Trace Memory is a game that I have very fond memories of, very creative puzzles using the DS, a nice story and characters, and great pacing. After finding out it had a sequel on the Wii I was interested of course, but with it never coming out in NA, and frankly not being bothered enough to set it up on emulator I hadn't played it, until now.

This remake satisfied me, while yes the puzzle creativity does suffer (as expected) the updated visuals, voice acting, and features were very nice. Seeing the story of Trace Memory again in this more modernized presentation was a treat, even if the original still has its own charm that can't be matched in a certain way.

Then I got to the sequel, Two Memories, all new content for me. And while the pacing was not as great as the previous entry as some parts of this game can really drag, the setting of Lake Juliet was really nice, and the new cast of characters are as well written as you would expect from a Cing title. The way the story connects back to the 1st game was really cool and made getting through those slower bits so worth it. I heard that the story was changed in this version compared to the Wii version so I'll have to look into how so someday.

At the end of the day I'm glad this game exists. A remake of some pretty niche games and from a developer that sadly doesn't exist anymore is something I never thought I would get but am so glad Nintendo took this chance to try and elevate some dormant titles. I hope this sold well as I would love to see Hotel Dusk be brought back as well. Cing had a knack for writing very human and believable characters and stories, with unique vibes to them that I still haven't seen matched to this day, and I hope this keeps their memory alive, if only for a little longer.