Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories

In a previous review, I turned my attention to Another Code: Two Memories. A title for the Nintendo DS, Another Code is a well crafted game: an adventure game with an underlying mystery story and innovative use of the Nintendo DS hardware.

With my experience of Another Code behind me, I had high expectations of Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories. But, as this review will show, the sequel lacks a lot of the quality and elements that made the first title successful in the first place. Do not get me wrong, I still like this second game. However, I cannot ignore the fact that Another Code: R falls well below the standard set by its predecessor.

Overview

Two years after the events of Blood Edward Island, Ashley is now sixteen and finds herself in a case of history repeating itself. While her father came back with her, he soon found work and has fallen back into his habit of being absent for months at a time.

So it comes as no surprise to Ashley when (you guessed it) a package from her father arrives with a new DS Lite-like device called a DAS arrives with a letter inviting Ashley to meet her father at a camping resort called Lake Juliet.

While originally intending to resolve the conflict between herself and her father, Ashley soon learns upon arrival that Lake Juliet has a secret. Shortly before her death, Ashley’s mother had gone to Lake Juliet.

Game Play

Like Another Code on the Nintendo DS, the player progresses the game by solving one puzzle after another. I have to be honest. I struggle to describe the game play of this game beyond this assessment, purely because there is not much game play to evaluate. Most of this game is basically reading one long text conversation after another.

Another problem is the creativity and challenge that made the puzzles worthwhile in Another Code is absent in this sequel. The puzzles feel like they were placed there as an afterthought and have not been given the design attention they needed. In general, this made the puzzles feel more like a frustration than a challenge. Especially when the puzzle where Ashley tests the acidity of water has been horrendously repeated throughout the game.

The only new element of the game is that Ashley now has yet another device called a TAS: an in game device that looks like a Wii Remote. Despite the addition of this new device, the only function of the TAS is to over ride electronic locks on doors that prevent Ashley from progressing. It makes clever use of the real world Wii Remote (the player has to try and look at the device on screen to work out the function and solve the current puzzle). But these cases are few and very far between so there is a lot of wasted potential.

On the whole, the majority of the game repeats the acid test puzzle and most of the diverse and creative puzzles are not found until near the end of the game. Even then, it is too little too late.

Story

If one looks at the cover of the game, one finds that the game has been described as an interactive mystery novel. Cing has taken care of the mystery novel part, but it is clear that the interactive element has been given little attention by comparison.

The story is well made, but suffers from the same repetition as the puzzles. As the player progresses, the various characters in the game constantly repeat the obvious. There are even cases where the characters talk in detail about something they just discussed five minutes ago.

The worst part is the constant breaking of the forth wall. Throughout the game, Ashley turns to the player and starts to express her inner thoughts and even talks about actions the player has just executed. First, this is needless repetition. And second, this prevents emersion from being sustained.

Still, the elements of a good story are there. The characters are given solid backgrounds, the player sees them develop over time and there is the odd moment where one really sympathises with the characters. In the end though, the story would have been better suited for a manga or perhaps an actual paperback novel. It simply was not designed from the start to be interactive thus does nothing to help the nature of the game.

Graphics and Sound

Graphics wise, Another Code: R can be described as being 2.5D (pronounced two and a half dimensional). While the graphics are three dimensional, Ashley’s movements are confined to a two dimensional plane. When she is in buildings however, she is basically fixed to a single point and the player is only able to rotate the view point.

Restrictions aside, I still like the graphics of this game. The characters are anime-styled and exist in a water colour-like environment. The environments are also lush and colourful (a rarity in this day and age as I constantly point).

As for sound, this is possibly the only other good trait this game has that comes from its predecessor. Each character in the game has his or her own unique theme and each environment has a theme depending on the current situation Ashley is in. In the same environment, the tone could be calm a cheerful yet will become tensioned if Ashley is in a worrying situation.

Overall

In all fairness, I still recommend this ‘game’ to fans of Another Code. But I have to be honest. First, one does not play this game: one reads it. All the potential for making a world full of adventure and mystery has been missed.

Instead of being creative with the Wii’s motion sensing capabilities, the focus has mostly been on the story. And even then, the story itself has been bloated with constant repetitions and excessive use of forth wall breaking.

The only element I deem well crafted in this game is the graphics and sound. The characters and environment are well stylised and the game very rich in its soundtrack. However, this is of little comfort. Sound and graphics are only two small elements to the whole when it comes to games. And sadly, this game is more riddled with design faults than it has accomplishments.