Forgotton Anne

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.

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.

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.

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!!!!

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

One of the first games I ever bought for myself. I’ll never regret getting this game that one day I was sitting alone in my home, trying to think of something to do, nor will I ever forget the times where I would replay it late into the night.
Forgotten Anne is such a compelling story of a young girl who simply has no connection to the citizens of her world, and wholly believes that what she’s doing is right. Her story of connecting to these people and with two separate endings to depict her choices and beliefs in the game is simply amazing. She’s a moving character whose growth is stunning throughout the story. There were some bugs here and there, but no matter how much they bothered me, the game itself always felt worth it in the end.

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.