No Recollection

About

No Recollection is a single player casual simulation game with horror, romance, mystery and anime themes. It was developed by Jake Platt and was released on June 7, 2024. It received neutral reviews from players.

About the story: You’ve awoken in a strange bedroom - a bedroom that is certainly not your own, located in a building you’ve never been inside of before. An equally strange building, with 10 different floors, all lacking windows of any kind. Upon further inspection, you come to the realization you are trapped in this mysterious building. You have no recollection of where this is or why you’re her…

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60%Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

story5 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Engaging and well-written story with intriguing plot twists and multiple endings.
Unique features uncommon in visual novels, such as third-person views, puzzles, and time-based decisions.
Developed by a single person, showcasing significant creativity and a remarkable effort.

Poor pacing with excessive and repetitive internal dialogue that slows down narrative progression.
Low-quality visuals and art style that detract from immersion, including stiff character models and inconsistent backgrounds.
Insensitive handling of mature themes like sexual assault and dissociative identity disorder, alongside tasteless humor and offensive content.

story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
81%
7%
The story has an intriguing premise involving amnesia and mystery, with creative plot twists and character backgrounds that engage players. However, its execution suffers from slow pacing, predictable plot points, and uneven tone, including problematic character actions and unnecessary filler content. While it shows potential, many find the storytelling flawed and frustrating, though still worth experiencing for those interested in the narrative.
- “The developer of this game really has a lot of creativity, providing a story with unexpected plot twists and intriguing characters' backgrounds that we can learn more about as the story continues.”
- “The creator's creativity is really big creating a story that keeps you focused with unexpected plot twists and intriguing characters' backstories.”
- “Despite these issues, the game is worth a try for its engaging story and creative effort.”
- “It took 5 hours before the story really got going, and once it did, you could see most plot points a mile away.”
- “This wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that each story beat is painfully dragged out.”
- “Honestly, the general premise of the story and most plot points (while being a little 'generic looking') is good, and has potential, it's just the execution is painful.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics are widely criticized for being distracting and poorly executed, with unattractive character models and unconvincing art style choices that detract from immersion and overall story impact.
- “The visuals took away from how well the story is written and pulls the player away from complete immersion.”
- “The biggest gripe I have about No Recollection has to do with some unnecessary dialogue and the visuals as a whole.”
- “There are better psychological horror visual novels with stronger writing, cleaner visuals, and actual mood.”
- “The visuals took away from how well the story is written and pull the player away from complete immersion.”
- “Holy mother of god, even ignoring the ugly VRoid models, the developer seems to think posterizing a stock asset instantly makes it look like it fits the art style, but it does not.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music in the game is generally well-chosen and fitting, with effective use of sound effects, though it may not have been composed by the developer. Some tracks, like "Smoov," received mixed reactions due to unusual samples. As an indie game developed by one person, there is room for improvement in the overall audio experience.
- “Music was fitting and the usage of sound effects also fit.”
- “Good music (although it seems it was not made by the developer, still good choices).”
- “Although an indie game developed by one person, the music shows strong effort and complements the game well.”
- “The song 'Smoov', which is like Jane's main theme, has a sample that sounds like Squidward falling off a building, and we died every time it came on.”
- “Although this is an indie game developed by only one person, there are several aspects that could be improved when it comes to the music.”
- “Music was fitting, and the usage of sound effects also fit.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay is limited, primarily involving clicking through poorly written dialogue with minimal interactive elements. However, the inclusion of quick-time events offers some variation and unique outcomes, providing a slightly different experience from typical visual novels.
- “It has quick time game mechanics that lead to different outcomes and a unique concept altogether, at least unique to what I've played in the past.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay, it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, "how did something this badly written end up on Steam?".”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is appreciated for its quirky and situational comedy, such as empty plates humorously prompting player action and unexpected time-based options creating amusing moments. Visual gags, like seeing the character’s arms in third person, also contribute to the lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “Would it kill you to add food to the plates? Every time it would say 'you haven't touched your food' and then show an empty plate was hilarious.”
- “For example, being able to see yourself in third person along with your arms sometimes, seeing the other characters interact with the environment and other characters in the images, and the funniest one: time-based options. The first time it happened got me stressed for a second.”
- “The funny thing is, if you wanted to print this book, you'd only need to print 4 copies to satisfy the entire world's demand for it.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in this game is criticized for being slow and tedious, with the reading experience likened to repeatedly clicking through a text at a frustratingly slow pace. Players find the narrative delivery cumbersome, making progression feel more like a chore than engaging gameplay.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is undermined by hand-drawn backgrounds that come across as amateur and inconsistent, detracting from immersion and weakening the game's intended mood.