If you’ve got fond memories of the original Gameboy, ungainly brick that it was, then you might like the look of Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories, launching today on Xbox, console and PC.
It’s done an extraordinarily good job of looking and sounding like a high-class RPG from that period, and it makes us want to rush out and spend far too much money on Pokemon Red and an original console.
But for all of the cuteness that Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories seems to be leading with, we’re most excited for the promise of a dark underbelly. Just take a look at its premise: it has Honeydew, a young girl, returning to her hometown having worked at a melon factory (we’re not sure what happens at a melon factory, since they, you know, grow from the ground, but we’ll run with it), only to find that melons have been banned, considered contraband. Basically, to her friends and family, she has been working in the fruity equivalent of a meth lab.
That’s not the average opening gambit for a chibi RPG, so we can’t wait to find out where it goes next. Going by the supplied game description, it seems to involve missing friends, suspicious characters, and undoubtedly a black melon market. If we weren’t interested before, we are now.
The key features of Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories on Xbox, Playstation, Switch and PC include:
- Fully Interactive Investigation: Comb every inch of Hog Town to collect clues, interrogate shady characters, and sneak through the seedy underworld, using keen observational skills and quick wit to piece together the whole picture before it’s too late!
- Mystery at Every Turn: While looking for Cantaloupe, Honeydew will encounter dozens of curious characters with unique personalities and backstories, adding additional mysteries for them to unravel along the way.
- Jazzy Lo-Fi Soundtrack: Enjoy more than 90 different electronic- and jazz-inspired tracks from composer markeryjane while exploring Hog Town and working the case.
- Gorgeous Retro-Style Graphics: The green-tinted, pixelated world of Melon Journey is filled with loving detail, a nostalgic ode to the handheld generation with plenty of modern twists.
You can bet your melons that we will have a verdict on Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories on the site soon. For now, head to the Xbox Store and pick up an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S version of the game. It’s also on Playstation, Switch and PC through Steam. You’ll need to pay around £12.49.
Game Description:
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories puts you in the shoes of Honeydew, a bunny headband-wearing employee of a melon soda factory who’s on a mission to find her recently missing best friend. But is it really that safe traveling to a town where melon possession can land you in the slammer? And why is there a hamster so preoccupied with sneaking into the Kitten King’s castle? Uncover the mystery in this latest story-exploration game from developer Froach Club. Explore a charming, pixelated world – filled to the brim with eccentric characters, criminals, and a plot as weird as it is cute.
