I had already played it once but unfortunately abandoned it because I didn't know what to do at one point. I'm very glad I gave this game another chance a few years later because I really liked it. I specifically liked the setting of this small German town. Visiting it in different time periods and seeing how certain buildings change and the town evolves was very cool. The voice acting also had a charm all of its own. Of course, the dialog is a bit cheesy and Eike as the main character is sometimes quite stupid, but I found it all the more likeable. The story is a bit confusing, typical for time travel, and doesn't make much sense if you think about it for too long. But I found it motivating and for the most part well written. The different endings definitely increase the replay value and I will definitely be replaying it a few times. Overall, a cool narrative game with a time travel theme and some really unintentionally funny moments. I fell in love with this game a little bit :D
This review contains spoilers
Why the fuck is the Average Rating of this game not a 1? The characters, the gameplay, the story, the acting, everything is just terrible. Nothing in this game makes fucking sense. The only positive I can think of this game is how funny it is to see Eike die over and over again, especially by the pot.
This review contains spoilers
it was good until later in the game when it gives you vague objectives you have to complete under a time limit (death suddenly being a game over with 0 explanation instead of having homunculus explain how you died and how to prevent it) which i didn't know was a thing until i read about it in a walkthrough (which i needed if i had any chance of finishing this last chapter). having time progress faster as you talk to npcs, something you will 100% be doing a lot if you don't know what to do next, is fucking stupid. i think i finished the last chapter with only a few minutes left until my death, which would have happened had i spoken to like only 2 npcs and exhausted their dialogue.
got ending D and have no desire to try for any others anymore, unfortunately.
got ending D and have no desire to try for any others anymore, unfortunately.
Had some very interesting ideas but the execution of said ideas was meh. A lot of questions are left unanswered even after beating every ending. I'm not sure if they wanted to leave it up to the players interpretation or what. The gameplay was also just plain boring imo. The voice acting is absolutely horrible to the point of being comical, although I heard it's slightly better on the PSP version.
When I was in 3rd grade my mom bought Shadow of Memories as a gift for my dad because the guy on the cover looked like "the guy from Resident Evil 2". My dad never did play it but my underdeveloped 3rd grade brain sure did.
As a kid this game blew my mind. I was obsessed with games where you just walked around and did shit (Shenmue, Morrowind, etc.). There was something about the mundane that was endearing to me. But then in this one you're stabbed in the back and murdered in broad daylight. That was different.
In Shadow of Memories you are tasked with stopping your murder before it happens thanks to a little brown Pokedex given to you by an MCR fan. After accomplishing this task you die again at a later date, finding out that you are forever destined to die until you dig out the rotten tree from its roots.
This sees Eike, Eike Kusch, traveling all over the damn timeline encountering friends, family, and a lot of men with male pattern baldness to try and stop himself from dying, changing his destiny.
The gameplay is a very simple walk and talk 3D adventure game, a la Shenmue, but its paced well enough to where you don't ever feel bored or lost. Another one of your deaths is right around the corner at all times so you never know what to expect. Poison fish? Very well could be.
The music has an unsettling joy to it. Creepy flutes, abrupt crashing drums, add to the ambience of this weird quiet small town where you can be comfortable enough to stab at 3pm.
The game has a billion endings, some of them outright goofy, but never disappointing. And the game is short enough too to where getting them all isn't a slog.
I recently replayed Shadow of Memories and enjoyed every second of it. It hasn't aged that gracefully, but not every game needs to. A ton of heart goes a long way. One of my favorite games from the PS2.
5 Eikes out of 5.
As a kid this game blew my mind. I was obsessed with games where you just walked around and did shit (Shenmue, Morrowind, etc.). There was something about the mundane that was endearing to me. But then in this one you're stabbed in the back and murdered in broad daylight. That was different.
In Shadow of Memories you are tasked with stopping your murder before it happens thanks to a little brown Pokedex given to you by an MCR fan. After accomplishing this task you die again at a later date, finding out that you are forever destined to die until you dig out the rotten tree from its roots.
This sees Eike, Eike Kusch, traveling all over the damn timeline encountering friends, family, and a lot of men with male pattern baldness to try and stop himself from dying, changing his destiny.
The gameplay is a very simple walk and talk 3D adventure game, a la Shenmue, but its paced well enough to where you don't ever feel bored or lost. Another one of your deaths is right around the corner at all times so you never know what to expect. Poison fish? Very well could be.
The music has an unsettling joy to it. Creepy flutes, abrupt crashing drums, add to the ambience of this weird quiet small town where you can be comfortable enough to stab at 3pm.
The game has a billion endings, some of them outright goofy, but never disappointing. And the game is short enough too to where getting them all isn't a slog.
I recently replayed Shadow of Memories and enjoyed every second of it. It hasn't aged that gracefully, but not every game needs to. A ton of heart goes a long way. One of my favorite games from the PS2.
5 Eikes out of 5.
Theoretically, this game has aged about as well as a carton of milk that's also 20 years old. The voice acting - sans a stellar performance from Charles Martinet - is mostly typical of the time, being hilariously hokey. Overall, the graphics look bland, the controls and camera are quite clunky, and you could argue that the game either holds your hand or leaves you a fish out of water.
And yet, the story and writing are so batshit in the most brilliant way, and there's a massive "a-ha!" factor that plays into puzzles and plot elements you can figure out on your own. There's a satisfaction to exploring around and talking to people, and realizing "oh yeah, this plays into something happening elsewhere!" Not to mention, even if you screw up and run out of time, you have the power of knowing what to do more efficiently and the foresight of letting you skip cutscenes you've already seen. I did "have" to look at a walkthrough two times, but both times with a reaction of "of course, I should've thought of that earlier!" Puzzles in this game are insane, but not in the moon logic sense - within this game's rules, solutions always make complete sense.
Also, while I do think the graphics lack color, there are some really cool effects and animations for the time, such as weather, clothing textures, and particularly, certain time periods utilizing "filters". 1902 has a monochrome overlay, the 1580s look sepia, yet all the while, Eike is in full-color. It's really cool.
It's a game that could totally use a massive polishing-up, but none of its flaws really make me want to walk away. It has this strange energy that makes me adore it, make me want a movie, even a remake. As long as they can get Charles back, that is.
And yet, the story and writing are so batshit in the most brilliant way, and there's a massive "a-ha!" factor that plays into puzzles and plot elements you can figure out on your own. There's a satisfaction to exploring around and talking to people, and realizing "oh yeah, this plays into something happening elsewhere!" Not to mention, even if you screw up and run out of time, you have the power of knowing what to do more efficiently and the foresight of letting you skip cutscenes you've already seen. I did "have" to look at a walkthrough two times, but both times with a reaction of "of course, I should've thought of that earlier!" Puzzles in this game are insane, but not in the moon logic sense - within this game's rules, solutions always make complete sense.
Also, while I do think the graphics lack color, there are some really cool effects and animations for the time, such as weather, clothing textures, and particularly, certain time periods utilizing "filters". 1902 has a monochrome overlay, the 1580s look sepia, yet all the while, Eike is in full-color. It's really cool.
It's a game that could totally use a massive polishing-up, but none of its flaws really make me want to walk away. It has this strange energy that makes me adore it, make me want a movie, even a remake. As long as they can get Charles back, that is.