The world of the web, for some years already, has accustomed us to the existence of very simple and self-conclusive Japanese-style role-playing games. Among them there are some that have become famous, such as To The Moon, Ib and Mad Father, but many others have not had the same fate just because of lack of visibility. Today we want to give way to MEMENTO, a game developed with the famous RPG Maker software, to break out of the shadow and guide us in an experience that will touch the sensitivity of many players.
War does not give, war takes away
Our adventure within this small RPG will begin as Shizuku, a XNUMX year old girl on a school trip on an island where there are remains of the Second World War (complete with a museum dedicated to it) and a nature reserve. Already from our arrival the situation will seem "strange": the taciturn classmates, the perpetually furious female high school teacher, an almost dreamlike atmosphere ... all this seems to be part of a perfect opening picture for a tragedy. And in fact, so it will happen: immediately after having caught the teacher laying flowers in the nature reserve - where access was forbidden - and returning to the museum, we will suddenly faint. When we wake up we will find ourselves locked inside alone inside the structure, which has been blocked from the outside to prevent entry and exit. Once we have escaped, in an unconventional way, we will find ourselves running around the nature reserve; everything would seem to have passed, were it not that the remains of a fighter-bomber will be possessed by a mysterious entity and will begin to chase us. And so, further and further away from the museum, will begin our little big adventure that will guide us to discover the true meaning of war, showing us all the damage that this has brought to society and to the meaning of human life.
Faith will guide you
As strange as it may seem to be a Japanese-style game, in MEMENTO there are direct references to the Christian faith, fundamental element of the game mechanics: the crosses scattered around the map will in fact serve as a save point and health recovery when we reach critical thresholds. Reached a certain point in the game we will find a rosary, which will allow us to save at any time in the game. Beyond that, the title will not have complex mechanics: the only action we will have to perform are the movements, since the objects we will find around will remain relegated to the sphere of key-objects; although there are no other possible actions to take, the game will not be easy at all, since the patterns of enemy attacks, the paths to follow to avoid being hit and the multitude of directions in each area will very often lead us to the game over. This manifests itself in full Final Fantasy II style, or with the return to the main menu of the game and the possibility of reloading from the last save. Another small reference to the famous title of Square Enix are the characters that will announce the boss machines from which we will have to escape, being the same as the aforementioned game and with the same entry effects.
Me or the other: who has priority?
As per the manual, MEMENTO is part of that category of role-playing games that will put us in front of a series of choices, which will characterize the continuation of the plot. From about twenty minutes into the game, the first fateful questions will arrive, of which the first is among the most important of the entire game; I will not mention it to avoid spoilers, since the plot is the strong point of these titles. Knowing how to decide between the right and the simple is an important factor: the mysteries we will investigate, the episodes we will experience and our entire adventure could drastically change based on our past decisions. The salvation of our life does not depend only on us, there is something more behind it, even if we will realize it only once we have entered the story. Anguish, anxiety, fear and the desire for salvation will be masters of the whole experience, with atmospheres that, without exaggerating, are worthy of the best films halfway between thriller, horror and introspective psychological. MEMENTO will make the player who is passionate about it reflect, as has happened to me too, by showing reality with that extra something that we previously ignored or did not consider: our actions, however seemingly right and without side effects, will always be able to to have some feedback on ourselves, or worse, on others.
A mystical atmosphere
In conclusion, MEMENTO is definitely one of those games where graphics are superfluous: it would not matter if it had been made with a latest generation Unreal Engine or in 32 bit, the effect would have always been the same. My personal impression, encountered while playing the title, is that this is one of those few cases where the sound compensates for the "simplicity" (graphic style means, not details, mind you) of the visual, with sounds, noises and music that will shape the mystical atmosphere of the game. I strongly recommend, to anyone who intends to venture into this little great work, to have a good pair of insulating headphones, which have a good balance of sounds, as they will make you feel an integral part of the story. It is not difficult to forget that you are behind a screen and with your hands on the keyboard: MEMENTO will be able to drag you into the shoes of the beautiful and innocent Shizuku in search of salvation and truth.
