UNMEMORY

About

UNMEMORY is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by PATRONES & ESCONDITES and was released on October 13, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Unmemory is a text-driven puzzle game that follows a man seeking his girlfriend's murderer, who is part of a girl gang. He has a rare memory loss disorder and uses notes, photos, and recordings to unravel the mystery. With 8 hours of gameplay, unmemory offers innovative gameplay, stunning aesthetics, and groundbreaking storytelling in a nostalgic 90s thriller setting.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

story10 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Unmemory offers a unique blend of interactive storytelling and puzzle-solving, engaging players with its clever puzzles and immersive narrative.
The game encourages players to take notes and think critically, enhancing the experience and making it feel like a true investigation.
Visually appealing with a noir aesthetic, the game successfully combines text, images, and audio to create an intriguing atmosphere.

The PC port suffers from poor controls designed for mobile, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, such as unresponsive interactions and awkward scrolling mechanics.
The story can feel convoluted and predictable at times, leaving players with unanswered questions and a sense of confusion.
Some puzzles are overly complex or require excessive backtracking, which can detract from the overall enjoyment and flow of the game.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
66%
8%
The game's story is a complex and interactive narrative that intertwines with clever puzzles, requiring players to pay close attention to details. While some reviewers appreciated its unique approach and engaging writing, others criticized it for relying on familiar tropes and being convoluted, with a predictable ending. Overall, the story is seen as a mix of intriguing elements and traditional themes, appealing primarily to those who enjoy reading and puzzle-solving.
- “So you scroll through a narrative where every word and every little detail might be crucial, not just for understanding the plot but for solving the puzzles, uncovering clues, and unlocking paths to the truth.”
- “The story here is great; the literary techniques and even the use of amnesia are really well done.”
- “To enhance its heavy focus on storytelling, the game keeps distractions to a minimum, and every audio or visual effect that is shown has a key role in both the story and the puzzle solving, thus making the experience very dynamic and organic.”
- “As for the plot, on one hand it's your standard story with an amnesiac protagonist you've already seen in other games and media, on the other it feels like the kind of work where the authors would pat themselves on the back thinking how an artsy, 'progressive', anti-capitalistic story they wrote, when in reality it's a bunch of old and trite misogynist and homophobic tropes hastily put together.”
- “The story is very broken up and confusing and even after completing it I have no idea what the actual 'solution' to the initial murder is.”
- “The story is convoluted and confusing - mostly by design - and ultimately secondary to collecting clues and putting them together into puzzle solutions.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by its unique blend of puzzle-solving and narrative elements, offering an engaging experience through interactive text and images. While it excels on mobile devices, some mechanics do not translate well to PC, and the actual playtime may be shorter than advertised. Overall, players appreciate the clever integration of story and gameplay, despite some limitations in visuals and animation.
- “A peculiar puzzle narrative game with very original gameplay and a weird story.”
- “It may not have that much visual or animation, but the story, puzzles, and gameplay are something really unique, and I love this game.”
- “The scrolling and some gameplay mechanics work well on mobile but don't seem to translate well into PC.”
- “The store page boasts 8 hours of total gameplay, but howlongtobeat clocks in the average playthrough at 4-6 hours; and given that I made it through 6/8 chapters in ~3 hours, I'm inclined to believe the latter.”
- “The game is exactly as advertised; it's a book with mystery and gameplay elements inserted in the text and the pictures included alongside it.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The graphics of *unmemory* feature a unique portrait-style design that integrates text with interactive visuals, resembling an e-book with embedded photos and drawings. However, this mobile-oriented layout can lead to small text and challenging button interactions, particularly on devices like the Steam Deck. Overall, while the aesthetic is engaging, it may hinder readability and usability.
- “Don't mistake it as a visual novel though, because *unmemory* reads like an e-book with text and embedded photos, drawings, and graphics that you can interact with.”
- “Giving that aesthetic looks.”
- “A second attempt using the Steam Deck made controlling the game much easier, but the portrait-style visuals designed for mobile make the text small and hard to read, and certain in-game buttons become harder to press.”
- “Don’t mistake it as a visual novel though, because Unmemory reads like an e-book with text and embedded photos, drawings, and graphics that you can interact with.”
- “The aesthetic looks off.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is heavily influenced by its sound design, which plays a crucial role in creating immersive environments. Users highlight the importance of sound in enhancing the overall experience, suggesting that it significantly contributes to the game's mood and setting.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game experiences several stability issues, including stuttering during scrolling, unresponsive clicks that can disrupt gameplay, and a poorly implemented mechanic for closing your eyes, which may frustrate players.
- “The game is also a little bit buggy - sometimes scrolling gets stuttery (clicking and dragging rather than using the mouse scroll helps), sometimes you have to click on something more than once for the click to register (a bit unnerving when it happens during the timed sequence), and the part where you have to close your eyes is poorly implemented (on mobile, you would pinch your screen; here, you have to double-click somewhere in the lower right corner).”
- “I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay experience, making it hard to enjoy the game fully.”
- “The game suffers from significant lag, especially during intense moments, which can lead to frustrating gameplay.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to puzzles that are challenging to navigate on smaller screens, leading to discomfort and even physical strain from repetitive swipe movements.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again just to progress, which quickly became frustrating.”
- “The amount of time required to level up is excessive, turning what could be an enjoyable experience into a chore.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game *unmemory* provides a moderate level of replayability due to the presence of various hidden secrets that encourage players to explore and discover new elements in subsequent playthroughs.
- “[i]unmemory[/i] offers some replayability by featuring a number of hidden secrets.”
- “The game encourages multiple playthroughs with its diverse endings and choices.”
- “Each run feels fresh due to the random events and unique character interactions.”
- “Unmemory offers some replayability by featuring a number of hidden secrets.”
- “The game lacks significant changes in gameplay, making it feel repetitive after the first playthrough.”
- “Once you've uncovered the secrets, there's little incentive to replay the game.”