Another Code: Recollection Review: A Journey Into Memory

During the Switch era, Nintendo has dug deep into its back catalog, giving older games a second chance at finding an audience. The latest example is Another Code: Recollection, a remake of two games that first appeared on Nintendo DS and Wii. Another Code: Two Memories released on DS as Trace Memory in North America, while the sequel, Another Code R: A Journey Into Lost Memories never made it to Wii users outside Europe and Japan. Another Code: Recollection offers both of these games in one package, giving a new audience a chance to experience the story of protagonist Ashley Mizuki Robins. 

When Another Code: Recollection begins, we find Ashley on a boat headed towards Blood Edward Island with her aunt Jessica. Ashley's mother died when she was young, and she and her father have been estranged ever since. Right before her 14th birthday, Ashley's father sends her a mysterious device known as the DAS, alongside a request to meet him on the island. Upon their arrival, Jessica quickly goes missing, forcing Ashley to search for her and her long-lost father in and around the grounds of an old mansion. It's here that Ashley meets the ghost of a young boy named D, and they must work together to solve two mysteries surrounding their lost memories. 

Resident Evil Without the Evil

Both games in Another Code: Recollection are point-and-click adventures. The first game is a lot like the original Resident Evil, but without monsters or combat. What's left is solving puzzles to unlock new areas in a mansion full of mysteries. As players do just that, they're given greater insight into the events that revolve around the deaths of both Ashley's mother and D. Many of the game's puzzles revolve around the DAS, which resembles a Nintendo Switch. The DAS has several features, including the ability to take photographs, review character biographies, and interact with a device known as Another. 

Puzzles in Another Code: Recollection are something of a mixed bag. While I never played Trace Memory or its sequel, Nintendo has apparently made some big changes to the puzzles that appeared in both. Some of them are intuitive enough, while others could provide more in the way of context. For example, one puzzle requires that players take two photographs using the DAS and use the overlap feature to combine them. However, the game doesn't reveal that this is even a feature, and I found myself frustratingly trying to solve a puzzle in the specific way that the game wanted me to, even though I knew what the actual solution should be. A lot of point-and-click games suffer from similar problems, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating when it pops up. 

The Power of Memory

The central theme that connects the two games in Another Code: Recollection is the impact of memory. Ashley's memories of her mother's death are murky; she witnessed the murder of Sayoko Robins, but Ashley was just three-years-old at the time. Meanwhile, D's memory of his own death has been lost over decades. As the game progresses, Ashley discovers that both of her parents were working on a device known as Another, which has the ability to erase harmful memories and even replace them. Her parents saw this as a way to help those suffering from trauma, while others seem to be interested in the device for more nefarious purposes. 

The storyline is the biggest highlight in Another Code: Recollection. The actual violence is minimal, but the games both deal with themes that include things like PTSD, abandonment, and murder. It's a little bit heavier than your average Nintendo game, and getting to see Ashley's journey across both games is compelling. The two games are presented as one, with players jumping into A Journey Into Lost Memories right after the first game ends. Two years pass between the two titles, so players are given a chance to see Ashley older and how things have changed since the previous game. 

Two Games as One

Despite originally releasing on different platforms, the remakes of these two games are presented in the exact same style with the same controls and even the same save file. Another Code: Recollection could have felt like a disjointed combination of two games from very different systems, but newcomers might not even know they had different origins. A good deal of that can be attributed to the presentation. It's not a technical marvel on the level of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but the characters and environments look nice, and the music is enjoyable throughout. 

Another Code: Recollection is a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library. The puzzles can get frustrating at times, and the gameplay won't be for everyone; I highly recommend those on the fence check out the game's free demo. Despite these flaws, the story and characters make it a worthwhile purchase for fans of the genre. It's great to see Nintendo giving such an unusual pair of games this type of treatment, rather than leaving them abandoned on their original hardware. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Another Code: Recollection is set to release January 19th, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review, and it was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch OLED.