Calum Petrie reviews Forgotton Anne…
Graphics in modern games are usually the first indication whether a title is going to pique your interest or not. Many people are thriving for more advanced graphics with the incredible amount of details found within the 4K resolution and HDR. Many indie developers are focusing more on pixel art style, as it is part of an 80’s/90’s throwback, with others are using cell shading to give off a comic book style appearance.
Forgotton Anne does not fall into any of these categories, instead adopting a simple hand drawn style which is more beautiful that the majority of games I have seen released this year. The art style is the number one thing you will notice upon first glance at Forgotten Anne, though it is not the only thing this beautiful game has going for it.
Developed by Throughline Games and released under the mighty banner of the Square Enix Collective, I had personally seen this game at EGX in Birmingham two years in a row, both 2016 and 2017 (though the second it did not look to have been changed much, it was still beautiful to see).
Forgotton Anne is set in the realm where all forgotten things are allowed to live a life free of ownership, where odd socks live and lamps ponder the days away. The realm is divided where forgot-lings wish to return to the real world and their owners and others want to live their own life. Then there is Bonku and Anne, who are the two humans mysteriously existing in this world of forgotten things.
Anne is the focus of the story (if you didn’t get that from the title), and is the Enforcer of the realm. Master Bonku is the unofficial leader who is determined to return to the land of the remembered and the relevant.
The game kicks off with a rebel attack and Anne is rudely awakened to address and investigate the rebel situation, while the Ether Bridge to the real world is so close to being completed. Anne can use a special device to manipulate the essence of life in the world. She can pass judgement and drain life force from Forgot-lings as well as powering machinery, which is the majority of the game’s puzzle sections.
The side on perspective give a 2.5D aspect to exploration where players can walk away from or towards the screen to create a layer of depth and perspective when venturing into the world. The game’s simple world exploration is enhanced with the beautiful backdrop of the forgotten realm. The industrial-themed setting gives weight the overall tone of oppression and rebellion delivered in the game’s story.
Forgotton Anne is certainly one of the more unique games you will encounter in recent releases, and will more than likely catch you eye for a number of reasons, though its exploration coupled will environmental puzzles can make for some slight confusion. Sometimes when playing I was lost on what to do exactly in a level and had give up; I would then return later to find the puzzle rather easy and would more than likely kick myself because the answer was so obvious.
The later stages of the game’s story will give players more emotional depth into the character growth of Anne than you might anticipate. The range of experiences and situations players will have to face, to question morality, is not an easy thing. Many choices will be split between what you personally think is right and wrong, which will make you feel more invested as the story will deliver repercussions based on these choices.
Overall Forgotton Anne is a brilliantly crafted game with an incredibly interesting story nestled somewhere between industrial and fantasy to keep you going until the end. The average playtime of the game will be around the six hour mark, and your only re-playability will likely be for achievements and trophies. That being said, I am sure the game will be stuck in your head for days after you complete it, helping to give weight to the games simple yet effective storytelling and memorable characters.
Pros
+ Art Style
+ Unique Story
+ Original concept
Cons
– Not a great deal of replayability
– Jumping/Platforming sections can be repetitive
Rating: 7/10
Calum Petrie – You can follow me on Twitter – @Cetrie
