Rememoried

Few games have left me as confused as Rememoried, the brand new puzzle game from Vladimir Kudelka. When I first previewed the game, I spent thirty minutes walking around a giant wooded area looking for something to do. I found a floating phantom and picture frames, but nothing that clued me into the objective. I was completely baffled; ready to write-off the game as just another surreal mind trip in the guise of a video game.

But a funny thing happened between filming that preview and writing this review. After spending what felt like an eternity walking around in circles, I started to piece together the game's logic. This led me down a path filled with visually arresting puzzles inspired by dreams and memories. Whether or not all this is worth price is still up for debate, but I'm happy that Rememoried is more than a surreal mind trip.

Forget story; you play a character who has been dropped into a spooky forest filled with mysterious diamonds and floating eyeballs. But don't worry, this isn't a horror game. Through trial and error, our hero discovers that they can interact with the world in unique ways. For example, simply looking away will rearrange objects and colors. He quickly uses this to his advantage, finding clever ways to advance from one stage to the next.

The game is little more than a series of puzzles to solve. Each floor offers a unique challenge, usually with a different visual style and gameplay mechanic. In one stage you'll be floating through stars, while another puzzle involves the glitchiest nuclear explosion you've ever seen. While it's not always clear where you're supposed to be going or what the puzzle is asking of you, the discovery is part of the fun.

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But don't get too comfortable moving forward through the adventure, because it's possible to go backwards. Some stages are tricky and will require pinpoint accuracy to advance. One wrong step and you'll go back to the previous stage. Some puzzles are easier than others, and there are definitely a few I hated having to replay multiple times.

Due to the varied nature of the game, the puzzles are a mixed bag. There are a few that are genuinely clever and will stick with me for years to come, but too many of them resorted to unfair first-person platforming and obtuse solutions. I'm also not a fan of puzzles that require you to look away, something we saw a lot of in Pneuma: Breath of Life earlier this year. Perhaps my opinion would change if I played this using the Oculus Rift.

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While some of the puzzles left me cold, I was never disappointed by the game's visuals. There are moments in Rememoried that are legitimately breathtaking. It's also impressive how different each stage looks. Even when I grew bored of the puzzle solving, I couldn't wait to see what Vladimir would come up with next.

Although it doesn't feel as cohesive as other first-person puzzlers, Rememoried succeeds more than it fails. It has a striking visual style that isn't afraid to change from one stage to the next, and I enjoyed solving most of the puzzles. This is certainly a game I'll remember, even if there are a lot of moments I wish I could forget.