Amnesia: Memories+Amnesia: Later x Crowd review

Whether you prefer navigating the dysfunction of the original Amnesia: Memories or the lighthearted escapism that the bundling of Amnesia: Later and Amnesia: Crowd brings, Idea Factory International’s pair of Switch releases delivers. Let’s take a look at each title:

Amnesia Memories

With the release of Amnesia: Memories, another noteworthy otome earns a home in the Switch’s library. Popularized by a predominantly feminine audience, the sub-genre inverts the structure of the traditional harem. Here, a lone female protagonist selects a suitor from an assortment of desirable, dashing young males. Otomate, a subsidiary of Idea Factory, has brought a number of these titles stateside, with tales like Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom, Warriors of the Shinsengumi, and Stories of the Shinsengumi, reconnoitering romance during the conflict-prone Bakumatsu period.

Set in the present, Amnesia: Memories might lack historical appeal, but it excels by tweaking convention. Instead of tasking participants with finding their ideal mate, the title requires players to piece together fragments of a pre-existing relationship, across a quintet of parallel universes. In theory, the premise might sound absurdly metaphysical, but in execution, the title proves to be accessible, immersive, and tinged with a healthy amount of intrigue. Even more interesting is the novel’s stance on relationships, where dysfunction is common and maybe even manageable.

The prologue introduces us to Orion, a horned boy whose explanation provides insight into Amnesia: Memories’ seemingly oxymoronic moniker. It seems his journey from another dimension had inadvertently come to a crashing halt in the protagonist’s head, endowing Orion and the vulnerable lead with a cerebral connection. Given his impish charm, this wouldn’t be so bad- except it has unintentionally relocated the lead character’s memories, leaving her in a susceptible state.

Fearing that a stay in a hospital will allow her recollection to atrophy, Orion suggests that the protagonist should step into the role of memory sleuth- piecing back together her memories by exploring her home, possessions, and plumbing information from her boyfriend. Given the strange situation with Orion, it’s a stratagem that doesn’t seem wholly unreasonable. But the diminutive sprite reminds the main character that her precarious mental state could be exploited.

You begin Amnesia Memories’ journey by selecting from one of four starting worlds: Club, Diamond, Heart, or Spade. Once participants have journeyed through each realm, a fifth option unlocks, contributing a bit of cohesiveness to storylines. Immediately you’ll discover that each suit represents a different dimension with a unique romantic lead. But that said, the other characters are also present in each reality, contributing a slight Rashomon-like quality to Amnesia’s characterization.

Whereas most VNs might have recycled material across the different dimensions, Amnesia: Memories cuts few corners. Each suit offers a different storyline, complete with divergent settings, CGs, as well as dissimilar encounters and interactions. Even for swift readers, there’s an average of five hours of storytelling for each dimension, with each suit offering multiple endings. As such, completionists can expect to devote a work week of playtime to helping the heroine discover her identity and recognize her ideal partner.

Dialog choices determine whether you’ll see a good, normal, or bad ending for each dimension, with selections affecting three variables- your Affection, Trust, and Suspicion levels across a calendar month. Getting the first two levels high while restraining the amount of relational uncertainty is the key to earning the best rating. Alerting the boyfriend to your state of amnesia is a good way to raise suspicion.

Some readers might not appreciate the lack of dialog signaling in Amnesia. It’s a bit difficult to determine which path your conversational choices will put you on. But between the quick saves and numerous save slots afforded to Switch owners, perfectionists can easily recover after bad decisions or preserve parallel realities.

Characterization is largely effective, with one small caveat. Backstories, motivations, and interactions all feel organically tied, making Ikki, Kent, Shin, Toma, and Ukyo’s actions and feelings feel believable. But, occasionally, some of the guys would show tsundere qualities. That’s understandable for potential partners reluctant to show their real feelings. But it makes much less sense for a couple of pre-existing relationships. More than once, I found myself asking my partner, “why am I even with you?”

What’s the answer I kept coming back to? “Because you’re so damn handsome.” Across each platform, Amnesia: Memories flaunts intricately detailed characters, offering lovely character portraits in both handheld and docked modes. In addition to the main stories, participants have access to rock-scissors-paper and air hockey minigames, a library of previously viewed CGs, and even a catalog of earned endings. There’s also a music player to listen to Amnesia’s soothing piano-drenched soundtrack.

But arguably, Amnesia Memories’ greatest quality is the novel’s outlook on relationships. While there are some semi-healthy couplings in the game, there’s also nearly as much dysfunction lurking within the cast. Occasionally, I mulled over the amount of crap that my character had to put up with. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Amnesia doesn’t gloss over the sacrifices people make to be in a relationship. If you’re expecting the storybook fantasies offered by some otome, the novel will be an eye-opener.

Pleasingly, there’s more to Amnesia: Memories than a quintet of five romances. Much of the enjoyment stems from uncovering the veil of mystery, as participants learn about the heroine’s past. As such, the title is a bit more indulgent than the typical otome, allowing fans of visual novels to form their own gratifying memories.

Amnesia: Later x Crowd

When Amnesia: Memories was released on the PSP in 2011, it was quite positively received in Japan. Beyond an animated adaptation created by Brain’s Base, the property spurred a series of drama and music CDs and well as books. Additionally, the original game inspired two fan disks: 2012’s Amnesia: Later and 2013’s Amnesia: Crowd. As the title implies, Amnesia: Later x Crowd bundles these two efforts, offering a wealth of supplementals for those enamored by the original novel.

Amnesia: Later is notable for amputating the dysfunction and bad outcomes from the original. The novel’s “New World” component imagines yet another parallel world, where the lead character still suffers from amnesia and has chosen any of the original love interests. What you’ll find is a delectably sweet alternative reality that offers escapist mid-summer romance.

It’s all pure fantasy, where the lead goes to watch fireflies at night at a local mountain. With Toma, the pair don yukata and have a subsequent date at the zoo where they share a bento. Shin takes her to a maid café, while she becomes a domestic cohabitor in Ikki’s storyline. While there’s some light tension, each leads to a normal and good ending, eliminating some of Memories’ gritty realism (heroine deaths). But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of breezy escapism.

Alternatively, “Girls Party” lets the lead character spend time quality time with gal pals, Mine, Rika, and Sawa. The gossip is expectedly lighthearted as well, but it does provide some different perspectives of the novel’s guys. Then there’s “Waka’s World”, where the manager of Meido no Hituji is given four different routes. Given that Waka’s personality differed significantly across Amnesia’s different dimensions, it’s a treat to spend a bit more time with each of them. Arguably the best part is voice actor Hidenori Takahashi showing his performative range, as he brings each Waka to life.

Meanwhile, Amnesia: Crowd offers four different components, with Suspense, Work, and Love, options all expending the property in different ways. Suspense is poised to be a favorite, returning to the title of the original novel. Injecting some escape room and point-and-click mechanics as Amnesia’s heroine evades danger, there are also some puzzles and perspective shifts that contribute variety.

Work offers a reprieve from reading, where you’ll face a selection of simple mini-games. From helping Shin wash dishes, assisting Toma with the ledgers, or making parfait desserts from Ikki, each recreation is easy to learn. Expectedly, you’ll receive compensation for your labors, where you’ll earn Orion points that can be used to unlock additional dialog with the property’s guys. There are even a few supplementary card games that help round out the package. Love is split into two components, with “After Story” offering five epilogues set six months after the original timeline while “Communication” extends some opportunities for romantic activities. As the title implies, the emphasis is on conversational interaction.

Amnesia: Memories and Amnesia: Later x Crowd played on
Switch with review code provided by the publisher.