An intriguing attempt to bring dual screen adventure into 3D.
There was a legitimate feeling of surprise when the demo for Another Code: Recollection launched on the eShop last week, mostly because it was a rare example of Nintendo talking about the game in any sort of fashion since it was introduced in September. The fact that demo progress carries over to the game when it launches next month makes it worth playing, but it’s harder to hit the ground running with an adventure game than it would be with an RPG. Still, the demo does show that it would be easier to take a 2D DS game and bring it into 3D than I first thought.
As mentioned at release, the demo covers the entire first chapter of the game and sets up the crux of the plot. Main character Ashley has been sent a “DAS” – a camera/tablet that looks an awful lot like a Switch in this version – by her father, who allegedly died when she was three but asks to meet her on the tastefully named Blood Edward Island when she turns 14. Accompanied by her aunt Jessica, Ashley quickly becomes separated from her aunt as she tries to enter a mansion that serves as the centerpiece of the island. As she tries to get in, she encounters a ghost named “D” who has lost their memories and the objectives become two-fold: Locate Jessica and (optionally) Ashley’s father, and recover D’s memories. It’s a basic plot that I missed out on in its first run, but it should carry through that half of the final product at least.
The Recollections release offers a good hint system for its puzzles; the sole issue I had with a puzzle that stopped me from playing through the entire demo on an extended flight was self-inflicted. (The first puzzle of the game, which involves maneuvering a key into a hole in the mesh on the bottom of a stool, requires motion controls at least in handheld mode. Guess who left his Joy-Cons at home due to a general distaste for motion controls?) The other puzzles – both locked door ones – at least provide different takes on the trope: the first was easily opened after spotting part of a missing grave in the environment, while the second just required some clarification of a pattern near the puzzle location.
The chief difficulty I think I’ll end up having with the final game is that Ashley isn’t exactly the fastest character I’ve worked with in a 3D adventure game. I found myself constantly hoping for one of the buttons to trigger running, but not so much. And it doesn’t seem like it’ll unlock in any part of the Two Memories portion of the package at least. The rest of the controls (that unlock in Chapter 1) are basic, and not really using anything beyond what the DS had for controls initially.
The hooks left in the first chapter of the game are enough to get me to pick up the final product, though I may end up replaying it anyway to see if I can get a better time and to remember the finer details. Adventure games are designed to place a lot of guns on the mantle, and I don’t want to be surprised when one goes off.
