Another Code: Recollection Review – An experience worth remaking!

Another Code: Recollection is an “enhanced” version of the original 2005 Nintendo DS game, Another Code: Two Memories and the 2009 Wii game, Another Code: R. The latter was never widely released in North America. You take the role of Ashley Robins, a young girl who has a knack for solving puzzles and helping lost children. This game is full of interesting stories, characters, and puzzles! It’s time for us to solve the mystery of why you haven’t picked this game up yet.

Another Code: Recollection starts you off in Two Memories, as Ashley travels to a mysterious island with her aunt in search of her father who left her with her aunt when she was three after her mother passed away. This game is all about lost memories for everyone. Ashley doesn’t remember her mother, father, or anything that happened the night that changed her life other than a scary dream she has consistently. Her Aunt, Jessica, has taken care of her since she was three years old, and with that comes the teenage angst against her. Once Ashley and her aunt make it to the island, Ashley has second thoughts about meeting her father when he doesn’t show up to greet them. When Jessica goes alone and disappears, it’s up to Ashley to find her.

During her search she comes across a ghostly figure of a child who calls himself “D.” This is where things really turn up as Ashley and D hear a scream and find Jessica’s glasses on the front porch. At this stage, I’ll stop talking about the story because almost anything I say can ruin what was such an amazing experience. Just know, there’s a point in Chapter 2 where I didn’t stop playing until I finished game one.

The second game, R: A Journey Into Lost Memories takes place two years later. For those that played the first game back on the DS and lived in NA, you probably didn’t have a chance to play this one. While this story didn’t draw me in as quickly as the first did, it’s still so fun to experience this game and their story with Ashley once again!

Neither story is exactly Breaking Bad level writing, but they are both extremely well thought out and you will likely find each conclusion satisfying when it’s revealed. There are plenty of twists and turns. It’s definitely a game that would be amazing for parents and teens to play together and have fun solving the puzzles and predicting which characters did what!

Gameplay is extremely simple. Made even simpler if you add the extra details such as the directional circle that shows you where to go next, and the icons that help you notice where things are in the world such as special items you can pick up, or specific drawers you can open. As someone who went into Another Code: Recollection blind, I found this extremely helpful! It also made it so that the side collections became something that I looked forward to finding because I did it myself.

While exploring the house in the first game, you can find paper cranes left by your father that you can scan with the DAS (basically a Switch) that your father sent you when he asked for you to visit the island. Each of these cranes provide insight as to Ashley’s father’s intention for being on the island, his regrets in life, and his love for Ashley. The other thing I loved about collecting in the first game was the grand family trees. Each time you meet a new character through a book, a note, a painting, D’s memories, or seeing them in person, you’ll have details added to the family tree. Don’t get used to the look though, because you’re in for a bumpy ride trying to figure out who’s connected to who.

The puzzles really do shine in these games. While some are pretty easy with, “go here, look at this thing, then put that thing on the other thing,” you have some like a piano puzzle which makes you use multiple items at the same time to get the correct answer. The designers really wanted you to know that every item matters and everything you pick up has a purpose whether it’s to solve a puzzle or give you story details. Nothing is wasted in this game.

The music in this game is really wonderful. Reminds me a lot of the style of music you’d hear in overworlds in a game like Fire Emblem: Three Houses: piano based with small amounts of other instrument sounds when needed. There’s a scene in a later chapter of Two Memories that had me tearing up specifically because the music was so touching with the voice acting moment. Good music can make anything better, but having the music being the cherry on the top in the scene makes it special.

While I’ve praised Another Code: Recollection quite a lot, the length of each game and the price of the game doesn’t… add up. The game is selling for $60 on the Nintendo eShop, the first game took me a total of 6 hours, the second wasn’t all that much longer. While both are complete stories, I would feel much better if the price was $40, saying $20 for each story.

While the price vs length of each story are not where I feel they should be, Another Code: Recollection was a wonderful experience that I would recommend to my friends, especially those with kids 8-15. The story they tell has a lot of moments that can help a child understand bigger ideals such as loss, trauma, and love. Play this game the way you feel, if that’s with the helping hands or fully on your own; you’ll have a fun time.

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