Game Review “Remember…” – This Cruel Thing of Life Review

“Remember …” (or Know by heart) is a brand-new game from Russian studio Ice-Pick Lodge, which you may recognize from the classic “Mor (Utopia),” “Turgor,” “Knock Knock,” and Pathologic 2. A small group in the company designed the game; however, it’s small doesn’t deter this game’s story from remaining affecting and profound. So what is “remembering”? Remember by heart – we’ll provide you with the review.

• developer: Ice-Pick Lodge
• Publisher: Ice-Pick Lodge
• Please mark the date: February 10, 2022

The story in “Remember …” is set in the province of Kazan, a closed Russian town close to Kazan. Provincial So provincial that it could be crossed in just a few minutes, and residents can trust one another to the extent that they do not secure their homes.

This is the place where our protagonist Misha lives. Out of his five classmates, Misha was the one that hadn’t changed. He lives on his own and works a tedious job, and cannot find the motivation to alter his destiny. The other students – those who leftschool, just like the friends from school (which Misha never confessed to) Asya and his brothers Tema and Almaz and Almaz, who stayed, however, underwent a dramatic transformationsimilar to Mongol, “re-trained” from the status of a hooligan into a police officer.

The whole team comes together in the town: Asya has arrived for work, Tema and Almaz for an event for the family. The friends from school reminisce over the good old days, take an excursion through the sights that once were their glory, and then take off on an adventure by getting a car from their local Uncle. Then Misha finally has the opportunity to admit his guilt to Ace, who’s feelings were heightened by his previous energy. However, his joy will not indefinitely: soon, an unpleasant reality will erupt from the idyllic world – an outbreak of a disease or other incident that permanently alters individuals, and the characters fight to not let the condition take hold of them all.

“Remember …” is very atmospheric. The atmosphere changes as each game day progresses. In the beginning, it’s an exciting nostalgia for days when everyone was young and making an ice-skating snowman all day sitting in a massive Oak tree at the parks or walking till dawn. Characters can vividly recall captivating memories and stories – the viewer feels like he’s only a spectator and participant in the historical events. After that, however, the town itself feels intimately familiar, and the yellow autumn tones evoke a feeling of sadness.

As disaster strikes, the entire city is crowded with the military when the first signs of fear can be heard in the dialogues—the atmosphere shifts to one of fear and coldness. Misha and Asya and their companions grudgingly attempt to comprehend what’s happening and the fear of the impending apocalypse becoming larger. At night, we must be safe from the police and, in the morning, the streets are covered with a mysterious fog. I wanted to leave the game but not predict what would happen next, but the mood in the game is so enveloping.

Then, after longing for the release to happen, the participant is depressed. Although you don’t believe it until the end, the conclusion is predictable. Beautiful autumn is replaced by a cold, uninterested winter, making it easier to comprehend the events that have occurred. The last chord on the screen is Yekaterina Yashnikova’s track “We’d like to come back” …” which is guaranteed to make you feel a little sad.

In terms of emotions, “Remember …” – is a decisive game. It can affect players in various ways. For instance, I was astonished by the very notion of an apocalypse similar to this, regular and unavoidable and possibly more frightening than an alien attack or zombie invasion.

I didn’t find it appealing all that much for the purpose behind the film. I’m not particularly nostalgic about my childhood or the people I left, so the main message was irrelevant. I know what the writers were thinking of, however, and the reason “Remember …” can be painful, emotional, and heartbreaking for many of the characters. Nevertheless, despite its sad style, the conclusion of the story could be seen positively as leading towards a new beginning. In my opinion, at least. to believe that.

What’s the gameplay like of Know by Heart? It’s nothing special; just an open world is explored in search of memories, some dialog systems, as well as a couple of mini-games. Of the latter are ones that are hilarious and fun, such as QTE using the typewriter (if you play on a PC, you’ll be able to enter the words directly on the keyboard) but also some dull and repetitive games – the game is filled with the same type of puzzles.

The worst part is the camera’s controls and behavior. The camera’s behavior is static. The hero moves away from where the gamepad takes him when you alter the angle. You must let go of the stick, then press again. Every screen. They change every couple of seconds. It’s pretty frustrating. the great thing is that the game can be played in about 4-5 hours, and the controls can’t make you feel snubbed.

But, the problems that arise from “Remember …” one wants to forgive. In addition, it is a simple, somewhat messy image and bugs that appear everywhere – and as you can see from reviews, they could cause a sour taste in the text; however, this did not occur to me. Forgive, since “Remember …” is very beautiful, atmospheric, and sad.