Its been a year since I first beat this game, lazily playing it together with my roommate after we'd both individually beaten the original Another Code, and I still have a lot of bubbling thoughts about it. Out of the five games CiNG released in their Nintendo-exclusive era, the two Kyle Hyde games are the obvious critical darlings. Strikingly unique artstyle and distinct identity by way of Hold-DS-Sideways, mature themes tackled by memorable and well written characters, et cetera. Needless to say that the Another Code duology, one a crusty-feeling, short "tech demo"-type game for what kind of puzzles the DS can do, and its sequel locked away from the US and stuck on a region-locked console, was always going to be swept aside in comparison.
And, looking at the games in direct comparison to Hotel Dusk and Last Window, its also kind of understandable why less people are drawn to them. They lack that hook of a mature, intricate story, that feeling that what you're playing is something truly unforgettable. Yet...Another Code R really has been unforgettable, in a way that's been hard to articulate. What it lacks in heavy storytelling and investment, I feel it makes up for with atmosphere and just general vibes, much like the quirky DS game its following up on. The painterly landscapes, the soothing music, the cute bond shared between Ashley and Matthew, all taking you back to a very "human" story, focusing on mental health and who you hold dear in life.
Playing the game is like taking your mindset back to summer vacation, without thoughts on how to pay your fees or what errands to run, what assignments are due...it's a game about you, and a friend, and how you're doing. Talking to each other. Helping each other. As simple as that sounds, it really does do a great job discussing that simple topic. "Friendship" is a broad theme that applies to every heroic story under the sun, and my point is less that Another Code R pioneers it above every one of its contemporaries, but rather that it doesn't also try to focus on saving the world, or uncovering a conspiracy, or so on. Its a slow, meandering, uninteresting, simple game - and I want you to read all of those adjectives as positives, because they're key to the game's cozy, laid-back and warm feeling.
That's not to say there's not some actual game in here too, of course. While a little less puzzle-heavy than the other CiNG games, it uses the Wii remote to some truly fantastic extremes with puzzles I'm now confident in saying no other developer would've come up with. The only thing I can think of this game doesn't utilize about the Wiimote is sending you clues to the mailbox - everything else, and I do mean everything, is up for grabs.
While solving puzzles and reading dialogue, much like Professor Layton, is part of setting the comfy experience, just being able to freely walk around Lake Juliet in general also goes such a long way in making the game truly click. Would the game be more convenient, less slow paced, with a fast-travel system, taking you to every "important" part of the game faster and "wasting less of your time"? Absolutely. But then, in my eyes, you're missing the point of the game: The slow burn of taking in the world.
Thus, there's honestly little I can say this game doesn't do right, because it knows very well what its trying to be. It will never reach the highs of Last Window or Hotel Dusk, because its not trying to do so. And in that sense, the game is perfect. Another Code: R is atmospheric, serene, calming and warm. Like a blanket, the appeal of it is not the grand mystery to be found by digging deeper into it, but the comfort that simply being near it can provide.
Playtime: 22 hours
Key Word: Healing
And, looking at the games in direct comparison to Hotel Dusk and Last Window, its also kind of understandable why less people are drawn to them. They lack that hook of a mature, intricate story, that feeling that what you're playing is something truly unforgettable. Yet...Another Code R really has been unforgettable, in a way that's been hard to articulate. What it lacks in heavy storytelling and investment, I feel it makes up for with atmosphere and just general vibes, much like the quirky DS game its following up on. The painterly landscapes, the soothing music, the cute bond shared between Ashley and Matthew, all taking you back to a very "human" story, focusing on mental health and who you hold dear in life.
Playing the game is like taking your mindset back to summer vacation, without thoughts on how to pay your fees or what errands to run, what assignments are due...it's a game about you, and a friend, and how you're doing. Talking to each other. Helping each other. As simple as that sounds, it really does do a great job discussing that simple topic. "Friendship" is a broad theme that applies to every heroic story under the sun, and my point is less that Another Code R pioneers it above every one of its contemporaries, but rather that it doesn't also try to focus on saving the world, or uncovering a conspiracy, or so on. Its a slow, meandering, uninteresting, simple game - and I want you to read all of those adjectives as positives, because they're key to the game's cozy, laid-back and warm feeling.
That's not to say there's not some actual game in here too, of course. While a little less puzzle-heavy than the other CiNG games, it uses the Wii remote to some truly fantastic extremes with puzzles I'm now confident in saying no other developer would've come up with. The only thing I can think of this game doesn't utilize about the Wiimote is sending you clues to the mailbox - everything else, and I do mean everything, is up for grabs.
While solving puzzles and reading dialogue, much like Professor Layton, is part of setting the comfy experience, just being able to freely walk around Lake Juliet in general also goes such a long way in making the game truly click. Would the game be more convenient, less slow paced, with a fast-travel system, taking you to every "important" part of the game faster and "wasting less of your time"? Absolutely. But then, in my eyes, you're missing the point of the game: The slow burn of taking in the world.
Thus, there's honestly little I can say this game doesn't do right, because it knows very well what its trying to be. It will never reach the highs of Last Window or Hotel Dusk, because its not trying to do so. And in that sense, the game is perfect. Another Code: R is atmospheric, serene, calming and warm. Like a blanket, the appeal of it is not the grand mystery to be found by digging deeper into it, but the comfort that simply being near it can provide.
Playtime: 22 hours
Key Word: Healing