In 1940, Disney released an animated musical anthology that would change the course of film history. A live orchestra set eight different animated motion picture sequences against a backdrop of classical music, making Fantasia the first of its kind to marry sound and animation in such a compelling format. An artistic masterpiece in the eyes of critics*, Fantasia marked a new trajectory for “visualised music” that we see evident in films and games today. Symphonia, a game released on December 5th, 2024, is one of those games that honours the enduring legacy of this artistic format.
What started as a student project at a French video game school in 2019 crescendoed into a much larger creation after Symphonia picked up multiple awards in 2021, including a BAFTA. That same year, the folks behind the game created their own studio called Sunny Peak and secured a publisher, Headup, to bring their grand vision into reality. A key to the evolution of Symphonia was mastering the music. Composers Olivier and Alexandre had no prior experience with classical music, but after rigorously studying this style, they were able to devise the perfect sound for the game.
Given the development history, it should be no surprise that the musical score is the centre of attention in Symphonia. What’s more, I am delighted to say that the music is worthy of that limelight. The composers masterfully weave the music into the gameplay experience from end-to-end. The romantic-era tunes follow the player as they traverse each biome within the world of Symphonia and adapt to the particular characteristics of each location. For instance, in the Woodwinds Glasshouse, you will hear musical tracks that heavily feature woodwind instruments like the flutes, piccolo, and bassoon. In the brass palace, trumpets and trombones boldly punch through the ambient sound to deliver some thrilling moments. I also loved that once you complete each location, the music at the hub of the world changes. What starts as a very quiet, empty soundscape in the hub jolts to life as the aforementioned instruments are introduced to score. The music, performed by a full orchestra, builds on itself as the game progresses narratively, conveying the fusion of sound and narrative design.
*Disney has acknowledged that despite critical praise, the film included negative racial stereotypes and caricatures. The inclusion of a certain stereotyped character was removed from the current version of Fantasia available on Disney+, but a disclaimer is still shared at the beginning of the film to acknowledge the profiling present elsewhere.
The story drops the player into a mechanised musical world gone silent and still. We play as Philemon, a violinist who is tasked with bringing “the band” back together from the corners of the world to restore Symphonia to its former glory. This is made possible by the way music interacts with the setting. When music is played, by Philemon’s violin or other means, the world springs into motion. Architectural gears spin, pistons fire, and automatons scuttle about. Philemon uses this interplay with his violin to traverse the landscape, locate each musician in the ensemble, and convince them to perform a grand concert to activate the music-box world in earnest.
The various musicians you recruit each have their own personality, art style, and instrumentation. Characters such as the playful flutist and the tender cellist each have their identity reflected in the gameplay and music of their specific biome. Players can unlock additional lore and backstory on these characters by finding a special scroll in each biome, typically hidden in a very challenging platforming section. When it comes to Philemon, their backstory is unlocked via collectibles as well, this time providing some still images of the events preceding the game.
Despite all the unlockable backstory images and flavour text, I couldn’t help but notice a lack of connective tissue in the plot of Symphonia. The world is fascinating, the characters are endearing, but the player learns so little about this mysterious world. I say this as someone who found every collectible, and even that did not do enough world-building for me. I have a sneaking suspicion that the game was built on top of a clear vision for the platforming and music features, while the story was retrofitted to this design at a later time. Nonetheless, the vague plot should not deter players from this experience because the music and gameplay stand well enough on their own.
Following a long lineage of 2D precision-platformers, Symphonia simultaneously makes great strides in the genre while still losing its footing at some points. The platforming mechanics are highly inventive, especially when it comes to the moveset at Philemon’s disposal. The violin bow bounce is a standout feature, especially since it can power different types of jumps based on the player’s momentum. Long jumps, high jumps, and even a catapult mechanic are courtesy of this incredible instrument. Surprisingly, one thing Philemon will not be doing with his violin bow is combat. I really appreciated the decision to make Symphonia a non-violent platformer, as it fits the atmosphere of the world perfectly.
When it comes to precision, things were a bit more uneven. Philemon will have to dodge and bypass all sorts of obstacles to reach their destination, many of which are quite unforgiving. The respawn at instant speed is here, thankfully, but sometimes that respawn is several screens back from the point of failure. Additionally, the challenge rooms that unlock the lore of the game amp up the difficulty but are frustrating and fascinating in equal measure. This is because, in my experience, the controls were just not as pinpoint as they needed to be for this kind of platformer. The mechanics in games like Celeste that made room for marginal degrees of error are missing here, and input often felt unresponsive as I forced my way through some of the more punishing sequences.
Fortunately, there are some gameplay variants you can unlock by finding certain collectibles. I have some mixed feelings on these since they are locked behind a skill check. Still, once I did unlock them, I had several substantial accessibility tools to use for the most challenging platforming rooms. They “break” the game design by allowing the player to stick to and bounce off unintended surfaces. For that reason, it makes sense to unlock these as a reward for completing challenges, but other variants like the ability to slow down the game speed should be a standard accessibility option, in my opinion.
Finally, the artwork in Symphonia is a stunning compliment to all of the features listed above. Hand-drawn animations capture a reawakening mechanical world with gusto and fanfare. There are brief cutscenes saturated with the passion of their creators. Yet nothing can match the wonder of the concert scenes, a reward for making it to the end of each biome. In these scenes, Philemon will join the local musician in a beautiful concert that features the violin and the guest instrument harmonising in perfect union. Each concert was a cathartic experience, where I could take my sweaty hands off the controller and just listen to an enrapturing musical score set to vivid visual animation.
While Fantasia may have dazzled the world with 2D animation set to a live orchestra, Symphonia extends that same magic to games over eight decades later. There is something special about a game that so thoughtfully matches each gameplay beat and visual spectacle to the cadence of its spirited score. The story and platforming may have been a bit looser than I hoped, but all things considered, Symphonia still hits the high notes.
Release Date: December 5th, 2024 Platforms: PC Developer: Sunny Peak Publisher: Headup
Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.
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