Rememoried

Developer: Vladimir Kudelka | Publisher: Hangonit | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Adventure / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Some games are so good that we want to forget we played them just so we can experience them through fresh eyes again. Other games are so bad that we want to forget ever laying eyes on them. However, Rememoried is a game where forgetting is part of the theme and intertwined with the gameplay. It is a surreal first person adventure with a focus on exploration, set in a world somewhere between the memories and dreams.

Rememoried is a hard game to try and describe, but imagine Dear Esther meets NaissanceE meets The Path for an idea of what to expect. To say that the game has a dreamlike atmosphere would be an understatement as the mostly monochromatic visuals constantly bombard you with vivid lights, eyes staring back from the sky, stars, silhouettes and all kinds of kaleidoscopic effects. As if this wasn’t confusing enough the game also refuses to hold your hand and figuring out what to do exactly is sometimes a little tricky. Best of all, since the game is based around memories and forgetting, your environments also usually change every time you turn around.

It is disorienting for sure, but often your objective is either glowing in the distance or located way up high on the level. Advancing to these points often requires lots of jumping, which makes Rememoried quite a bit more challenging than typical “walking simulators.” Due to the dark visuals the platforming parts are quite challenging at times and having everything around you change every time you turn around further adds to the confusion. It is also very possible to fail a level when you fall off something or get hit by something, which feels a bit unfair at times. Initially players were booted back to the previous level after failing, which felt like a real kick in the teeth due to the trial and error that is sometimes involved, but after an update this has been vastly reduced.

The game features more than 20 levels and while they all share the same visual theme the environments are actually quite varied. Many of the levels feel like they are set in the depths of space as you slowly work your way across moving cogs or jump across floating rocks while others are set amidst trees. Water is also a constant theme in the levels as is the use of ladders and lamps or candles. All these elements combine to give the game a look and feel that is very unique and exiting the game after playing for a while feels like waking up from a dream. You can describe some of the elements that you’ve seen or experienced, but as a whole it remains almost perplexing. Unfortunately, this also means that the game will be very frustrating for players who want everything spelled out for them and enjoy titles with clear cut storylines. Some players will undoubtedly also find the whole time, space and memories concept a bit pretentious.

Although the visuals are the most distinct element of Rememoried the soundtrack is definitely very fitting as well. Some levels only feature what sounds like ambient noises like running water in the background while on others you’ll hear classical, electronic and even opera! It is quite a weird combination, but one that works well with the dreamlike atmosphere of the game. There is quite a bit of speech as well, but some of the lines are delivered in a very strange manner. We have no idea if this is intentional or not, but it does fit in with the overall weird atmosphere of the game. Repetition does creep in when you repeatedly fail a level and have to endure the same dialogue though. Since the game uses the standard controls for a first person title it is easy enough to play and even these can be reconfigured if you are not fond of jumping with the mouse buttons.

In total it took us about three hours to complete Rememoried, but a lot of that time was dedicated to simply wandering around and taking in all the trippy visuals. It is definitely a game that would benefit from VR support and hopefully this is something that the developer will eventually add to enhance the experience. Since the game appears to be designed to confuse players we can’t really fault it for that and thanks to the update the whole issue of repeating previous levels after failing a level is no longer such a big deal either. The platforming elements can definitely be a challenge for players expecting a straightforward walking simulator as it is easy to misjudge a jump and tumble to your doom. Some puzzles are much better than others as well, but most of the levels are more enjoyable than annoying, once you figure out what is expected of you.

We can definitely recommend Rememoried to players who enjoy experiencing something unique, but should also make it very clear that it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. One thing is for sure, there is nothing else quite like it out there.