Memoranda Review

Memoranda- A Point and click 2D adventure about forgetting and being forgotten. A journey to find the truth, inspired by the surreal world short stories of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, currently being developed by Bit ByterZ.

I have never been one to play a point and click kind of game, they’re not usually my cup of tea. However, this was a delightful new experience.

This Story begins in a small town where you play as a young woman, who appears to be forgetting her name. You go about your daily life talking to the town folk, helping them out with their lives. It appears each character you come into contact with has lost something too. The strange feel of this game keeps it compelling, invoking a sombre and intriguing essence. There is something not quite right in this small town, but when you first start it’s not evident.

Our main Character sets out on her journey to remember her name. On this journey, she encounters ordinary neighbours amongst a few unusual characters, ranging from an everyday baker to one of my personal favourites: the opera singing cat.

Memoranda’s game play is pretty simple, it is a point and click 2D adventure, allowing you to observe and/or interact with your surroundings. Observing will give you some information about what you are looking at, whilst interacting will be talking to a character or picking up objects. You can talk to the locals to get a bit of the backstory, helping to solve the many mysteries surrounding this serene yet mysterious little town.

Whilst delving deeper into the story line, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. The people within this small town are not as ordinary as once thought and it becomes like a surreal dream like state as you wonder around. Trying to find the thing that you are forgetting and what others are losing amidst all of the dark undertones and magic filled reality. Truthfully, the dream which you enter during this game made me think of my own dreams. Who doesn’t like a dream full of cats in trees?

The hand drawn graphics are something to consider in this game. Although It may initially look pretty simple, every time you come back to an area you see something new in the textures and detail. It’s very refreshing. Each hand drawn scene creates its own story through idyllic scenery and calming music.

The soundtrack in Memoranda has such a nostalgic feel. It brings that kind of emotion you would have when you remember going to the beach as a child. It’s such a serene and relaxed vibe. Each scene of this game is perfectly captured with the audio/sound, creating full immersive dialog.

In terms of the pace of the game, it is pretty steady, that is until you encounter the puzzles. At the start, the very first puzzle was a bit of a mind fudge. It took a while to actually figure out what needed to be done. I very nearly looked up a guide but eventually figured out the puzzle, which was very satisfying to be able to cross that out in the Memoranda (only to be hit with another further along the story).  The progression of the story was a bit stunted in parts, as linear as the game may seem, it was pretty tricky to figure out where to go next.

While I enjoy puzzle games, this felt slightly harder than it should have been. It didn’t particularly take anything away from the game, but it did make me take a break or two.

I think overall this has been a pleasant surprise. I was not previously interested in this genre of game, but I will most definitely reconsider point and click storytelling games in the future. Even after finishing this game, it had a long-lasting effect on me, which is something that doesn’t usually happen with a game. Memoranda certainly brings something out emotionally during the journey. Maybe it’s because we can all relate in some way, whether it’s losing something, someone, or forgetting something.

If you enjoy puzzles games with a nice dose of unique, surreal storytelling, I would suggest picking this game up.

I would say this is definitely a game for everyone. Even if it’s not your usual type of game, it’s worth a try.

• Gameplay- This is a very unique, storytelling game. Gameplay was as expected. Point and click, navigate through a story to discover and reveal truths.
• Graphics- I really enjoyed the style of this game. I’ve never seen anything like it – it’s so detailed and clean. Everything is hand drawn!
• Sound- This is by far my favourite thing about Memoranda. It has such a calming, but serious tone (I stood in the screening room for ages just listening to the soundtrack) love it.