using headphones to fully appreciate the game’s musical component. If discerning musical notes proves challenging, players can opt to display them as numbers instead.
Despite the game’s accessibility, I found the lack of camera control frustrating. On a couple of occasions, adjusting the camera to improve the view of my avatar proved impossible, leading to notable irritation.
In conclusion, Sonority offers a unique and enjoyable experience that is well-suited for the Switch, making it a worthwhile recommendation.
Ash Games provided a review code for this evaluation. The provision of materials does not influence our editorial process.
