Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories

I see great potential in Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories! I do think that there will be patches to fix the frame rate, and maybe even DLC chapters continuing the story.

67%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

75% User Score Based on 314 reviews

Critic Score 59%Based on 20 reviews

Platforms

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About

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is a disaster-themed adventure game where players navigate a city struck by a massive earthquake. The goal is to survive and help others, making choices that impact the story and relationships with NPCs. Players must manage their character's hunger, thirst, and physical condition while exploring the dynamic, destructible environment.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories screenshot

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 334 reviews

story40 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of serious and humorous choices, reminiscent of classic Disaster Report games.
The graphics and environmental storytelling are engaging, providing a captivating atmosphere during gameplay.
The character customization and dialogue options allow for a personal touch, making the player's experience feel unique.

The controls are clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Many choices feel inconsequential, with little impact on the overall story or character development.
The game suffers from technical issues, including poor frame rates and a lack of polish, making it feel outdated.

story
218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The story in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it engaging yet flawed; while it features a variety of characters and scenarios, the choices often feel inconsequential and the plot lacks depth. Some appreciate the chaotic and darkly comedic tone, while others criticize the narrative for being nonsensical and overly reliant on fetch quests. Overall, the game offers a unique experience but struggles with coherence and meaningful player agency in its storytelling.
- “If you want a weird story-centric game with a ton of charming characters, a constantly shifting tone, where it can go from ridiculous humor to dead serious and super heavy and right back at the drop of a hat, this is the perfect game for you.”
- “The story is pretty fun though; you grow to the characters a lot because of all the wacky or dark scenarios you go through together, and the silliness and jankiness of the game adds to the charm.”
- “Disaster Report 4 has only a fixed story serving as a core framework of your journey; the actual adventure is the dozens of micro-stories and NPC strands embedded throughout the game’s 4-day journey towards the ending.”
- “The plot is practically nonexistent, and they tried to pull a plot twist on one of the endings which didn't work in my opinion.”
- “The choices you make don't seem to significantly affect the overall storyline or the game's ending, which could make them feel somewhat superficial or pointless.”
- “In my experience, the game follows a very strict path, and the choices you make during the many cutscenes might only change a line or two if you're lucky, but the story reverts back to its original narrative.”
gameplay
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
81%
9%
The gameplay of Disaster Report 4 is characterized by its linear exploration and interaction with NPCs, often feeling slow-paced and clunky due to outdated mechanics reminiscent of earlier console generations. While the game offers a unique blend of RPG and visual novel elements, many players find the survival mechanics lacking and the choices presented to be largely inconsequential, leading to a sense of directionlessness. Despite its flaws, some fans appreciate the nostalgic charm and humor, making it a mixed experience overall.
- “While the core gameplay mainly involves navigating through the quake-ravaged city and making choices, what sets this game apart is the sheer range and often outright bizarre nature of these choices.”
- “The game’s core gameplay is mainly explorational in nature; each area is a story in itself.”
- “Moreover, Disaster Report 4 is also a sterling, unadulterated blast-to-the-past, taking the player back to the sixth generation of consoles (the PS2 and Xbox) with its abundance of bygone PS2-era gameplay elements, including the now-antiquated use of fixed cameras in interiors, fixed door-opening animations, an inventory accessed through the pause menu, long menu prompts for interaction with various items or NPCs, very strict & specific mode of level progression, lots of hidden-in-plain sight content that is not clearly accessible, and very little handholding.”
- “Unlike the other titles in the series, which boasted well-thought survival mechanics and open-ended stories (where decisions really had an impact), Disaster Report 4 is simple and linear.”
- “You're not trying to survive an earthquake; you're just a tourist who's slightly involved in a flow of directionless events and scenarios with mostly pointless game mechanics sloppily thrown together.”
- “The gameplay alone would not sell this game.”
graphics
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
44%
25%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting decent visuals and moments of impressive lighting, particularly in outdoor scenes. However, many criticize the overall quality as outdated, with comparisons to last-generation graphics and issues like texture glitches and poor camera work detracting from the experience. While some appreciate the artistic effort, the combination of janky controls and technical problems often overshadows the graphical achievements.
- “The visuals are nice and some quests are okay.”
- “Rich storyline, great character, amazing graphics.”
- “Graphically, the game sometimes looks amazing with some great summer daylight lighting.”
- “Graphically, Disaster Report 4 is clearly not a powerhouse.”
- “Unfortunately, so much of it is held back by wonky controls, terrible camera work, and now two generations old graphics/modeling.”
- “It was clunky controls and the graphics look like they are from last gen (because they are).”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by a mix of absurdity and charm, with dialogues that often elicit genuine laughter. Players appreciate the blend of serious and comedic moments, as well as the quirky character interactions and unexpected scenarios, despite some criticisms regarding the game's overall execution and mechanics. While the visuals may feel dated, the humor and engaging narrative elements provide an enjoyable experience for those who appreciate a quirky, story-driven adventure.
- “If you want a weird story-centric game with a ton of charming characters, a constantly shifting tone, where it can go from ridiculous humor to dead serious and super heavy and right back at the drop of a hat, this is the perfect game for you.”
- “The humor is top notch and the set pieces never disappoint.”
- “Charming, weird, funny, heart-breaking, and warm all in one, Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 4 is a delightful find.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
54%
21%
The optimization of the game is mixed, with some players reporting smooth performance on high settings and minimal bugs, while others experience significant performance issues, particularly on consoles. The use of TAA for anti-aliasing has been criticized for causing noticeable blurring, and there are complaints about poor camera speed adjustments and general gameplay pacing. Overall, while the game shows potential in graphics and optimization, it struggles with performance consistency across different platforms.
- “The game is also quite decently optimized; during my playthrough, there were practically no bugs or any issues with my keyboard controls.”
- “I had no issues with performance on ultra settings, and I encountered little to no bugs.”
- “For the most part, however, it runs smoothly, though it lacks any adjustments to camera speed.”
- “Disaster Report 4 is reportedly plagued with bad performance on the consoles it was released on.”
- “The game’s performance leaves something to be desired, and the included anti-aliasing solution is apparently TAA, which causes the game to have a very distinguishable blur/artifacting that is often the side effect of TAA.”
- “This is a game that made my RTX 2060 Super heat up like a jet engine on max settings because of poor optimization.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the relaxing piano tracks and easy-listening Japanese pop as highlights. However, some users noted issues with the soundtrack's mixing quality and described it as forgettable at times. Overall, while the music is generally appreciated, its execution and integration into gameplay have drawn some criticism.
- “The soundtrack, especially the songs in the game, are actually quite good.”
- “Also, the OST of the game, easy listening Japanese pop, has always been great.”
- “The music is great though, without any remarks.”
- “The soundtrack mixing is bad.”
- “The soundtrack is forgettable.”
- “If, however, you're interested in a Japanese-janky linear adventure with some survival elements and a ridiculous juxtaposition of a city falling down coupled with light easy-listening music, then this game might tickle your fancy.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its ability to create genuine, touching moments and explore complex human interactions amidst disaster, while others criticize it for relying on emotional manipulation and shock value with underdeveloped characters. Despite these criticisms, the game is noted for its charming blend of humor, tragedy, and heartwarming scenarios, allowing players to shape their emotional experience through choices. Overall, it offers a unique and engaging narrative that resonates with players, even if it occasionally falters in execution.
- “There were some times where the game reached very real and touching moments of real character interaction.”
- “Disaster Report 4 is a unique, wonderful adventure and a wayback machine to PS2 era console gaming with its wholesome undertone mixing sarcasm, tragedy, and comedy smoothly together for one of the most dedicated, focused presentations of the player’s own roleplay.”
- “Its emotionally engaging exploration of a disastrous incident’s human aftermath is about as far as it’s possible to get from the Hollywood blockbuster treatment – and it’s all the better for it.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
Overall, the game's replayability is highlighted by the variety of choices and character interactions that significantly impact the narrative, encouraging players to explore different outcomes. While some players find the prospect of replaying to be daunting due to repetitive puzzles, others appreciate the depth of storytelling and the opportunity to experience multiple character arcs. The combination of engaging environments and the freedom to role-play enhances its replay value.
- “In the older games, replayability was pretty good; after all, you had all these other characters to play as, and you learned their story and why/how they survived.”
- “[A wide variety of large, detailed, interesting areas to explore, fascinating, emotionally engaging narrative, freedom to 'role-play' your character, highly replayable.]”
- “[Numerous choices that will determine the player's story, interaction with a variety of characters, rich in replay value.]”
- “Replayability: Are you sane enough to play this again and go through all the 'puzzles' just to pick different dialogue options?”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect enjoyable initially, but it quickly becomes tedious after a few hours of gameplay.
- “It's good at first, but once it gets past the first few hours, it starts to feel tedious.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviewers note that the atmosphere in the latest installment of the Disaster Report series represents a significant improvement over previous entries, highlighting enhanced technical aspects that contribute to a more immersive experience.
- “The technical aspects and atmosphere are a significant step up from previous entries in the Disaster Report series.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Disaster Report 4 features significant character development driven by player choices, allowing for a rich and engaging narrative experience. The game offers multiple story strands that enhance the depth of character interactions and growth.
- “Disaster Report 4 is a story-rich survival game with lots of choices, strands, and substantial character development generated by player choice.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences several technical issues, including bugs like invisible NPCs and texture glitches, as well as dated graphics; however, these problems are generally not game-breaking. Despite these stability concerns, players recognize the developers' dedication to the game's creation.
- “While the game does suffer from technical issues, dated graphics, bugs (invisible NPCs, texture glitches, missing heads, but nothing game-breaking), it is immediately evident that the developers put a lot of heart into its creation.”