“Anima: Gate of Memories” Review

Anima: Gate of Memories is a semi-open world RPG developed by a very small indie team in Kai Nesbit. It takes you inside the fantasy of bringing a decade-old card game to life. It isn’t perfect, nor is it very impressive either. Did…

Anima: Gate of Memories is a semi-open world RPG developed by a very small indie team in Kai Nesbit. It takes you inside the fantasy of bringing a decade-old card game to life. It isn’t perfect, nor is it very impressive either. Did they bite off more than they can chew?

What Is It?

Anima: Gate of Memories is a game based on the tabletop book and card games that share the same name. The tabletop games started in Spain and have became global over the last 15 years. It was a fan-funded game that raised over $100,000 via Kickstarter. It splits control between two separate characters. Players control a woman, The Bearer, and a man named Ergo. The Bearer resides in the real world and Ergo is oddly trapped in a book.

The game takes place in Gaia, a magical world of fantasy that’s been hidden from humans by powerful, top secret organizations. Ergo happens to be one of the strongest monsters of all-time, however a novel is his prison. In order to get out of the book he passes his powers onto a human who, in exchange, recites their name to the memories. That’s where The Bearer comes into play.

Why Should I Care?

It’s difficult for a small indie team to take a chance on an open world RPG. The graphics and real time battle system are also quite impressive to have been implicated from such a small team. Anima Game Studio ultimately did make a pretty solid title when you incorporate the fact that the game was developed by only three people over the course of three years.

Another great thing the game has to offer is more than one ending. In fact, there are five different endings you can see depending on the choices you make during your playthrough. The dialog in the game does not make a difference with what ending you’ll receive. The ending is only influenced by combat and choices made within the semi-open world. There is only one true ending out of all the possible outcomes. The other endings expose substitute outcomes. This is an impressive attainment.

What Makes It Worth My Time And Money?

It’s an indie game in a full size package at a full size price. Ultimately, I’d say it isn’t worth the time and money.

The game is supposed to bring the magic and fantasy found in the tabletop versions to life, however it falls flat, and as a result the game is lackadaisical at best. The Bearer and Ergo lack character development and the story is boring. Ergo is irritating and his sexist belittling remarks toward The Bearer come off as ignorant and shallow. He also makes corny jokes that are stale and even sings offkey. The Bearer is no better with her horrid, tiring personality. The voice acting is also atrocious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yMcNIT7XxQ

After the debacle known as No Mans Sky crashed and burned, I am strongly against recommending a strong indie attempt in a larger games world. Players want to feel as if they get their monies worth. Priced at $49.99, and even having collectors’ editions at an increased price, with the content that is Anima: Gate of Memories, I’d strongly suggest gamers wait until this title is $20 on the used games wall of Gamestop. As impressive as this game is for being developed by only three people, it still doesn’t meet the content of what a game almost $50 should be.