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| One of the characters you play in Memoria is Princess Sadja. Her story is set hundreds of years in the past. |
- Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
- Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
- Release Date: 30 Aug 2013
- Time played: 9 hours
I'm not usually one to judge a book by its cover, but that was the case with Memoria when I saw it on sale. Some of the backdrops I saw of the game looked amazing and since it's a point 'n' click adventure, one of my favourite genres, I just had to give it a go.
Plot (5/5)
What I didn't realise when buying this game was that the story is a sequel or spin-off of sorts of the game The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav and is indeed set in the same world. In fact, one of the characters you get to control is Geron who is apparently a character from Chains of Satinav. Why do I mention this? So you now know whether having not played the previous game puts you at a disadvantage when it comes to the plot. I'm going to say it doesn't: while there are quite a few references to the previous game (at least obvious ones where they mention it) they don't really seem to have an impact on the plot of this one.
I also mention this since whatever I post here now might be a potential spoiler if you're intending to play Chains of Satinav; you play the role of an amateur wizard named Geron who fell in love with a fairy named Nuri. For some reason (I guess you'd have to play the previous game to find out) Nuri was transformed into a raven and Geron is trying his best to find someone who is able to transform her back to her original form, before it's too late. The longer she stays a raven, the less of her original memories she will retain. Anyway, this leads you to a Tulamide (basically an analogue for a Bedouin) called Fahi who says he may be able to help you if you solve a riddle. It's about this time that Geron learns of the story of Sadja, a princess from hundreds of years ago that was seeking glory during a time of great magical warfare. The game cycles back and forth between Geron and Sadja's story, and you get to control both of them.
While the storyline may at first glance contain your typical fantasy fare, I like what they've done with the pantheon - having a god known as Satinav who is the keeper of time. It gives it a kind of Elder Scrolls flavour to the game and it's quite easy to immerse yourself into the world of Memoria.
Gameplay (4/5)
Gameplay in Memoria is of the typical point 'n' click adventure ilk (Hallelujah!). What is slightly different to some adventure games is that they have a handy "quest log" that keeps track of what's happened in the game so far and even offers basic hints as to how to go about the current objectives. Definitely handy if you haven't played the game in awhile or simply don't remember what you were up to.
I found the game fun and probably just the right amount of challenge for veteran adventure gamers. I did have to use a walkthrough twice but the first obstacle is solvable through sheer persistence (but I was impatient) and the second was due to the game misleading you on how to solve the puzzle (which in all fairness is totally legit).
Sound (3/5)
Sound effects are generally good but voice acting is average. Sometimes the emphasis seems to be placed on the wrong words. Or they would be talking in a monotone when they actually should be screaming.
Music (3/5)
The music that does play is of a high quality and appropriate for a fantasy adventure game, however it really doesn't get played that often which is a shame. Sometimes there's even silence when there perhaps should've been some dramatic music.
Graphics (4/5)
I really love hand-painted backdrops and that's the style they're going for here. There are some really beautiful scenes and while the animations for the characters are a bit wooden and not perfect, there is a lot of detail in them. Memoria is probably one of the better looking graphic adventure games out there with the only issue I had being the occasional frame drops thanks to particle effects in certain rooms.
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| The backdrops to the game are simply stunning |
Replay (2/5)
It's an adventure game so there's not much incentive to replay besides experiencing the story again, however there are some achievements you can get for doing things slightly differently so at least the game has got that going for it.
Polish (4/5)
Pretty well polished although there were occasional parts where talking to a character or clicking on an item would play the wrong audio samples.
Score – 7/10
An entertaining point 'n' click adventure in the old school sense - which means challenging puzzles, beautiful 2D backdrops and an immersive world. Unfortunately the voice acting can be pretty terrible at times and music is sometimes non-existent for certain scenes, so there could've been a lot more work done in the audio department.If you want to get the game, you can get it on Steam or on Good Old Games for $19.99 USD.
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[ LINK: Official Memoria website]
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