Anima: Gates of Memories Review
Anima: Gates of Memories
Publisher: Badland Games
Developer: Anima Project
Genre:
PEGI: T
Comments:
There is a lot to like about Anima Gates of Memories, and these aspects definitely outweigh the areas of the game that we felt suffered. However, if you are caught in between releases of your favorite JRPG’s, take Anima for a spin and enjoy the ride. It’s definitely a world worth visiting!
You will travel through your adventures playing as The Bearer, and with advice from a (hilarious) book / odd-shirtless-man Ergo. The two characters play nicely off of each other to deliver a story that is passable, although quite a bit short of outstanding. The initial task you are trying to accomplish is collecting a mysterious relic called the Byblos. When you fail to do so, however, you are locked inside a tower where you spend the majority of your adventure attempting to dispel the evil that is threatening the world.
The developers did a good job of making sure both The Bearer and Ergo have different fighting styles and different perks – upgraded individually. Each feels unique, and since you can instantly change between the two during a combat routine, it makes the battle sequences much more engaging as you choose the correct warrior to deal the right types of attacks.
The difficulty of the combat is somewhat lacking. You can make things ‘look’ as cool as you want, but a good combination of simple attacks and dodges should do the trick on a majority of enemies. Essentially you can make it more interesting if you wanted to, but there was nothing requiring you to do so. My biggest issue – and mind you, it’s not that big – is that things can get very chaotic at times, and trying to switch between both characters to land large combos can get confusing. I failed combo attacks more often than I landed them; at least, this is how I felt while playing.
What is really fund about Anima Gates of Memories is when you go through a tower door for the first time. You never know where you might land. You are just as likely to land in a beautiful field as you are to land in a dingy building. That part is really great, and although I do not believe it is randomly generated, it definitely feels random the first time you play it.
The other great things about Anima Gates of Memories is that – like the combat – the game allows you to get as invested as you want in the story. Nothing is really shoved down your throat, but if you want to look into the lore of the land, you can definitely do that. It even helps fill in some story gaps that you might come across while playing.
The final thing I really enjoyed was boss fights. Boss fights allowed for a bit more strategy to be implemented, and made sure that simple attacks and dodges would not be enough to take down these (sometimes) large, formidable opponents.
Overall, Anima: Gates of Memories is a fun title that will allow you to bridge the gap between your favorite JRPG release. I think there is something here to love for everyone, but come in with a realization that this isn’t Final Fantasy or like minded titles. It’s a smaller title from a smaller developer. Sure the camera angles could be better, and platforming moments a bit more refined, but overall Gates of Memories is a fun, JRPG experience.
Trailer
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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