Always Remember Me – Review (PC)
| Game Name: | Always Remember Me |
| Platforms: | PC, Mac, Linux |
| Publisher(s): | Winter Wolves Computer Games |
| Developer(s): | Celso Riva (Winter Wolves) |
| Genre(s): | Dating and Life Sim |
| Release Date: | Available Now |
| ESRB Rating: | Not Applicable |
I was a bit apprehensive about reviewing this game, because i had never played a dating and life sim before, or so I thought. Once I dove into this charming indie title, I came to realize that it was similar in a way to a few of my favorite games from the past. Always Remember Me is more of a strategy and time management game, mechanically speaking and held my interest so much, that I finished my first play through in one sitting. The best way I can describe the game, is it has the time management and relationship dynamic from Wall Street Kid for the NES, combined with the social link encounters from Persona 4. In this day and age it is absolutely refreshing to play a strategy game with no combat whatsoever.
You play as a red haired college student named Amy, who is in a serious relationship with her boyfriend named Aaron, despite his fathers disapproval. As the game starts, Amy and Aaron are in a car accident, and while they both survive, Aaron now has amnesia. Amy is shocked and saddened to learn Aaron no longer remembers her, or that they have past together. Through the course of the game, you have to choose whether to help Aaron remember who you are, which is complicated by the presence of his ex pretending to be his girlfriend. Alternately you can choose to pursue a relationship with someone else such as Eddy, the doctor from the hospital, your co worker Lawrence, or Hugh the fashion designer.
It is important to make a decision early on, because you need to raise certain stats, keep your mood up and focus on the person you want to be with, even though there are some events involving Aaron that are mandatory. It would seem the logical choice is to help your boyfriend, and rekindle your romance, however there is a moment in the middle of the game that made me rethink that choice and by that time it was already too late to pursue someone else. Because of this, I ended up with the alone ending, which all in all, wasn’t that bad of an outcome to be honest. There are 2 separate endings for each male partner, and the alone one which I mentioned, which makes for quite a bit of re playability, especially since the developer added in the “what happened” to everyone ending that is often seen in tv and movies but rarely in video games.
From a gameplay standpoint, you have a certain amount of time to accomplish your goal of a romantic ending. Once Amy goes back to school in September, it’s game over. Each day is broken down into segments of time, such as dawn, morning, noon, afternoon. night etc. and you get to choose an action or activity for that slot in order to increase your attributes or make money. Each morning during the week, you have to work at you part time job scooping ice cream and it’s good to keep your morale up because better mood equals better tips from customers. From noon on and on the weekends your free to spend your time however you choose, or you can work overtime to make extra money. Be mindful and careful how you choose to spend your time, because everything you do increases and decreases some stats, this is where the strategy part of the game comes in and the game is not easy even on normal difficulty. After you finish the game, you can restart via a new game plus, that allows you to keep some of your attributes from previous play through and even up the difficulty to hard if your a masochist.
The art is done in the Manga style and is bright and colorful and pleasant on the eyes, combined with some charming sound design and an incredible title score, Always Remember Me is a pleasant and relaxing game. I had no idea what to expect from this game going in, but I was won over by the charm and strategy of the game, and I look forward to multiple play through’s to see the other endings. The game was a little short, but most good time management games know when to not wear out their welcome, Always Remember Me is no exception. If your looking for something fun and different, check out this game and other titles from Celso Riva at winterwolves.com. I will always remember giving this game a 4 out of 5 stars.
