/vr/ - Retro Games

Forget Me Not was originally a home-made game designed by a hobbyist on a version of RPG Maker. It won a development prize and was remade for the PSX as Forget Me Not: Pallete.

This is a beautiful game in terms of art direction, the top-down perspective and small and but well-made sprites lure you into a nostalgic atmosphere. The game revolves around an amnesiac woman and the psychiatrist who is helping her recover her memories. The game has two modes: in the first you explore and interact with the setting, and in the second you shift into a sort of "astral projection" where you interact with objects to open new paths and recover memories.

Presentation is neat and distinctive, as the character move in small, closed rooms and hallways engulfed by darkness, but by opening new pathways you can help fill up the void, mimicking the protagonist's process of remembrance. It was also a clear and obvious influence on the similarly haunting Yume Nikki.

Sadly it was only released in Japan and knowledge of the language is essential to enjoy the game and progress. Hopefully it will get a translation someday.