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Desta: The Memories Between

Desta: The Memories Between is a perfect example of Ustwo Games' flare for poignant storytelling and inventive gameplay.
Desta: The Memories Between Game Cover
82%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
82% User Score Based on 84 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCTabletAndroidPhoneiPadSteam DeckMobile PlatformiPhoneWindows
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Desta: The Memories Between Game Cover

About Desta: The Memories Between

Desta: The Memories Between is a single player tactical role playing game. It was developed by ustwo games and was released on April 25, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Desta: The Memories Between is a character-driven rogue-like, featuring an immersive story, strategic turn-based tactics and… a metaphorical ball-game?

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Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
Desta: The Memories Between screenshot
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Reviews

82%Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews
story22 positive mentions
grinding1 negative mentions
  • Unique and engaging tactical dodgeball gameplay with interesting use of physics and character abilities, rewarding creative plays and strategic thinking.
  • Heartfelt, well-written, and emotionally resonant story exploring themes like grief, identity, reconciliation, and personal growth, complemented by strong voice acting.
  • Beautiful and cohesive art style with polished visuals and a calm, fitting soundtrack that enhances the introspective and nostalgic atmosphere.
  • Repetitive gameplay loop and roguelite structure, with limited depth and variation that can make the experience feel stale and grind-heavy over time.
  • Dialogue can feel forced, unnatural, and sometimes cringe-worthy, with no skip options making multiple playthroughs tedious for some players.
  • Inconsistent difficulty balancing and some design choices that undercut challenge, leading to a lack of meaningful evolution in gameplay and diminished replay motivation.

  • story

    82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    27% positive mentions, 68% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The story centers on intimate themes of grief, identity, and reconciliation, told through a heartfelt, character-driven narrative with strong voice acting and emotional depth. While many praise its sincerity, personal message, and seamless integration with gameplay, some find the story slow, repetitive, or unappealing, especially if not part of the target demographic, with occasional critiques about its handling of LGBTQ+ elements. Overall, it’s regarded as simple but effective, resonating mainly with players seeking a thoughtful, story-driven tactical experience.

    • “Rather than chasing scale or complexity, it focuses on intimacy—telling a story about grief, identity, and reconciliation through a structure that turns internal struggles into playable moments.”
    • “The story was very grounded making it easy to empathize with Desta and their struggles to reforge and strengthen fading relationships which all started to crumble after their father's death.”
    • “The story is heartfelt and the characters are lovingly written and complex themselves as well.”
    • “Repeated dialogue 99% of the time you're playing through the story.”
    • “The story of the game is really cheesy and boring.”
    • “Every time you lose, you play the exact same story again until you make it to the end.”

  • gameplay

    73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    33% positive mentions, 57% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions

    The gameplay of Desta: The Memories Between combines turn-based strategy with dodgeball-inspired mechanics that are accessible, fun, and thematically tied to the narrative, creating a cohesive and emotionally resonant experience. However, many find the core gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth or variety, which may lead to staleness and limited replayability, especially for players seeking more mechanical complexity or challenge. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable and effective in supporting the story, it is relatively simple and may not sustain long-term engagement for all audiences.

    • “Desta: The Memories Between, developed and published by ustwo games, is a thoughtful and emotionally driven title that merges narrative introspection with light tactical gameplay in a way that feels both deliberate and personal.”
    • “The gameplay itself is an unusual hybrid of turn-based strategy and dodgeball-inspired mechanics.”
    • “These abilities are not just mechanical variations; they are tied directly to the characters’ identities and histories, reinforcing the connection between gameplay and narrative.”
    • “While the gameplay system is solid, it doesn’t evolve dramatically over time, which may leave some players wanting more variety or complexity.”
    • “The game does have cool art style, the soundtrack is chill fitting for this game, and voice actors do a good job, but in the end the mixture of stale gameplay, the roguelite being too linear and the mix of gender politics every now and again just ain’t doing it for me.”
    • “Sadly, as other reviews point out, the gameplay loop is not good enough for me to keep coming back to this: the roguelite mechanics seem a little farfetched, and the game feels too slow to actually enjoy the repetition.”

  • graphics

    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 35% neutral mentions, 15% negative mentions

    The game features a unique, clean, and stylized art style with visually appealing graphics and well-executed cutscenes that complement its reflective tone. Many reviewers praise the stunning visuals and fitting artistic design, though some note a lack of animation and minor technical details that could be improved. Overall, the graphics are widely regarded as a strong highlight that enhances the game's atmosphere.

    • “Visually, Desta: The Memories Between maintains a clean, stylized aesthetic that complements its reflective tone.”
    • “The graphics are really unique and the cutscenes are really well done.”
    • “There are barely any cutscenes or animations, but the art style and visual effects are gorgeous.”
    • “Kudos for tackling the topics they tackle and the art style, everything else sadly was lacking.”
    • “+) overall graphic designs are apt with the theme.”
    • “Even the artstyle is heavily reminiscent.”

  • music

    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music, largely composed by Mansur Brown, is widely praised for its calm, ambient, and fitting compositions that enhance the game's introspective and atmospheric vibe. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that elevates the overall experience, complementing the art style and voice acting seamlessly.

    • “The soundtrack plays a crucial supporting role, offering calm, ambient compositions that reinforce the game’s introspective atmosphere without overwhelming the experience.”
    • “Bonus points for the music by Mansur Brown, which is what got me interested in the first place. It's a great album and definitely elevates the experience.”
    • “Voice acting is very good, the music is tremendous, the gameplay reminds me of Tactical Breach Wizards in the best way, and overall I'm just very happy with this one!”

  • emotional

    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Desta: The Memories Between is praised for its heartfelt and emotionally driven narrative, deeply exploring themes of loss and personal connection through thoughtful storytelling and evocative environments. The game balances emotional engagement with light tactical gameplay, creating a distinctive and touching experience that resonates strongly with players who appreciate emotional depth and complex characters.

    • “Desta: The Memories Between, developed and published by ustwo games, is a thoughtful and emotionally driven title that merges narrative introspection with light tactical gameplay in a way that feels both deliberate and personal.”
    • “The loss of a parent looms over everything, shaping not only Desta’s emotional state but also their distance from the people who once mattered most.”
    • “The environments shift between grounded reality and abstract dreamscapes, using color and design to subtly communicate emotional states.”

  • replayability

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    60% positive mentions, -20% neutral mentions, 60% negative mentions

    Replayability is viewed mixed, with some players feeling the roguelike elements are superficial and add little incentive to replay after completing the main story, while others appreciate the challenge and roguelite mechanics as providing substantial replay value. Overall, the roguelike features contribute to replayability but may feel insufficient or more integrated depending on the player.

    • “Lots of replay value through the roguelike elements as well as nightmare and challenge modes.”
    • “A fun roguelite puzzle game with lots of replayability.”
    • “On the other hand, at least being a roguelike adds replayability to the game.”
    • “Again, the game lacks replayability, so these mechanics feel like they're just stapled on because roguelike mechanics were a hot item around the time of this game's development cycle.”
    • “I think it's meant to have roguelite elements, but I completed the main story on my first try and didn't continue, so I'm not sure how much replay value there is.”
    • “I completed the main story on my first try and didn't feel compelled to continue, suggesting limited replay value.”

  • atmosphere

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is praised for its introspective and immersive quality, enhanced by a calm, ambient soundtrack that supports the emotional and contemplative tone of the game's narrative.

    • “The soundtrack plays a crucial supporting role, offering calm, ambient compositions that reinforce the game’s introspective atmosphere without overwhelming the experience.”
    • “What I came for was an atmospheric adventure learning about Desta and their turbulent battle with emotion.”

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users feel that the grinding experience would improve significantly with a map or hub-based structure, where additional side-quests could be incorporated to make farming more engaging and less repetitive.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is lighthearted and enjoyable, with players finding amusement in the playful mechanics like throwing the ball at funny angles to hit the character.

  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game features well-optimized character control, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay.

    • “Optimized character control.”
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Critic Reviews

80%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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Play Times

3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Desta: The Memories Between is a tactical role playing game. Common tags for Desta: The Memories Between include turn-based, indie, lgbtq+, roguelite, surreal and others.

Desta: The Memories Between is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Phone, iPad and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Desta: The Memories Between.

Desta: The Memories Between was released on April 25, 2023.

Desta: The Memories Between was developed by ustwo games.

Desta: The Memories Between has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Desta: The Memories Between for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Desta: The Memories Between is a single player game.

Similar games include Ikenfell, Dreamscaper, Children of Morta, Black Jacket, Arco and others.