Remember Me is one of those games that made me fall in love at first sight. You should know that when it comes to Cyberpunk, dystopian future, robots, and revolution, I go crazy.
Besides, the game was produced by Dontnod, the software house that also developed Life is Strange, one of my favorite videogames in recent years. In addition to the initial euphoria, Remember Me amazed me because it dares to. I know what you’re thinking: “What do you mean?”. Well, let’s find out in my review of the game!
Remember Me and the importance of memories
The real strength of the game lies in the narrative. Like the great AAA titles of the last period, Remember Me manages to create an exciting story with unexpected implications. We are in the year 2084, in Neo-Paris, a futuristic but decadent city. The world has changed thanks to the Sensen, a device capable of erasing bad memories and keeping only pleasant experiences.
The entire city is controlled by Memorize, the corporation that launched the Sensen. However pleasant as it may be, the Memorize controls the citizens, constantly monitoring their memories, behaving like a dictatorial government. Yeah, I think they can creep El Presidente out and the tricks you can use in Tropico games.
Seriously, as you can guess, the situation is dramatic but not all is lost. A group of rebels, known as the Errorists, tries to oppose this evil society. In the game, you will play Nilin, an Errorist imprisoned in the Bastille by Memorize. All of Nilin’s memories have almost been erased, but before the deletion process can end, the girl manages to break free. Then you will have to travel an incredible journey to recover your memories and succeed in stopping the Memorize.
I don’t want to tell you any more, but the Remember Me story is original and unique. It seems strange to me how this game is so little known today since its plot is beautiful and well built.
For those who are philosophical, Remember Me is a work that makes people reflect on different topics such as the division between good and evil and the importance of memories. Do we really need to have regrets or are we limiting ourselves? Besides, did the bad choices we made help us become the people we are today? Personally, I think that when a game gives us some food for thought, it is worth giving it a chance.
An artistic cyberpunk world
Let’s face it: a lot of people can’t wait to admire the most anticipated Cyberpunk game of the year, which will catapult us to the year 2077. For the setting and the atmosphere, Remember Me can be considered a tasty appetizer.
The game world is rich in detail. The city of Neo-Paris is, naturally, based on Paris and is characterized by several aspects. In the early stages of the game, you will start from the slums and you will notice the city’s decadence and poverty. Do you have in mind the atmospheres of Blade Runner or Deus Ex, where despair intertwines with technology?
Well, Remember Me takes these atmospheres back to perfection and proposes them to you in an artistic way. Plus, you can see the difference as you advance into the game and you get to the rich, clean, almost perfect neighborhoods. Personally, I found it a great way to make some sort of social criticism. If you have visited Paris you know that this scenario is real, not just a future projection.
I mean, all I can do is dedicate another “Bravo” to the Dontnod team, in my opinion, they are brilliant.
Remember Me, but don’t remember the combat system
So Remember Me is a perfect game? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, this videogame has gameplay with several flaws. The first flaw concerns the combat system. I found this aspect mediocre. In the beginning you will only have a combo and you will not be passionate about fighting enemies.
Although you can develop more skills during your adventure, the combat system remains unconvincing. To make you understand better, we are light years away from combat systems like that of Code Vein, although the game is classified as an Action-Adventure.
I must also criticize the game design. I invite you to explore the game, but the various stages will be all trivial. You can immediately understand which road hides a secret and which is a dead end. Honestly, from a technical point of view, everything seemed too “bland“.
Regardless, I think this is due to the poor budget that the software house had available. Honorable mention for the graphics of the game. The graphics are not bad at all, especially if you consider that Remember Me debuted in 2013.
Do you want to remember?
Ultimately, Remember Me despite the technical flaws is a game to absolutely try. It is really worth immersing yourself in its plot and experiencing a cyberpunk adventure.
Also, remember (heh) that you can buy it at a special price in our store. If you’ve tried it, I’d also like to know what you think of the game, maybe in the comments!
It’s time to relive your memories, can you live with them?
The look of this game was gorgeous, and I think it hit the Cyberpunk-tone of “High-Tech & Low-Life” better than many games such as Deus Ex:HR.
However, mechanically I couldn’t stand it. Using Mouse & Keyboard, It never felt like I was playing or in control. More like I was giving vague suggestions. “Aim at Enemy and activate kick ? Well, kicking the guy next to him wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but hey at least you did a kick…”. Finishing blow to a boss? Well speaking about not feeling in control, of course not with your acquired skills, but with an unrelated QTE.
Worst of it was the camera, which always seemed to default in a direction I wasn’t looking to. Looking up, searching for ledges to jump at? Well moving two steps and we’re again looking at the floor. On top of it (and that might be because of my Wide-Screen monitor) a lot of points of interest were always “hidden” on top of the screen, making the whole thing more of a tedious exercise in adjusting the camera, rather then exploring or playing the game.
Recently I wanted to get this game recently for XBox, but sadly it’s one of the games that didn’t get into backward compatibility. At least no yet, hopefully it’ll be made to run on new consoles in the future.