Blair Loveday
When I saw Another Code: Recollection was coming out I had two immediate thoughts.
The first was, what the hell is this series? And how is there enough for a collection when I haven’t heard of it. Well it turns out I missed a very interesting game on my DS, and I never owned a Wii so couldn’t have caught the sequel if I tried.
Well great news, these incredibly well told stories are now available to Switch owners!
Another Code: Recollection kicks off with our protagonist Ashley.
Ashley thought her parents were long dead when she mysteriously is sent a device called a DAS and a note from her father. This leads to her going to a mysterious island to find out what is going on.
It turns out her parents have been researchers of human memory, and there’s all kinds of messed up going on with memories and whatnot. This is where I really struggle, because the story is the whole point of these games and I don’t want to ruin them for any prospective players.
What I will say is it’s a great story, with some twists and turns that really helps make the whole game feel so worth your time.
Along side a really interesting mystery is a really cleverly built environment. Another Code: Recollection is a point and click adventure, so the bulk of your time is exploring, reading, and completing puzzles.
The environments and pace is just slow enough to keep heaps of suspense, but just fast enough it doesn’t get boring. This leads to an interesting and dark mystery to make your way through.
The puzzles you encounter aren;t that difficult. Some are clever but easy, which makes you feel super smart, but if you do get stuck on any of them there is plenty of hints to get you through. I was curious as the Wii and DS had their gimmicks, so I was worried it may just be a matter of porting gimmicks, but this game has been built from the ground up to be designed around the hardware you are using.
It’s very much a 2024 game.
Speaking of which the game looks stunning. This isn’t a case of the edges were tidied up to be a remaster.
This has clearly built from the ground up and its an example of how darn beautiful a Switch game can be when you use a little bit of style.
The other major difference between this and the original games is the story has been tweaked. Apparently it was to make them flow together better and just improve it. Obviously not having the old games for my yard stick, but the story rules so… good jib I guess.
Another Code: Recollection is an absolute banger of a game and a great way to start 2024.
I’m not the biggest fan of slower point and click adventures, but this is too good to miss.
Released: January 2023
Rating: PG
Platforms reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Nintendo