One of several B-tier releases pushed by Square Enix in the past few years, Forgotton Anne is a work from another age. It’s more akin to the experimental releases of the original Playstation, or when Broken Sword was at its zenith. Yet, despite being another action-platformer, it nevertheless proves to be a welcome breath of fresh air amid this month’s release list.
The premise is certainly one of the much more interesting ones than the usual hero fights dark lord story. You play as Anne, an Enforcer in a world called the Forgotten Lands. It’s a world here lost items of all kinds gain a life and sentience of their own, hoping that they will be remembered and return to the real world.
The story is the sort which delves just deep enough to answer a few questions while still leaving a sense of mystery about the setting. You learn the essentials, how this society operates, its factions and the rules which govern it, but it never offers more than is needed. Because of this it offers more than enough room to keep throwing surprises at you, both in terms of possible enemies and narrative twists. Many of the sentient items reshape themselves to better reflect their self-awareness and there’s no end of creativity in terms of what they might show up as. It only further enhances the melancholic atmosphere of the setting, which is both wondrous and tragic in its nature.
The visuals are further supported by both a talented voice cast and a number of animated cutscenes, but the core gameplay doesn’t quite live up to this. It’s certainly not bad by any means, but it doesn’t fully stand out. The platforming sequences, for one thing, are slow and fairly methodical over some of the faster paced sequences you might desire. Many place a greater emphasis on navigation and planning over reflexes, but many segments have an extremely lethargic pace as a result. Equally, many puzzle sequences vary in terms of quality. Some are ingeniously put together, while others can leave you resorting to trying everything until you get the answer. The fact that one such moment appears early on is especially frustrating, and it’s compounded by the level of backtracking sometimes required. These aren’t inherently bad, but they’re usually competently executed as oposed to being brilliant brain teasers.
Forgotton Anne is a game where the main appeal is the concepts and visual execution. While the core mechanics are interesting, and show some signs of innovation, it’s the story and animated sequences which truly stand out here. If you enjoy the premise, aesthetic and have some familiarity with the genre then definitely give this one a look.
FORGOTTON ANNE / DEVELOPER: THROUGHLINE GAMES / PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
