A fun and unique action game that I know I'll come back to in the future. (Actual Score: 7.75)
The game takes place in the future in Paris, where memories have become monetized. Nilin, the main character, worked as a rogue who would hunt for memories (almost like a bounty hunter) but finally got caught and thus had her memory wiped. The game revolves around her helping a resistance movement against this memory selling corporation while trying to find out about her past. The story was mostly predictable, and the middle third of the game was a bit of a drag regarding story, but honestly I think what really drew me in was that Nilin felt like a real character. She wasn't made to appeal to the male players by being half-naked or super sexually attractive and she wasn't made to appeal to the female players by being girly either. She was who she was, and it was as simple as that. It was quite refreshing to be quite honest. The end twist was also a pleasant surprise. Overall the story was enjoyable and Nilin's character was absolutely fantastic.
The game was also visually enjoyable. It has its share of flaws and I noticed that the game didn't quite look as good as say, Gears of War 3 or Halo 4…but the artistic design was absolutely brilliant. It totally felt like a future Paris, and that's impressive considering a lot of depictions of the future seem to become a bit to ambitious rather than realistic. The audio quality unfortunately wasn't quite as good. The voice acting was overall well done, but the music felt underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it felt appropriate, it just didn't jump out to me…it felt like it was barely good enough to keep me in the proper mood (music is oftentimes one of the first things I notice in a game and one of the things I remember the most).
The game itself plays very well though. The controls are tight and responsive. There are platforming sections which felt fun and there are fighting sections as well. The fighting is all hand-to-hand combat where you can slightly manipulate opponents' memories in order to give you 'powers'. There are only a handful of combos you get, but the draw is that you can customize what TYPE of attacks you do within the combo (pure damage, health regeneration, ability regeneration or chains which make the next attack much more potent depending on the type). I really liked that customization concept but I will admit that the lack of overall variety in combos was a little disappointing. The combat itself was fun, and involves a lot of blocking and dodging which keeps you on your toes. The enemies seem to throw something new at you just when you think you are getting bored of the combat so things stay relatively fresh. One of the coolest draws of the game though is the memory modification scenes. Some people I noticed are complaining that there are only 4 of these but I felt like it was the perfect amount, because it kept it unique every time. Essentially you view a memory of a specific character and you need to sift through the whole memory to figure out what changes you can make in order to make the memory turn out in your favor and thus force the character to act how you want him/her too. These were some of my favorite parts of the game and were well placed puzzle diversions. As an added bonus, there are a decent number of collectibles hidden around the world that flesh out the lore in the game quite a bit…which is welcome in a genre where collectibles merely get you upgrades and nothing more. This alone should help bring you back for more, plus the game isn't too lengthy and is fun enough to warrant at least another play through.
As a whole package, I found Remember Me to be extremely enjoyable and challenging in just the right ways, so don't let my score fool you. I will admit to its flaws, but I still really loved the game nonetheless. I sincerely look forward to more out of this fresh company and do not regret my purchase one bit. If you are looking for a fun and fresh action game that doesn't revolve around gore and epicness but rather personality…this is the way to go.
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replay/Lasting Value: 8/10
OVERALL: 7.75/10.0