Some Distant Memory

About

"Some Distant Memory" is a post-apocalyptic game set on Earth, where two colonies, Ares and NOAH, strive for survival. The Professor and Commander Ti, representatives of each colony, uncover reduced-to-rubble Earth's past through ARORA, an artificial intelligence. By exploring artifacts and memories, they reveal a story of love, innovation, and human resilience, ultimately shedding light on humanity's former existence.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 248 reviews

story102 positive mentions

monetization2 negative mentions

The game features a beautifully crafted narrative that is engaging and emotionally impactful, often leaving players in tears.
The art style and music are stunning, creating a captivating atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience.
Some Distant Memory effectively explores deep themes such as love, loss, and the consequences of environmental collapse, making it a thought-provoking experience.

The gameplay is minimal, primarily consisting of walking and reading, with no real puzzles or interactivity, which may disappoint players looking for more engagement.
The story can feel predictable and at times lacks coherence, particularly in the latter half, which may detract from the overall experience.
Many players feel the game is overpriced for its short length (around 2-4 hours), suggesting it is better suited for a sale price.

story
292 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
64%
1%
The game's story is a central highlight, praised for its emotional depth and engaging narrative that explores themes of love, loss, and human relationships in a post-apocalyptic setting. While some players found parts of the story predictable or felt it could have been better structured, many were deeply moved by the storytelling and character development, often describing it as a touching and immersive experience. Overall, the narrative is well-crafted, with beautiful visuals and music that enhance the storytelling, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven games.
- “No words can describe how this story touched my heart and left me craving more!”
- “The story is compelling, insightful and relevant to today's world.”
- “There's clearly so much love poured into this game and it pays off tremendously, giving the player an amazing experience where you feel extremely invested in the characters' lives despite them being long dead.”
- “The puzzles are nonexistent, the storyline is extremely predictable, and the last act?”
- “There needs to be a greater effort made to either tie things together thematically or with concluding chapter ends, or by making a better effort to distinguish and delineate the story arcs from one another so they could stand on their own merits.”
- “I was very intrigued about the plague and archaeological mission of Professor Zay, but the plot kind of derails halfway into the game and becomes about the romance of all the characters involved.”
graphics
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
43%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and cartoonish art style, which enhances the emotional storytelling and atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the attention to detail and the immersive quality of the visuals, although some note a lack of variety in locations. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm and appeal, making it a visually engaging experience.
- “The art style is beautiful, the colors seem to follow the feelings.”
- “Beautiful graphics and music set the mood perfectly.”
- “The art style is all very beautiful and well done, and there's so much attention to little details that truly enhance the experience.”
- “Graphically, this game sort of has some qualities reminiscent of games like Darkest Dungeon, but absent the horror and far more cartoonish.”
- “The only tame gripes I have with this game is the aesthetic that I think pulls me back to Newgrounds/DeviantArt era games and comics.”
- “The graphics are warm, comic-like and should fit for each and every age.”
emotional
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its emotional depth, tackling heavy themes such as climate change, love, and family dynamics, often evoking strong feelings and even tears from players. Its heartfelt narrative, combined with beautiful visuals and immersive storytelling, creates a touching experience that resonates deeply, making it a standout choice for those seeking an emotional journey in gaming. Players appreciate the balance of humor and tragedy, culminating in a satisfying and hopeful conclusion.
- “The story is heartfelt and a reminder to create, no matter how bad or silly you think your creations are, and to cherish those around you.”
- “This game tells a very intimate, heartfelt, happy, sad, and moving story which has brought me to near tears at a point (something not many games have done) whilst also having funny moments in it.”
- “A beautiful and touching experience that shows how important it is to live life while you can.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
33%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its immersive quality and emotional impact. The soundtrack complements the game's visuals and storytelling, creating a calming and atmospheric environment that resonates with players. However, some opinions note that while the music is adequate and atmospheric, it can occasionally feel unoriginal or forgettable.
- “The soundtrack is even more incredible, love that composer.”
- “The music really sold the game as well, so immersive.”
- “Wonderful art direction, mediocre and uneven writing; the music is adequate and at times atmospheric, but ultimately unoriginal and utterly forgettable.”
- “The music and art style really go together well here and helps create this really calm, relaxing and enjoyable playthrough while you explore your way through the game and uncover the well-written story and all the different artifacts.”
- “The lighting is often moody and accentuates the past happening around you, especially when a 'memory' starts playing and the music subtly changes.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The gameplay is primarily focused on exploration and reading, with players moving from room to room to find and examine notes, creating a narrative from their discoveries. While the storytelling and visuals are praised, many reviewers note the minimal gameplay mechanics, leading to a repetitive experience that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the game is described as more of a visual novel with limited interactivity, emphasizing narrative over traditional gameplay elements.
- “The game mechanic was simple and the art was beautiful.”
- “I thought the game had an interesting mechanic of exploration and revealing the storyline bit by bit.”
- “I'm enjoying the gameplay, the music, and the slow non-stressful pace of the game.”
- “As mentioned, this game doesn't really have much in the way of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay comes down to exploring rooms and reading a few notes; there is not much else to it.”
- “Don't expect any non-linear gameplay here; literally all you do is walk to an object, interact and read, do it a few more times, view a memory, visit the next room, repeat.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The game's atmosphere is described as immersive and beautifully crafted, featuring a blend of cute artwork and a bittersweet story that enhances the experience. While some elements may feel unsettling, the overall tone is not horror, and the rust-colored palette complements the setting. Players appreciate the pleasant graphics, atmospheric music, and the depth of the characters, making it a highly recommended exploration game.
- “However, at its discounted price, it's very worth it. Personally, I love the atmosphere, cute artwork, and bittersweet story.”
- “A touching story, the setting is beautiful, great atmosphere, pleasant graphics, and good music.”
- “I can thoroughly recommend this atmospheric exploration game.”
- “Atmosphere may be a bit unsettling, but it's not a horror game.”
- “Don't be put off by the rust-colored palette; it fits with the atmosphere.”
- “Do expect a decent cartoony post-apocalyptic atmosphere.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as well-balanced, effectively blending wit with darker themes, which enhances the emotional depth of the story. Players appreciate the engaging characters and low-key humor that resonates with personal experiences, often eliciting both laughter and tears. However, some of the humor may be more relatable to older audiences, as younger players might miss the subtleties.
- “The game also has good humor and wit, which helps lift some of the darker tones present throughout, and I find it well balanced.”
- “This game tells a very intimate, heartfelt, happy, sad, and moving story which has brought me to near tears at a point (something not many games have done) whilst also having funny moments in it.”
- “But the characters are engaging, there's a thread of low-key humor through most of it, and if you are not sobbing near the end, there may be something wrong with you.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features a slow-burn approach to character development, heavily relying on text to explore its characters deeply. It combines elements of adventure, open-world exploration, and RPG-style storytelling, creating a rich narrative experience akin to a visual novel or walking simulator.
- “The game is a blend of several genre characteristics: adventure-style exploring, slightly open world strolling, and character development like an RPG, a visual novel/walking simulator with a touching story to reveal.”
- “Slow burn with lots of text, mostly character development.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized for being overly ambitious, with players feeling it is overpriced at £3 for a brief, one-time play experience. Many reviewers believe the game does not deliver sufficient value to justify its cost, leading to disappointment among casual indie game enthusiasts.
- “This game is trying (and I do mean trying) to sell itself to people who like casual, indie games, but my goodness does it do a good job of overadvertising its worth - realistically, it's worth £3 at best and it's a 'play once in 1 hour, never play again' game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, featuring solid performance and attention to detail without any reported bugs. It includes convenient auto-save functionality when entering rooms, alongside the option for manual saves, enhancing the overall user experience.
- “The game has a great style, performance is fine, there is good attention to detail with objects and text, and it sounds good whenever there is music (which happens in rare instances). I haven’t experienced any bugs, and the game auto-saves whenever you enter a room, plus you can always save manually.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The game's replayability is somewhat limited, as players noted that the story is the main draw, with little variation in gameplay during subsequent playthroughs. While missing items can provide some incentive to replay, the overall experience remains largely unchanged.
- “The story is so engaging that it makes you want to experience it again, even if the gameplay doesn't change much on a second playthrough.”
- “While the gameplay may not vary significantly, the rich narrative and hidden items encourage multiple playthroughs to uncover everything.”
- “The adventure is filled with intriguing elements that make you want to replay it, just to catch the details you might have missed the first time.”
- “One very small quibble I had is that even by adventure game standards, there's not a lot of actual gameplay. The story more than made up for that, though it does diminish replay value, in that nothing's going to particularly change your second time through, unless you missed an awful lot of items.”