Amnesia : Memories

Young adult me really wanted to read this visual novel. But also, young adult me never managed to put her hands on the PSP version. Then the game came out on windows, but I didn’t have a Windows. Sad me. Even later, the game came out on steam, and past me bought it in sales for nothing, with the conviction that one day, I’ll have a Windows and may finally read it. Then, so many years later, the Steamdeck is here. I bought one. The game didn’t run. So a year or two later I came back and it now runs fine with a bit of easy tinkering.

Suffice it to say that this game has been sitting on my backlog for a very long time right now. And, oh well, I really should have read this when I was 21. It was a hard read, but I pulled through in honor of young me wanting some otome games and not being able to get them. At 21, I also liked the art style. Now I shudder. What are those character designs? Every character in this is a fashion crime by themself. Oh well. It does have a certain charm in the end.

There is nothing wrong with the game itself. It is kind of cute. You’re a silent protagonist because you’ve amnesia: Orion, a spirit, bumped into your soul and now takes up the space that initially had all your memories. Call yourself unlucky. But hey, Orion is a nice spirit; he will help you get your memories back! You can choose between 4 (and 1 unlockable) parallel worlds where you are in a relationship with a different guy and you need to navigate day-to-day life without making them suspicious of anything. Sometimes you’ll get murdered. But mostly, not much is really happening, it is very cozy in that regard. Or adult me has just read so many worse things in life that this seems almost adorable. But I was frustrated and the hints that something bigger is going on and needing to wait until the unlockable route to actually have some answers. Kent is green-flag boy, what an adorable dork.

Anyway, past-otome-me can now rest in peace.