Players control a small creature named Joy who is in a spherical ball, as they traverse through four distinct worlds, each designed to evoke different emotional responses through color, light, and sound.

[8][9] The game's main objective is to collect scattered orbs, which, when gathered, contribute to the world's musical score and visual effects.

Joy can absorb different types of orbs that influence the gameplay, such as speeding up movement or altering the musical score.

Christian Donlan for Eurogamer listed the game under 'Eurogamer Recommended', complementing the idea of Ode, and describing it as "magic".

[18] Jose A. Rodriguez for IGN España gave Ode a rating of 8/10, complementing the graphics and the freedom to play the game at the pace of choice, and music.

[31] Tommaso Pugliese for Multiplayer.it rated the game 7/10, stating that "the ideas put into play are original, the artistic part appears inspired and some glimpses and sequences are undeniably evocative", but condemns the "excessive slipperiness regarding the character's movement".