There is something to be said about a game that wants to do a lot and figures out how to make it fit cohesively. When I started Anima: Gate of Memories, I wasn’t immediately sold on it because its first world of five (all located in one central hub map) had me doing exactly what I expected from it. Hell, even its boss fight was pretty disappointing, as it felt like more of an endurance test due to how low level my character was. But then I entered the next several worlds and found myself in love with Anima‘s push for varied content that pays off and begins seeding itself back into other worlds. With a story that feels bare-bones, yet surprisingly intriguing, Anima: Gate of Memories‘s gameplay is refreshing at almost every step.
The game began its life as a Kickstarter project back in November of 2012, and now has made its way onto consoles and PC. It follows a nameless woman, known only as The Bearer of Calamities, who is forced to partner with Ergo Mundus – a monster feared by other monsters, but is currently trapped inside of a book. The two are brought together because of a war about to surface and threaten the entire world’s being. As the Bearer of Calamities it is up to you to stop the end of the world because you are…well, you’re the Bearer of Calamities.
I’ll get this out of the way now… I don’t think Anima: Gate of Memories’ story ever becomes “good”. It has intriguing ideas and really goes deep on the “memory” subtitle, but it never feels like it goes beyond that. Maybe one of the better endings in the game offers something more, but I think where the game shines is in its isolated stories as opposed to its overarching narrative. I actually got the same ending twice in the game, one of which made sense because of where my playthrough had left the characters. The second time I got the same ending though was having played for a little more, doing some extra stuff, and my characters essentially high-fiving each other. Then the ending came and it made no sense, was jarring, and just felt like a cop out. It’s additionally unfortunate because it is considered the “Worst Ending” according to the game, and it is the one that follows the more traditional approach to how a game’s story is structured.
But the game also has plenty of side stories bound in their own unique worlds — worlds which tend to reflect the boss you will face at the end of them. Those side stories are far more interesting, and are presented in the form of memories scattered across each individual world. Each world’s memories focus on one character and essentially tells the story of their descent into evil. For instance, the first world of Anima is a mansion filled with marionettes and puppets, with a labyrinth-quality to it. It is no surprise then that the memories being told are about a man and his love of puppets. There’s a darkness to it, but always some sign of humanity that just got pushed aside at some point because of a decision.
Those stories are fascinating and how they tie into the world is sometimes really intriguing. Yeah, of course, the puppet mansion is going to have death traps that will require some expert maneuvering, but then there are areas that are heavy on the puzzles, or require a lot of platforming. What is great is, besides basic mechanics, there are often times when you’ll need to do something in one world and not really have to worry about it again in the next. I’d likely have complained about that aspect if it didn’t seem so important that the worlds be unique and isolated.
Speaking of mechanics though, the game is an action RPG and it follows a very traditional combo structure. The catch is that, at any time, you can switch between Ergo and the Bearer mid-combo to increase the damage done. The unfortunate element of this is that I found myself often trying to switch mid-combo but not being able to because the game wanted me to stop completely before being able to transform. Thus, it was more likely that I would just stick with whichever character fit the situation best and only transform when necessary. There are definitely moments when you have to keep switching, and one boss had me doing it on multiple occasions (eventually with ease), but it would have been better if the transformation was a bit more responsive.
The combo system is fairly light, and I found myself actually gravitating towards similar attack patterns for every enemy – with few exceptions. The game definitely has some challenge to it when you get to tougher enemies, but there’s a fairly competent skill tree to help you out and make you stronger for those instances. No, instead I found most of my deaths stemming from the camera during platforming. There are not that many sequences where platforming is prominent, but when they do show up, there isn’t a very good sense of spatial awareness for the character and the camera constantly needs to be fiddled with to create some sense of where a character will land. Add to that the fact that double jumping actually didn’t work all the time, and you get a very frustrating experience.
All of that frustration only tends to last for a small fraction of the time I spent playing Anima: Gate of Memories. Even though its combat is fairly standard, it is still fun to engage with. Plus, the game gets to a point where it wants to take you on a journey that sometimes involves combat, but often is more about the visuals and the narrative. One area had me playing the game as a side-scroller, with a silhouette art style that looked beautiful at all times. Plus, it didn’t feel contrived. It felt like a necessary moment in the story as you plunge deeper into a state of darkness.
It is extremely unfortunate though that the game has such a huge problem with its overarching narrative. Like I said, it is totally possible that the other endings in the game are much more satisfying, but the fact that I completed all the bosses and went to the only area that I could go with explicit instructions from the leader of the Bearer of Calamities to go finish the game, means that many players will experience the ending I experienced. They may try to get every memory and fight all the messengers that are left over, or free the prisoners that are locked underneath the Mansion of Puppets, but that should not be a requirement for the game. Especially since no one really seems to push you to do that stuff. Plus, it is really hard to want to partake in a lot of the extracurricular stuff when it means listening to some of the really grating comments that Ergo makes. Spoilers: he talks about butts a lot, and he loves to say “baby” at the end of sentences. There’s a charm to it, but it often feels too juvenile.
Anima: Gate of Memories is a good time though, and despite its failures in the overall narrative, it hits those isolated memories far more effectively. They are also the moments that matter the most, in my opinion, because the environment and mechanics of the game rely heavily on whose story is being told. With visually distinctive worlds and a stripped down, yet fun combat system, the game manages to sustain an intrigue which kept me playing until its conclusion.