Nintendo DS - Trace Memory

Format
Nintendo DS
Publisher
Nintendo
Developer
Cing
Country of origin
Japan
Genre
Puzzle

Trace Memory

By David Rasmussen
12th Feb 06

A little over ten years ago a PC game came out that redefined the term “multimedia”, and created a franchise that lasted until only recently… the Myst series. Known better for it’s innovative puzzles than either it’s storyline or characters, the game is a unique point and click creation that… well.. Drags on and slowly is drowned in better games until now, with it’s 5th and probably final game.
But now, as Myst 5 : End of Ages, seemingly finishes the franchise we have to wonder if there’ll be ever another series like Myst. What will pick up where Myst left off? Perhaps Trace Memory is that game.

The game seemingly tries to be the next Myst, with it’s strange and somewhat innovative puzzles, but the game still falls short despite the effort.
You play as Ashley, a girl about to become 14, who has a lot of stuff on her plate to deal with.
Her mom died when she was three, a death she witnessed with her own eyes. Her dad has been MIA from her life since then, and only now has tried to re-emerge himself into her life by sending her a strange device that looks like a Nintendo DS (called the DTS) and a message to meet him on a “cursed” island called Blood Edward Island. This island, which has it’s own painful history with people shooting one another, is a bad bad place. So bad the spirit of a young boy is still wandering the island looking for closure.

How do you run into him? When you get to the island your surrogate mother Jessica goes to look for dad, only to disappear with a scream. You go looking for her and end up running into D, the spirit of a young boy who seems to have problems with missing memories (apparently he spent part of his afterlife as an extra citizen in Paradigm City on The Big O). It seems you are not the only one with problems, as you end up helping D revive his lost memories you find out more about the death of your mother and what your mom and dad were working on that got her killed. And, yes, since this is a Myst type game you’ll end up puzzling over puzzles as you solve the mystery of the island and your own past.

Most of the puzzles of the game exist in the huge mansion on the island, with the mansion split into sections where you have to solve a sequence of puzzles (a few) in order to progress to the next area. Also, as you end each section you’ll have to recollect what you just learned during that section so you don’t forget… this isn’t as hard as it sounds since the game will ask you the question again if you get something wrong during this part. As for the puzzles themselves? Well, while some of them are rather innovative, including two puzzles requiring you to blow on the DS screen and a puzzle where you close the DS screen and open it again, most of the puzzles are… well… pedestrian. There are no majorly unique puzzles ala Myst, but given the “circumstances” of the story I guess you shouldn’t have expected any major Myst like puzzles. Still they do innovate a few puzzles which are quite interesting.

There are a few flaws. One thing the puzzles seem to take precedence over item gathering. Huh? Well that means that you can’t pick up certain items until you need them, mostly for solving some of the puzzles of the house. Some of the necessary items are close by, some you need to do some fairly serious backtracking in order to pick up a needed item (so try to remember what you saw in order to know where to backtrack, and remember that once you enter the mansion at no time do you need to leave the mansion for anything).
Another is the fact that Ashley seems rather… slow. You have to tap stuff over and over again a lot before she catches on, or gets the point about doing something. This is bad since if you are having a hard time figuring out something she won’t be the most helpful in giving you “advice” on how to handle something.

If it does make the game makers happy though? Well… they at least got the not so stirring and exciting stories of Myst down pat for this game. While the story is somewhat interesting it’s not a major groundbreaker, and it won’t compel you to come back for seconds (which you can apparently do since the game has two endings and you can apparently play it again to experience the second ending if you want to).
The breakdown will finish my thoughts on this game.

Trace Memory Breakdown
What’s Hot?
Well… the game is more of a passing thing to fill out the gaps of a collection for a time killer. It does have some interesting points, and if you are a fan of puzzlers like Myst you should have some fascination with this game and give you something to play…

What’s Not?
…for about 8 to 10 hours, and that’s being generous. The game is over too quickly, and there is very little incentive to replay the game (even if you are “curious” about the other ending). I wish the game had more puzzles, or more of the innovative interesting puzzles, and I wish there was incentive to play again.

Moments to Remember?
Jessica’s such a hottie… eh… what? Oh… uh… ok, let’s be serious now.
Some of the puzzles are interesting, and memorable.

What to Ignore?
Too bad the innovative puzzles are over before quickly and the overall difficulty of this game is only in three sections of this game (three points of this game I had to seek outside help to pass through three difficult puzzle sections)… but once you solve these three major obstacles most of the other puzzles fall into place way too easily, meaning the game lacks any real deep challenge or difficulty.

Overall?
If you are playing Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney then you might pick up Trace Memory, if only to add another text heavy bloodless mind bender to your collection. However it’s only a lost weekend with the game being easily put to bed 8 to 10 hours… hmm, that’s a long plane or train ride worth of gameplay.
First get involved big games like Phoenix Wright, then add some accent to your collection with Trace Memory… and who knows, maybe the price will be knocked down abit by the time you pick it up?

-- David Rasmussen 12th Feb 06

Nintendo DS Trace Memory Images