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...

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. 

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.

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.