Forgotton Anne

This might be one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. Forgotton Anne feels like stepping straight into a Studio Ghibli film a hand crafted world full of charm, melancholy, and magic. From the first few minutes, it pulled me back to my childhood, watching My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, and Princess Mononoke stories that shaped my love for heartfelt narratives. While the writing here doesn’t quite reach the same emotional depth as the works of Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata (few games could), it still manages to stand tall on its own. The world of Forgotton Anne has a sincerity and warmth that’s rare to find, especially in modern games so focused on spectacle over soul. The story itself is a touching meditation on belonging, purpose, and self doubt a tale that’s both whimsical and quietly profound. It manages to blend humour and heartbreak beautifully, often surprising me with how human its characters felt. What struck me most was how cohesive the presentation is the hand drawn animation, orchestral score, and subtle voice acting all work together to create something genuinely cinematic. It’s one of those games that doesn’t just tell a story it feels like one.
That said, as a game, Forgotton Anne isn’t without its frustrations. Most of the gameplay revolves around platforming and light puzzles, but the controls can feel clunky and sluggish. The wing mechanics, while conceptually cool, are awkward to use. Even using a controller didn’t help much inputs felt delayed, and I caught myself frustrated every time precision jumps were required. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but it definitely tests your patience at times.
Still, what kept me going was the emotional payoff and the sheer artistry of the world. I found myself forgiving its gameplay flaws because the narrative and presentation were so strong. The music swells at just the right moments, the visuals are breathtaking in their painterly style, and the characters linger in your mind long after the credits roll. If you’re someone who values tight mechanics and responsive gameplay, Forgotton Anne might not be for you. But if you’re here for a moving, visually stunning story that captures a bit of that old school Studio Ghibli magic, then it’s absolutely worth experiencing. Despite its rough edges, it’s a game that reminds you why storytelling in this medium can be so powerful. Plus Mr. Fig has a sexy Wig, I bid you a good day.

A platformer with Studio Ghibli vibes, an interesting world and lots of charming living objects. The controls were a bit wonky, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment.

I played the game through. You can't really explore as it is linear and there's not so many things to find.

The art is beautiful and it plays ok. Movement and agility goes nicely with the character, it was fun to play.

Story on the other hand was meh. The world was interesting and there were a lot of quirky fun npc's. The story wasn't bad but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Probably mainly because it has choices how you want to respond in a conversation and on many cases out of the two options there wasn't one for me. They were also at times confusing to me, if I pick this, what am I saying exactly? There were also other happenings in the game that I did not enjoy playing through.

I did enjoy the scenery and some characters. Looking at you, pink spring-swing horsey <3

I do recommend it, it's not objectively bad, just didn't click for me. You can get it very cheap on sale so give it a try.

One of the most tug-on-your-heartstrings, atmospherically rich games out there. The world feels real, and every character is distinctly vibrant from one another. The gorgeous visuals, charming voice acting and immersive soundtrack come together to form this masterpiece of a story!! Go play it now!!!!

I absolutely love this game, great story, fantastic visuals, Great art and voice acting. It made me remember the cartoon movies from when I was a kid, and brings the player in a unforgottable journey.

The story is very great, unique setting not just for a game, but for any story. It also features some heavy topics and make you think. The comedy is great too without ruining the tone of the game. It also makes you make decisions that you'll see the effect of later.

The gameplay is boring though, puzzles are easy and mere switch flipping, controls are clunky and platforming is awful. Also every movement in the game is slow

Get this game if you're interested in the story

Incredible! Wonderful! Outstanding!
The animations, effects, art, and game design are all marvelous.
The music is charming and lovely, the voice acting is well performed, and the gameplay is very fun and smooth.

The story is interesting, well-put, and fun too, but it's filled with pseudo-choices, which don't affect the flow of conversations nor the events following up a single bit, other than you saying a different line.

On the same note, your choices sometimes have results that don't really coincide, or they give pretty much the same answer, making you wonder why bother choosing the right one.

There are also multiple instances when the story leads to a point that doesn't happen in the end and which very simply could have by adding just a short and simple story deviation.

+ There are a couple of additional mechanics and locations that are present but don't lead anywhere, nor reward you in any way.

It's nothing that would make the game bad in any way, and I'm not saying it's always like that.
There are many choices that actually do change the outcome, at least a little bit.
However, I would much rather keep the conversations steady and only leave choices that do matter. If you're making the player choose, make their choice important.




PS: Fuck the dial phone and the long-ass boat transition.