Forgotton Anne

In the first 10 minutes after finishing I was ready to file this game into the 5/5-Tier, that's how much I enjoyed the unique setting, animated-feature-film-quality presentation and storytelling and the delightfully oddball cast of anthropomorphic object NPCs, but after calming down a little, I remembered there are a few significant flaws in this game that need to be mentioned.

First of all, the genre-mix of adventure game and slow side-scrolling platforming with very old-school controls - think original 8-bit Prince of Persia to get an idea just how old-school and slow - immediately resonated with me since I'm always up for something a little out of the ordinary, but is pretty much guaranteed to irritate others who want their adventures to be point-and-click and their platformers to be Super Mario. I personally often struggled to remember the eccentric button layout for the game controller, leading to a couple more missed jumps and accidental triggering of (in-game) buttons than I would have liked.

Then there's the inconsistent difficulty of the puzzles, all centered around engines and mechanisms encountered during the game and the player character's ability to either inject or draw power from them across a short distance. Some are very straightforward, some require the player to correctly guess the exact mechanics behind them and if the player guesses wrong, there are no hints to get them unstuck.

The consistently gorgeous level design sometimes is so overloaded with detail that it becomes difficult to tell what is a platform or otherwise interactable object and what is part of the background. This is compounded by the fact that in some sections of the game, the levels extend to multiple side-scrolling layers, connected by things like stairs or bridges.

And finally there are problems with the game's sound mix: Individually, the voice acting, the sound effects and ambience and the music - performed by the Sjællands Symfoniorkester of Copenhagen, Denmark - are each top tier, but during the game they often end up stepping on each other, requiring the player to take a few trips to the settings menu to adjust the relative volumes, including during some dramatic key moments of the game.

Aside from these issues however, this game is the closest experience to an interactive top-tier anime in the magical realist style of Studio Ghibli I have had yet, and a scenario and story that match this vibe perfectly. There are two final endings, but many more branch points in the story that change dialogue and interactions with NPCs and yield one out of four possible tarot cards at the end (displayed in the save-game slot) that describe the personality that the player character exhibited in summary.

Another new personal all-time favorite of mine and a strong 4/5.

Actually very good, with one major caveat.
You cannot remap keybindings and accessibility options are pretty poor.
But pending this is not an issue to you, I recommend the game. I uploaded a video and included the options, so maybe you have a work around.
The game is... not really my thing, puzzle platformer. Despite that, I really enjoyed the short time I played it and look forward to playing more (Once I work out that puzzle at the end of my video)
The world the game is set in seems to be a world where forgotten items are sent, I dread to think how much of my stuff is there, I hope it's living a good life. Inanimate objects that get forgotten or go missing seem to pop away and come to life in this fantasy world. I'm not sure about the rest of the story, but I don't want to spoil it for you anyway!
There's definitely an ominous feel to the choices you can make and the world around you. You can drain anima, a form of energy from the now living objects and they become inanimate once more. I've noticed that you can potentially do this with everything... But I didn't test this, I didn't have the heart to kill the scarf or the light. I'm the kind of person who apologises to the couch when she stubs her toe on it... Besides this... I feel that there are multiple choices that might effect gameplay, which is always a joy.
The art style is gorgeous, everything is adorable, even scarves and socks! The camera takes different angles, occasionally zooming in to remind you of how beautiful the game is.
The sound design is very good, I just got new speakers recently and this game put them to use fantastically!
The music is also very good, it fits the wonderful atmosphere, whilst also reaffirming my belief that... perhaps there's something darker to the world.
If you cannot play this game for any reason, or the gameplay doesn't grab you, I recommend looking up a playthrough of it, I imagine it'd still be very fun to watch this game.
If you do play this game, I hope you enjoy it! (And are better at playing it than I am.)
If you don't play this game, based on my review, I hope you find something else to suit your fancy.
Regardless... I hope you have a lovely day.
Thank you for reading. <3

The story is amazing and the voice acting is spectacular. Not to mention that animation style. Almost everything about this game is amazing. The only thing that is left to be wanting is the puzzles and gameplay can be a bit easy. If you are looking for really engaging gameplay or difficult puzzles, this might not be the game for you. But, if you want a game that will make you fall in love with its characters and pose you with difficult choices. this is the game for you.

Forgotton Anne is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer. No combat, but a lot of atmosphere, exploration and puzzle solving. Most of the puzzles weren't too difficult, only a couple of them were a bit more challenging.
What makes this game good is the story and the Artwork. Visuals, music, voice acting... everything is very well done.
The only thing that bothered me at times was the controls: Precise climbing and jumping can be a bit difficult because the controls aren't very responsive. But since this is not an action game and doesn't require quick reactions, I can live with that.
Overall, I enjoyed Forgotton Anne a lot and it took me about 8 hours to finish it. Buy this if you like the artstyle and prefer a good story with some puzzles over a challenge. A game like a good anime.

In Italy we have a famous novel in verses, written in 1516, which we study in school: L'Orlando Furioso (The Furious Rolande).
It features a cool proto-sci-fi hypothesis: every forgotten objects is instantly teleported to the Moon.
Apart from the obvious consequence of having the Moon full of unpaired socks, the same concept (although not the Moon, but an alternate dimension) serves as the basis of this lovely adventure, clearly inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's animation.
The story is very fleshed out without the need to collect Lore or visit secret locations, and the characters are incredibly well-defined and interesting, with personalities and behaviors matching their physical identity (apart from 2, all of them are objects). It is easily worth playing even just for the pleasure of the masterful writing.
The graphics and animations, as I said, draw inspiration from Studio Ghibli's work, but here also comes the only sad part of this review, as the animation on-two's is enemy of the good coordination during some more pressing action or platforming scenes.
There is not really any special sound effect as most sounds resemble late 19th century representations of factories and railway stations, but they serve the game well and the soundtrack, although stereotypical, does the same.
If you, like me, like to play games as a new medium able to tell stories infused by a sense of Agency, there is no reason for you not to play this small jewel, counting 6 hours of laid back action, platforming and puzzle-solving.

Wonderfully crafted game. It's not about the speed at which you play it, but that you enjoy every nuance.
Not only is the game beautifully designed but can also be thought provoking if you allow it to be, without being pushy or in your face.
I can't remember the last time I allowed a game to let me wait. Weather to climb in a boat and travel across the sea or to run through the city. The writers gave you enough time that you feel rushed just enough, but also that you have time to think and reflect.
I found my self pitting some of the characters as well as chuckle at others.
Would recommend the game at full price. Enjoy it!

One of the most original games I played in a long time.
Great art and voice acting. It made me remember the cartoon movies from when I was a kid, and I think its better written than most cartoon movies that Pixar and Disney released in the past years.
I will be waiting for the forgotlings sequel that will come out this year.