Memoria Review

Memoria is a game developed by Daedalic Entertainment and is a continuation in their Dark Eye series of games, following the Bird Catcher Geron on his fantastical journeys. Memoria is a game full of Magic, Demons and life long forgotten in time, putting the main character in the midst of conspiracies and mysterious happenings.

Story

The story follows the Bird Catcher Geron, just after he has saved his homeland of Aventuria in the previous game, and sets him on the quest to restore his beloved Nuri to her rightful body who is currently circling worms in the ground…she’s a Raven. He hears from his friend that a merchant just outside of town might be able to teach him a spell to change the form of any creature and so sets off to talk with the man.

Geron quickly finds the Merchant and with a quick introduction we are told his name, Fahi, and they talk of how he can help Geron aid his girlfriend. Fahi offers a simple deal, solve the riddle and he will teach him the spell, though the riddle is not as easy as Geron thought and is given only 3 days to figure its meaning. Fahi then tells Geron of the beginning of another tale, one of Sadja the Princess, and from this we are taken 450 years in the past to take control of Sadja’s actions.

Sadja is a Princess of a dead kingdom and is a sort of tomboy, wanting to fight in the war and willing to do anything to get the power she desires. The story starts off with her in a long forgotten temple where she seeks the Mask of Malakkar, said to be able to turn the tide of any loss be it in battle or otherwise. After some exploring and puzzle solving she obtains the Mask as well as accidentally entering into a blood pact with a Demonic Staff which agrees to help her if she takes him away from the crypt. With the Mask in hand, Sadja and her new Staff companion make their way to the battlefield, having to traverse jungles and mountains to do so.

The story aspects vary between the two times, as within Geron’s time there is an absence of the all-powerful magic of the past and must use the little power he does have to simply investigate into the disappearance of Fahi and into the past and the tale of Sadja. Whilst controlling Sadja you take a more explorative path, trying to proceed on your path to get to the war to fight, making your own paths across the hazardous and magic filled world of yesteryear.

The story swaps between the perspective of Sadja and Geron frequently, whenever Geron is unconscious or when he finds a journal detailing her adventures, and mixes up the ways you will play the game in several ways as well as splitting up the story to create a more interactive and interesting story. After some time the two heroes’ stories combine together to help Geron in his search for the answer to the Riddle as he takes what memories he sees of Sadja and uses them to piece together the information needed to solve the Riddle.

Being almost perfectly written, Memoria fits together all its chapters and time leaps beautifully, making no part of the game feel out of place. From beginning to end you will be on a fun filled adventure, with puzzle solving, pages of dialogue and items to keep you searching through all the possibilities to see what comedic effect they have and to learn even more of the backstory and lore.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Memoria is simple to start with, only allowing you to click on objects to interact with them and to combine any items you find within the world like most point and click Adventures. Later on you gain the ability to use several different spells that have varying effects, for Geron you have the ability to destroy or repair small objects as well as use a lens to sense any magic within the immediate Vicinity. Sadja’s abilities change a lot more then Geron, as well as gaining temporary powers for certain parts of the game, ranging from the ability to turn on magical lights, revive golems made of stone and even petrifying living creatures like a Medusa minus the snakes for hair.

Through the combination of all the mechanics that are placed at your feet, this game doesn’t cease to be entertaining, with new challenges, puzzles and way to interact with the world around appearing almost every new chapter. Included with the abilities comes a plethora of obtainable items for you to carry around, use and combine to solve the riddles and puzzles set before you, with some comedic dialogue for odd combination failures.

The art style of the game is beautiful, taking on a realistic style combined with little cartoony effect, making the game look similar to the Broken Sword series. The vistas and backgrounds are all drawn perfectly and can almost leave you dazzled for a few minutes upon entering a new area. Character designs are also diverse, with not one person looking similar and being very unique to each other.  From the dilapidated low quarter of the city to the ruins and jungles of Sadja’s lands, the world is created with such style and detail that you will just want to stand and stare.

The music of the game is few and far between, having the majority of the starting areas having only ambient noises to comfort you, but this isn’t bad for most of the game as it is easier to concentrate on solving any problem that is in your way. When the music does kick in it is calm and soothing, with heavy uses of Piano and orchestral sounding music that puts you at ease as well as pumping you up to continue the story on. The music fits gracefully with the setting of the world and the environments you are in, with tweeting birds in the forest accompanied with soft flutes and piano noises to compliment them.

Overall Thoughts and Feelings

Overall the atmosphere of Memoria is stunning, keeping consistent with its beautiful environments and having slow but in-depth character development. The world feels real, without many discrepancies to make you feel out of place within it, magic is dealt with subtly and never makes you feel overpowered.

I would give Memoria a 5/5, a great addition to the Point and Click Genre. Fans of the series and genre will love this game and I’m sure newcomers will adore the art style and rich story behind all the pretty scenery. One of the few faults within this game is its glitches which can stop you from advancing, but with any game there are glitches and these can be dealt with by loading earlier saves.

Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.