Memory's Dogma CODE:01

About

"Memory's Dogma CODE:01" is a sci-fi visual novel set in a futuristic society where memories can be shared and relived. The story follows a man named Hitomi, who along with his companions, delve into the memories of the past to uncover a conspiracy and save a friend. Through interactive dialogue and exploration, players uncover a complex narrative with multiple endings.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews

story62 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features excellent voice acting and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The art style is visually appealing, with well-designed characters and backgrounds that contribute to the immersive atmosphere.
The story starts strong with an intriguing sci-fi premise, keeping players engaged with its twists and turns.

The choices in the game often feel meaningless, leading to bad endings without significant impact on the story.
Many characters are introduced but then disappear without further development, leaving plot holes and unresolved storylines.
The game shifts genres unexpectedly, moving from a sci-fi mystery to a more fantastical narrative, which may disappoint players expecting a consistent theme.

story
245 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
3%
The story of the visual novel is a mixed bag, starting with a compelling sci-fi premise that quickly shifts into a more chaotic fantasy narrative, leaving many plot points unresolved and introducing characters that vanish without impact. While some players appreciate the initial world-building and emotional depth, others criticize the lack of coherence and character development, leading to a disjointed experience that feels incomplete, especially given its status as the first part of a planned series. Overall, the narrative offers thrilling moments and intriguing themes but suffers from pacing issues and a reliance on clichés, making it a polarizing experience for players.
- “It's a humane story that started as depressing and finishes on a bittersweet note -- because, literally, this is a story of going forward despite losing our loved ones.”
- “The story, while having no branches, instead gives the reader choices, which resonates with the value that the story wants to convey as it progresses to the ending.”
- “The story is intriguing and the voice acting is stellar.”
- “A lot of things were unexplained, especially the lack of presence for the new characters after they were introduced. It was really weird that they never appear in the story again.”
- “The story then became some cheap X-Men-style superhero movie with a purely evil antagonist.”
- “The plot gets reduced to the bare minimum - no additional character development, world building, or deeper mystery, with the finale relying solely on shock, surprise, and cheap climax straight from any cliché shōnen anime.”
music
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
47%
4%
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising the soundtrack for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and set the tone for various scenes. While some tracks are noted as memorable and well-composed, others are criticized for being generic or mismatched with the gameplay. Overall, the music is generally considered a strong point of the game, contributing positively to the experience despite some inconsistencies.
- “The music is really good for a visual novel in my opinion.”
- “The soundtrack is also pretty awesome, with some quite memorable tracks to be found.”
- “The music, art, and voice acting were fantastic.”
- “In this regard, it feels far more like an endless wall of text with some soundtrack in the background, as opposed to a voice-acted visual novel.”
- “Music was entirely mediocre and forgettable.”
- “With some exceptions towards the end, where I liked the pieces themselves, but the almost chiptune-y style or the occasional use of dubstep didn’t fit the scene or even the whole previously established musical themes at all.”
graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
32%
7%
The graphics of the visual novel have received widespread praise for their impressive art style, beautiful character designs, and attention to detail, such as syncing expressions with dialogue. While some users noted minor issues like aliasing and a lack of variety in CGs, the overall visual presentation, including the clean UI and vibrant scenery, contributes significantly to the game's appeal. Voice acting complements the visuals well, enhancing the immersive experience despite some critiques of the plot's pacing.
- “The graphical side is very good, though, and lots of little details are added (like syncing expressions to the dialogue and small animation to indicate movement) that give it a lot of life.”
- “The novel visuals are beautiful, the scenarios are really amazing.”
- “The best aspects of the story are the great voice acting and pretty artwork.”
- “Despite the amount of time that was clearly spent on all the artwork, you can also see aliasing all over the place where the dev clearly upscaled some low resolution artwork.”
- “The artwork is pretty despite the slightly simple feeling to it.”
- “The story, the graphics, the voice acting, and the soundtrack are good, but some characters are a bit similar to other animes and there are a few plot holes.”
character development
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth and reliance on clichés, resulting in a minimal plot that fails to engage. While some express surprise at the rapid development of certain characters, overall feedback indicates that character arcs are underwhelming and uninspired, despite appealing character designs and art. The consensus suggests that while the visuals are commendable, the narrative and character growth leave much to be desired.
- “I'm really surprised by the fast character development Hiroki goes through, but I can't say I didn't like it.”
- “The character design is well done, and I liked most of the art and character designs, and the voice acting was mostly well done as well.”
- “Since release, I've been quite interested in this one as its premise, general art style, and character design are to my liking.”
- “As a result, the plot gets reduced to the bare minimum - no additional character development, world building, or deeper mystery, with the finale relying solely on shock, surprise, and a cheap climax straight from any cliché shōnen anime.”
- “It's awful: bad story, bad character development, bad dialogue, forgettable soundtrack, and while the art is pretty good, there's nothing else to praise about the title.”
- “There is barely any character development.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The atmosphere in the visual novel is generally considered decent, with good graphics and voice acting contributing positively. While the music effectively builds ambiance, it is often described as generic and occasionally mismatched. Overall, the atmosphere is enhanced by precise descriptions, but it struggles to elevate the story despite interesting characters.
- “The music was quite atmospheric and I personally liked it a lot.”
- “But the atmosphere and the mostly interesting characters can't save the story.”
- “Music is alright and does its job building atmosphere, but it gets mismatched from time to time and is rather on the generic side.”
- “Every movement and atmosphere is described precisely without any visual character effects.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of heartfelt moments and a struggle with grief, particularly through the characters' relationships and their coping mechanisms. While some performances are praised for their nuance, the overall execution is criticized for feeling tired and lacking depth, failing to deliver a serious exploration of loss and moral dilemmas. The shift from sci-fi to supernatural elements detracts from the intended emotional impact, leaving some players feeling disappointed.
- “Aoi and Hiroki had a heartfelt talk about Sorano, and they were both finally ready to move on from her death.”
- “Everyone did a stellar job, delivering a nuanced and emotional performance.”
- “If he believed the only way he could stand to see her was to atone with his life, then he was delusional with self-hatred and grief, which leads to an emotionally unstable main character.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Gameplay in the visual novel is criticized for its limited choices that lack significant impact on the story, leading to a sense of irritation. However, the inclusion of a timed decision-making mechanic adds an engaging layer of immersion and tests players' reading and memory skills. Overall, while the gameplay may not be groundbreaking, it offers some entertaining elements that could benefit from further development.
- “It sometimes misses consistency, though the mechanic of choices with a limited time is quite entertaining, as it forces us to be aware of what is happening and immerses us more into the game.”
- “For mechanics, I like the timer on the branches, making it even more of a test on how well you are reading and how well you remember.”
- “Yeah, okay, no one plays a visual novel to experience the pinnacle of gameplay, but the choices were few and far between and had next to no impact on the story.”
- “Even though I waited a year and a half for this game, I would have willingly waited for more if the gameplay extended to 10-30 hours.”
- “Another source of irritation was gameplay.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's optimization is noted for its impressive visuals and strong voice performances, which effectively enhance character introductions. However, despite these strengths, the overall experience does not fully meet the initial potential suggested by its strong start.
- “Voice performance is well-matched.”
- “Everyone did a stellar job, delivering a nuanced and emotional performance.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has limited replayability, primarily due to its episodic nature, which restricts the variety of experiences available after the initial playthrough. Players report that their gameplay time averages around 5.3 hours, indicating minimal incentive to revisit the game.
- “This takes away some of the replay value, though it makes sense as it has been stated that this series is episodic.”
- “And... it looks like I have 5.3 hours as my time, and that's pretty much everything (not much replay value here).”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly as they approach the end, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “And finishing it can be tedious, especially towards the end.”