This is a game about memories. About remembering the past that created you as the person you are now. So the fascination grows that this release is a remake of a game about memories. Almost like a story from your own life told and retold to the point where fact and fiction have blurred. I couldn't help thinking about Cing, the original developer of these games, as I played. I never played the originals, but Hotel Dusk holds a special place in my heart and Cing, despite their eventual bankruptcy, has an oversized presence in what they created in the DS/Wii era. A time slowly being forgotten. 

I have been thinking about remakes a lot more lately. Most likely due to the obvious lower costs than to make something brand new and sell a known quantity, but regardless it is the current trend in gaming at the moment. I think Another Code falls into the territory of it plays like how you remember games of that era playing like. But it is a false memory. That's not how it was. This is not how it is. 

For better or worse, we age. Our memories fade. They became less reliable. A ghost isn't going to help us solve puzzles and remember things perfectly. I don't know what that says about art or games. I don't know what that should say. Maybe calling games like this remakes does a disservice not just to the work Cing did or the newer work that Arc System Works did. And they did a great job. They make a game that is beautiful and plays well. It's a wonderful experience. Maybe there should be new ways to discuss these types of games.

In music, there are cover songs. An artist does their interpretation of another musician's song. Maybe they play it straight, maybe they make it their own. There are songs so old that no one even knows who originally made it. Memories being imperfect. History and record keeping being imperfect. But maybe there should be a concept of a "cover game". A developer making their version of another developer's game. Something to think about as this medium gets older and as we get older. 

Did I overthink a game that is a simple walk around, listen to the story and solve simple puzzles game? Absolutely. But not many games make you think about bigger topics outside of it. The dichotomy of memories being a thing of our pasts but also the only thing we can ever leave behind. Much like the game did paraphrasing Hemingway, we die two deaths. 

When this collection was announced in the September 2023 Nintendo Direct, it was the first time I really learned of this duology of games which had passed by me without notice. However, that introduction was enough for my adventure game enjoying brain to take notice, and I made sure to reserve an NSO voucher so I can work through these games when they came out.

First off, the first game in this duology, Another Code: Two Memories, I found to be an absolute wonder and well-deserving of the hidden gem status. The two narratives of Ashley's and D's pasts weave around each other in a delightful dance to create an engaging experience. The puzzles felt great, and the small little environment of the Edward mansion was enjoyable to explore, almost a little like the Spencer mansion from Resident Evil at times. It's a short, sweet experience, and my highlight from this collection.

The second game, Another Code R - A Journey Into Lost Memories, didn't really hold up as well in my opinions. There were a fair few times during the process of playing this which ended up throwing off my immersion, some of them puzzles, some of them core plot points. That doesn't throw off the whole experience though, Matthew's story involving his past definitely touches some of the same heartstrings that the first game did, even if his arc felt rushed wrapping up.

Ashley as a protagonist, is wonderful, and it was a pleasure to follow her along through the game (aside from a couple times where I was yelling at the screen against her judgement). Her dynamics with numerous characters within the two games end up being great to follow, and a lot of that cast are themselves nice characters to have along in the adventure. They create some great little scenes within the two games that can't help but leave a smile on your face (or leave you feeling sad).

As a remake, it's impressive how well they adapted the first game from the ds to this version, making it feel like it was almost originally designed with this gameplay style in mind. While the artstyle of the remake looks nice, it can certainly end up looking unimpressive at times, especially in the open areas of the second game. Something that really bothered me is that there are puzzles which force the use of motion controls, without any option to turn them off and use more traditional controls. It makes some puzzles feel tedious to complete.

Overall, I think there's a fair bit of worth in this collection. For those more into adventure games, I'd say it's worth checking out. However, if you're more casual about them and only check them out every now and again, I'd say wait for a sale, or if you have a spare NSO voucher you don't have much else to use it on.

I'm happy this saw a release, yet still conflicted about both these remakes. They're budget titles but look good where they need to, mainly with character models. The mysteries were compelling even if the stories themselves weren't excellent overall (the sequel especially has a bit of annoying teen drama).

Seeing as these games target a younger audience, the puzzles are about as easy as the originals, but I wish there weren't so fewer puzzles than before. Another disappointment is that the gameplay doesn't take advantage of the Switch as Cing did wiht the DS and Wii. It's a lovely tribute, nonetheless.

I think that, without having a particularly brilliant or elaborate story, and in fact being sometimes predictable, it shows great work and effort behind it, and has little to envy of other titles based on a powerful narrative.

On the one hand, I wish that in some aspects it was much more polished, such as the movement of the character and the camera, the artificial intelligence of the characters when following you, the constant invisible walls that limit our movement, and the technical simplicity of the minigames, among other things. But the interface and sound are downright elegant, the puzzles feel organic and are cleverly unified with the story, and overall, for a visual novel, this remake is relatively ambitious with respect to the two titles it sets out to reimagine.

Thus, we find an excellent Japanese dubbing and translation into several languages, a light and modernized object inspection and inventory use system, a nice ambient soundtrack, although too repetitive, and a reconstruction of the Another Code universe much more alive than ever, with three-dimensional places to explore, illustrations for each moment, and simple, but achieved most of the time, animations and facial expressions.
In fact, one of the things I like most about the game, although it may seem like a simple detail, is the feedback that the protagonist provides by informing the player with her gaze about the objects that can be interacted with.
Another is the aesthetics of the scenes, in the form of comic vignettes, which encompass the conversations that the characters have with each other, and which give them dynamism and personality.
In addition, it is appreciated that you can skip or fast forward dialogues by repeatedly pressing a button, automatically advance these by activating the corresponding function, and access a detailed record of all the things previously read in case you want to review something.

Finally, the story we are told does not try to be impressive or epic, but rather to overflow with sensitivity and heart in a painful but sincere way, based on realism with a great fantastic component.
In fact, this title is much more like a fiction novel than a video game, not only because its narrative lacks a fast pace, or because it tries to reflect on many topics, but because its game system wants to take you too much by the hand so that you don't get frustrated or get lost, turning the gaming experience into a practically linear one, and abandoning any possibility of you exploring its world freely.
Therefore, it is correct to think that we are facing a magnified and expanded book, transformed into a much larger work, such as, in this case, a video game.

Without a doubt, this is the resurgence of one of Cing's hidden gems, and it is nothing more than a wake-up call that both the memory of Another Code and that of its protagonist Ashley are not going to fade easily.

A remake I didn't think I would ever see come about. The original game is a welcome expansion given how short it was on DS. I never played Another Code R before but I loved it here, though I learned about the massive amount of rewriting in its back half that makes me wanna play the original sometime. I also think they sanded down the puzzles a bit too much given what I remember about the DS original and what I heard about R's Wii puzzles.

I really REALLY hope we see a Kyle Hyde duology remaster

Haven't played the originals, so I don't know how these measure up to the Wii and DS games, but there's a palpable heart to these games that is the je ne sais quoi that binds it all together. And that indescribable sauce is really why you should play it if you're at all interested. The vibes are just spectacular. The music is eerie, but comforting as well.

The character writing is pretty sharp. Ashley feels really believable especially in the transition between the two games.

The game obviously isn't perfect. These are clearly low-budget. The character models get the budget where the environments don't get the same attention. Honestly though, it's presentation overall is charming in that it reminds me that games like this used to come out on the regular in the 2000s before AA games and cheap, small handhelds went away.

The puzzles are easy and the stories are simple but effective. The second one is a little less cohesive, but it ends quite poignantly.

I appreciate these games a lot, overall. It's awesome that Nintendo is willing to bring back largely forgotten games like these.

On one hand, I'm glad that Nintendo is diving deeper into their more niche games from their past and bringing them back in some form. However, I felt pretty done with this game after the Trace Memory part, and the direction the Journey Into Lost Memories half goes in just came off as kind of dumb to me. Lots of weird sci-fi anime bullshit that ends up as sappy and failing to grip me emotionally unlike the first half. Also could have used some editing too, because Jesus Christ do some of the later chapters go full Kojima and just shove exposition down your throat. It also has this whole band drama aspect to it that felt like filler more than anything and doesn't really pay off all that well.

With that said, I wouldn't say it isn't worth playing. The story is mostly interesting and the mysteries are fun to unravel. Puzzles are pretty basic, although I'll fully admit I did have to use the in-game hint system for one that I think was pretty stupid, but I probably could have solved it by myself if I wasn't being impatient. Apparently, a lot of the more interesting aspects of the DS and Wii versions were removed here due to not having those respective consoles' controller gimmicks, which is a shame.

I'm glad I finally got to play this pair of games in some way, especially since one of them never was localized to America. Overall though, it's just okay at best. If you want to play a good pair of story heavy adventure games on the Switch, I'd honestly recommend the Famicom Detective Club remakes over this.

D'abord deux jeux (un au lancement de la DS et un autre sur Wii) la série Another Code est aujourd'hui rassemblée en une seule aventure, sur Switch, retapée de fonds en comble et avec doublage intégral (en anglais et japonais).
D'abord côté graphismes, transposer la vue de dessus pixelisée de Another Code - Mémoires Doubles en jeu 3D pour la Switch, c'était un bon défi, globalement relevé. Another Code R - Les Portes de la Mémoire, lui, le redesign n'était pas forcément nécessaire, mais cela veille à avoir une parfaite cohérence visuelle de l'univers de la série, et les déplacements latéraux du jeu Wii laissent place à des zones 3D. Si le chara design est vraiment bien rendu, côté environnements du jeu on est beaucoup plus sur un rendu sommaire mais fonctionnel. C'est joli mais si on commence à regarder en détail on constate bien que c'est assez criard.
Pour les puzzles, les deux jeux ont été revus, tirant parti des possibilités de son nouveau support. Le DAS (la console d'Ashley, son couteau-suisse de Sherlock en herbe) remplit toutes les fonctions possibles pour que l'héroïne puisse avancer dans son aventure. Les puzzles ne font pas retourner le cerveau, mais amènent de la réflexion plutôt bienvenue, même si on aurait aimé un peu plus de variétés dans les énigmes.
Et même si on pourrait avoir l'impression de ligne droite pour l'histoire, qui du coup se scinde en deux parties (une pour chaque jeu), elle tient en haleine pour découvrir et comprendre la quête d'Ashley, de ses souvenirs et de sa famille. Un bien beau voyage, terni à mon sens par quelques aléas à vouloir mettre beaucoup de thèmes ou d'idées dedans, mais qui réserve des moments forts.
Si tout n'est pas parfait, la dizaine/douzaine d'heures de jeu est vraiment un beau moment. La série est sublimée avec son remake graphique, mais aurait mérité davantage de travail du côté des énigmes. On ne boude cependant pas une si belle aventure d'Ashley, et on garde espoir que l'ex-détective Kyle Hyde...

I tried playing the original a while ago, but it lacked so many quality-of-life features that I ended up dropping it. Though a number of fans seem displeased with some of the changes and cut puzzles, I really enjoyed it! Simple, relaxing puzzles a soapy story, melancholic atmosphere, all as a mystery unravels. It has some plot holes, but if you can look past them it's a chill time.

Character models look great, although the backgrounds feel underbaked. The English voice acting is god-awful, so definitely switch to the Japanese, unless you are looking for a Shenmue-level so bad its good experience. Overall its a solid remake, if not the definitive way to play the game. For those that are interested in the original but don't want mess with the DS version, this is a good way to play through it. For long time fans, I would just go in with some lower expectations.

Now the second game is, the second is... well it's a meandering mess of a game that I ended up giving up on about four hours in. Honestly, it's a sequel that never should have happened and it shows by how much they attempted to cut down the original wii game in this collection.

Constant pointless cutscenes, infrequent dull puzzles, too many characters, incredibly ugly environments, a stilted, awkward story structure and so many other issues. The only thing I liked is that Ashley actually has more of a character in this one. Its definitely cool to try a game that never released in the U.S., but I wouldn't expect to finish the second game, its more of a curiosity.

A cozy game of low stakes and personal journeys.

Honestly, it's a pretty middling game. The puzzles were too easy. The default camera settings were set by a monster and the walking speed drove me insane.

But the game oozes a curious amount of charm. The characters are likeable and their relationships with each other were believable. The story wasn't groundbreaking but enjoyable. The game looks and sounds great.

I love that Nintendo has been reviving some of their long dead IPs. Can we get Hotel Dusk remake next please?

Buenos remakes y muy buenas historias, aunque con puzzles bastante meh en general.

La colección viene con los remakes del juego de la DS y de Wii, con puzzles completamente cambiados para adaptarse a las capacidades de la switch y cambios en las historias para darles más sentido y cohesión respecto al lugar donde ocurren.


+ Respecto al primer juego:

Trata sobre Ashley, la prota, yendo a una isla para encontrarse con su padre desaparecido y descubrir que pasó con él y su fallecida madre, además de ayudar a un fantasma a recuperar su memoria.

El mapa es pequeño y bastante lineal, el 90% ocurriendo en una mansión, irás encontrando llaves para ir abriendo puertas y entrar a salas con rompecabezas, hay bastantes de estos, varios te pueden hacer pensar bastante, prestar atención al entorno o intuir qué cosa debes hacer.
Puedes activar las pistas si se te hacen muy duros, aunque el chiste está en hacerlos por tu cuenta, la mayoría tienen el truco de inspeccionar bien la sala donde se encuentran, pues siempre hay algo que te da una pista o solución al acertijo.

Hay pocos personajes pero la trama del fantasma y descubrir como falleció engancha bastante, además de que tiene un giro que aunque es bastante predecible sirve para que el jugador se vaya haciendo preguntas sobre lo que pasa en la mansión.


+ Sobre la secuela:

Ocurre varios años después del primero, Ashley va a un campamento y ahí descubrirá más sobre su madre, además de ayudar a un niño a descubrir qué fue de su padre, que fue incriminado hace 5 años de un delito que no cometió.

El mapa es mucho más abierto, dando más libertad de movimiento, aunque haciendo que algunos viajes de un punto a otro sean un poco tostón, pues aunque puedes correr, no es que Ashley sea Sonic.

Aquí hay bastantes más personajes, aunque varios no salen mucho, los demás son bastante entrañables y les vas agarrando cariño, con ganas de ver qué les ha ocurrido, pues todos tienen un mini arco por así decir.
Matthew, el niño al que ayudas, tiene bastante peso en la trama y ocupa bastante de ella, juntándose con la principal sobre la madre de Ashley en un punto.

Aquí los puzzles son casi inexistentes hasta el final de la mitad del juego, volviéndose más una aventura visual muy enfocada en la trama.

Hay puzzles antes, pero son muy básicos o no deberían de ser considerados puzzles, como apretar " X, Y, A, girar joystick ", la mayoría sin límite de tiempo, siendo una tontería de realizar, que ni te penalizan por hacerlos mal, solo cambiándote el patrón.


Visualmente los juegos son bastante simples, con texturas pobres y algunos modelos del escenario bastante meh, se nota que no tuvieron mucho presupuesto, aunque logran crear un estilo "low poly" en algunas zonas bastante resultón, sobretodo en el primer juego.

Los modelos de los personajes en cambio están bien, Ashley es increíblemente expresiva, dándome ganas de que se enfadase o frustrase para ver qué caras ponía.

Los juegos tienen un coleccionable, unos pájaros de origami que al escanearlos con el aparato de Ashley desbloquean entradas del diario de su padre, donde habla de su vida y sentimientos.
Por suerte te dan la ubicación de cada uno, porque hubo varios que si no fuera por eso me iba a tirar de los pelos de lo escondidos que estaban en el escenario.


No será un juego perfecto, pero la verdad es que lo he jugado en un punto de mi vida en el que necesitaba descansar un poco, no me apetecían juegos de acción o RPGs, así que este me sentó de perlas, además de que quedé enganchado a su historia.

First of all, just the fact these games were chosen for a remake is already a good surprise by itself.

About the change from the original to the remake, I can't speak much on Another Code R since I never played it on the Wii (I fully intend to though!), but I did play the first game a few years ago. But I can say that this is no mere remake: it's a whole reimagination of both stories, with original gameplay, new puzzles and some changes in how the stories are told. I read in a wiki that Another Code R actually had some plot point changes, so I guess there's that as well.

It sucks a bit that the ingeniosity of the DS version with the puzzles that really took advantage of the touch screen and two screens was lost in Recollection, and I imagine losing the Wii pointer controls from R had similar effects. Makes the games feel somewhat more of a "standard" adventure game, you know? Which is not inherently a bad thing, but a huge change of pace of the Cing games from that era, that were driven by the unique features of the consoles they were on.

But I guess it can't be helped: they couldn't force touch controls or pointer ones since they had to make the game properly playable whether you're playing docked or handheld, on a regular Switch or a Switch Lite, Pro Controller or Joy-Cons... With that said, I was already imagining it using solely the Joy-Cons and having crazy puzzles using the different Joy-Con positions as well the infrared reader... But anyways. It's not like the puzzles are bad, and some even used motion controls! I wish there were more of them though.

Presentation is spectacular. This is, genuinely, one of the best-looking games I ever saw on the Switch. it looks gorgeous. Music and voice acting are also great.

Story-wise, both parts are beautiful, poignant stories about facing your past, and, as a result, facing the truth. "Facing the truth can hurt, but in the end, it's for the best" is a phrase I'm taking with me for life.

I felt much more impacted by the first game's story this time around than I was in the DS version. Again, can't say much about Another Code R at this point.

Another Code Recollection is one of my favorite Switch games ever and I'm so glad that it was chosen for a remake. I really, really hope Hotel Dusk and Last Window are next in line, even if they have to be more standard games this time around (just keep the unique artsyle)!