A Double Dose of RPG Nostalgia
Way, way back in 2018, when all this was fields, I reviewed a game. Nothing unusual there, you may think, surely I reviewed quite a lot of games in 20128? Well, I did, but what is interesting is that I reviewed a game that has now been remastered, bundled in with its predecessor for good measure.
That game I reviewed? That was Anima – The Nameless Chronicles, and now it, and the original Anima: Gate of Memories have been released as a remastered super bundle. The rather snappy title given to this release is Anima: Gate of Memories I&II Remaster, from the appropriately named Anima Project.
So, given that my last experience with the game was somewhat underwhelming, can a smack with the shiny HD stick magically fix the issues, or am I due to be disappointed? The only way to find out was to dive in. So that’s exactly what I did.
Weaving the Beyond Fantasy Narrative
I had never played the first game in the series, Anima: Gate of Memories, but back in 2016 one of my colleagues did indeed review it, summing things up rather neatly – ‘For the price it offers a very good experience that’ll give you a multitude of challenges to overcome both in combat and exploration as well as plenty of replayability to achieve each of the many endings’. And frankly, that was good enough for me to discover interest.
The second game, Anima – The Nameless Chronicles I was more familiar with, and so for the purposes of this review, I’ll kind of lump the two together: there are strong similarities, both good and bad between the two titles, after all. These games are both based on a tabletop RPG called Anima: Beyond Fantasy, so you’d hope that the stories of the two games would be up to snuff.
Honestly, they are. We either play as a young girl with no memory, paired up with a book as a companion (go with me here) or take on the role of The Nameless One in the second game, trying to prevent the end of the world (aren’t we always?). Exploring the Tower of Arcane, and a world made up of memories is as interesting as it always was, and the way that the story is revealed piece by piece keeps you pushing forward in an attempt to find out more. Compelling? Oh yes.
Remastered Textures and Cloned Combatants
Being a Remaster, you’d hope that there would be more than just a little tarting up of the graphics going on under the hood, and I have to say, I’ve been disappointed. The new textures look okay, but there’s a real feeling of the past about the way the game is designed. There is nothing startling here, not even in the game I hadn’t played previously. The enemies that we fight are all clones, it appears, apart from the bosses that have a little more imagination put into them.
Thankfully the environment is more to my liking; a large, open world (inside a tower, believe it or not) and these areas work well. Traversal is pretty good too, with both the playable characters having a decent turn of speed as they run about the place.
Sound is also acceptable, with some good voice acting on display, and the usual kind of battle effects that you would expect. The voice acting of the book, in particular, is very creepy, especially whenever he calls the female lead “baby”, but this fits with his character. All in all, while there is nothing new and shocking here, the presentation can have a tick.
What’s Actually New?
So, what about the gameplay? Well, let’s deal with the new stuff first, as it won’t take too long!
The only real difference that I can see is that there is more of an effort made with the tutorials this time around, which is always good to see. There was a kind of “Here are the buttons, off you go” approach taken in the original, so having the systems explained a little bit more is always welcome. And honestly, that’s about it for new features that I have been able to detect anyway.
The rest of the gameplay is the same as it ever was, for better or worse. The camera that shows us the action, vital in a third person game, is a little better, but still very dim witted. The worst sins are committed when you attempt to lock onto an enemy: try to fight in anything other than acres of open space and the camera may end up buried in a wall, showing you nothing. Trying to fight when not locked on is a recipe for disaster, as you’ll often be left punching fresh air. Still, once you learn to manage the camera, you can minimise the issues, but they never go away.
Slug Fest Scenarios
Combat is a bit hit and miss generally. There are two characters to switch between in the first game, and you can switch mid-combo, which does add a bit of spice. There are move sets that attack at close range, and also moves that can attack at long range. However, most fights devolve into one or the other, and a pattern of dodging, then attacking is soon fallen into. Largely each fight turns into a drawn out slug fest, with the loser being the one who falls over first. Still, this is in keeping with the source material, so it’s hard to be too sniffy.
With a large and convoluted skill tree to navigate, alongside the usual spread of RPG systems, actually playing Anima: Gate of Memories I&II Remaster can be quite enjoyable. However, that enjoyment is often undermined by a lack of clear direction, as it isn’t always obvious where you should be heading or what you should be doing next. Too often you find yourself roaming aimlessly, hoping to stumble across the correct path by accident, which quickly becomes frustrating. While the strength of the story helps to offset this at times, the balance between exploration and guidance frequently feels off.
An Honest Restoration of Two Familiar Classics
All in all, Anima: Gate of Memories I&II Remaster seems to be very much two games of their time. It has fun built in, but the world of third person action adventures has moved on since the original releases of the two games included in this remaster.
If you are a fan of the series, or the source material, then you’ll enjoy Anima: Gate of Memories I&II Remaster, but there are much better games out there, many of which are more deserving of your time.
Important Links
Anima: Gate of Memories I & II Remaster Aims to Fulfil a Saga’s Promise – https://www.thexboxhub.com/anima-gate-of-memories-i-ii-remaster-aims-to-fulfil-a-sagas-promise/
A Saga Reborn – The Anima: Gate of Memories I&II Remaster Arrives on Xbox, PS5, PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-saga-reborn-the-anima-gate-of-memories-iii-remaster-arrives-on-xbox-ps5-pc/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/anima-gate-of-memories-i-and-ii-remaster/9P6D5KS5HJK3
