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Very fun adventure (and very creative use of the DS)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Just finished the game (only took 6 hours) and man was it fun!

Pro:
* Intriguing plot lines and twists
* Creative use of the DS as a whole
* Excellent ending
* Great background music

Con:
* Some puzzles are confusing (remember to use everything at your disposal with your DS. Close the lid, get a reflection from the top or bottom. USE EVERYTHING!)
* Some characters are not as fleshed out as I would like
* Too fast (Finished in 6 hours)

Over all, I really enjoyed the game.

Fun game despite its short length

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Until recently, the only 2 DS games I had were Metroid Prime: Hunters and Meteos. Finally deciding to at least built up a good library in spite of the town's absolutely dismal selections, I heard Trace Memory was incredibly great despite its short length. Against better judgment since a short game shouldn't be full price, I got it and I can actually say that it is quite an intriguing game to pick up. You just wish that it was either longer or that the game was cheaper like my 10$ Feel the Magic was.

Story: You play Ashley, a 13 year old girl travelling with her aunt who gets invited to Blood Edward Island. Turns out her father, who was supposed to be dead, wanted her there and is on the island. Her aunt Jessica sets out to find her but doesn't come back so Ashley sets off to find her father and Jessica, a murder mystery and another one concerning something called "Trace".

Graphics: It's not really the most graphically sound game. Your top screen acts as a kind of basic area look giving you a more detailed view of your changing surroundings while you move Ashley with stylus or D-pad on 2nd screen which shows the area in a top-view. Now and then a puzzle will appear on the 2nd screen with varying designs and your top screen tends to be more story based such as conversations.

Sound/Music: No voice acting that I can recall but the music was quite relaxing and I even started to hum it a little bit. It's probably not something that you'll be downloading or purchasing but what's there is actually quite nice and not throw away music.

Gameplay: Like I mentioned, the 2nd screen at times has puzzles that must be solved. They range from those evil block sliding on a 3 by 3 grid with one square missing to scratching off rust to re-arranging torn paper and creating the original. Some of the puzzles are a bit easy while you get ones that are frustrating just the fact that it's puzzling (that evil block puzzle for one) while others are just kind of vague and have a feeling of "now what do you do?" Another thing is sometimes you have to "activate" Ashley's ability to recognize a puzzle piece. An early example is an iron ball required to be placed outside a gate to open it. I knew where the ball was but she wouldn't pick it up until I focused on it and she went "hey!" and sure enough she can pick up the ball.

On the touch screen, certain key areas can be focused on and she'll talk about what you've clicked. You might fixate on a book on a desk, or the drawer, or something else in the room. It's good to have a specific thing to focus on but other times you're not even sure what can be focused so you might move past something thinking nothing's there when a couple clicks will net you something. It's not the most in-depth game but the story is surprisingly addictive and even when a puzzle stops the flow, you feel you have to beat that puzzle to continue with the mystery.

Should you pay full price? Probably not, the game can easily be finished in a few days, one day if you play it a lot. Is it a worthwhile game to pick up? I'd say so.

Trace of Greatness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

All I can say about this game is wow! The first good thing about this game I noticed was the sound, which by any game players standard was excellent. From the opening sequence to the closing credits the music, sound effects, etc. were nothing short of top notch. Next thing to comment on is the graphics. They were great. The setup having prerendered scenes on the top screen and all the touchscreen controls on the bottom, combined with the excellent puzzles which required the use of both screen, was nothing short of spectacular. Next is the story, which was very creative and well excecuted. If you own a DS you should own this game. This game is akin to the GBA game Pokemon, basically a system seller. Some of the puzzles in the game are very challenging, requiring the use of both screens simultaneously, which is something no other game system can offer. I hope to see and own more of these quirky and refreshing games.

Great Concept!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My cousin had this game and once I saw it I had to get it! It is a very unique kind of game. In one level you must fold the DS in half and see the reflection on the bottom and it spells out a secret message! The reason over-all I gave it four stars is because at times it is very evil and annoying. For an example there is one slide puzzle that is almost impossible! But still overall it is a great game for people who like puzzles, it is also a great game for adventure lovers!

Over too fast

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: December 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I saw this in the store and was really excited to finally see a RPG that made use of the touch screen system (most the others that are now out were not available yet). Bought it, took it home, and popped it in.

Things started out ok, but I had a dreaded feeling in the pit of my stomach. This game had SOO much potential. It rarely uses the camera, all the puzzles are easy to figure out and I finished the game in a couple of hours.

Not worth the time. If you want to try it, see if you can find someone who was unfortunate enough to buy it and just try that out. Don't waste your money on something that won't entertain you for more than a few hours.

Can't wait to see what's next! Wait...It's over?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The title of this review sums up my feelings on Trace Memory.

It had a great, interesting, engaging story that didn't last.

It's as if your favorite soap opera only has 3 episodes.

The puzzles were interesting, but sometimes you've figured out the puzzle before the character in the game has and it makes you want to scream as your would at the television.

I'd be surprised if you get stuck, but if you do, it won't be for long.

The clock that keeps track of playing time in the game clocked me in at 3:29 (three hours and twenty-nine minutes) (yes, you read the parenthesis correctly).

Thank God I paid 11 bucks for it. It's definitely not worth the full price.

Beautiffully Crafted

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have to admit that his game blew away any expectations I had for it. The graphics, story and controls are top-notch and are just perfectly married together. For the american release they even hired a novelist to come in and re-write the dialogue so that it would be co-herent, since more of the story is told in small snippets of info as you search for clues, and it works perfectly.

The main character Ashley, while she does get a bit tempermental from time to time, remains totally believable as a character and while she's talking we're privy to her thoughts, giving it more of an emotional connection than you could if you were just running through the game clicking on stuff.

Ashley has just found out that her father, whome she thought had died when she was a baby ,is still alive and is going to meet him on Blood Edwards Island. However he's not at the dock to greet her. Her Aunt Jessica goes off to see if she can find him and after a while it becomes apparent that something happened to her too. Ashley ventures off to try and find her relatives, and this is where it gets good.

Problems keep coming in her way, but there's no explanation it seems to why things keep happening. Why did the drawbridge go up right when Jessica screamed? How come the sign has been destroyed? Who took the gear that opens the gates jessica walked through? Ever-present is this feeling that there's someone one-step ahead of you trying to block you and you've gotta use your wits to get around.

The touch screen is utilized in 2 parts. When Ashley comes to a new problem that she needs to solve (like entering pin-numbers, turning keys, or putting together a jig-saw-puzzle) you use the stylus to accomplish that. The other thing you use the screen for is just general searching. In each room you can click on a ton of tables, cabinets, books, etc to try and learn more about where you are and what's going on. To make the puzzles even harder you'll have to take pictures with your DTS device (which looks remarkably like a NintendoDS) and superimpose one picture over another to uncover hidden words, numbers, and clues.

Along your journey you'll be accompanied by a ghost named 'D' who has forgotten his memories. Together you'll search the island and try to uncover not only YOUR past, but HIS as well. It's a very well-told yarn and the mystery is rather deep and complicated. To help you keep track of the facts, each section of the game has a multiple-choice quiz which helps Ashley and you remember the key points of what you just learned. Also, at any time in the game you can save which is really convenient.

I really enjoyed this game, and will probably be playing several times over as I did not complete it just right. There's alot of stuff to uncover, and not all of it is neccesary to finish the game. If you're looking for something that's gonna challenge you to think a bit out of the box, or looking for something that's just a bit different than a normal game, this is a good choice. The graphics are just simply stunning and the music and atmosphere created really gives you the chills sometimes. A great suspence game.

cool

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

i really enjoy playing this game. I have only had it for a day and i am already addicted to it! All my friends thought that it was too much money and bought some odd poker game but i speent a little more then i wanted to abd bought the better game so it's worth the money! And i really do think that you should buy this product.

good game that set me thinking for hours

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

These days, video games involve violence, blood, and shooting. Though "Trace Memory" is rated T for teens, it contains puzzles and messages for gamers to decode. I reccomend this game to anyone who likes puzzles and brain teasers. Sadly, games like "Trace Memory" are not made as often as they used to be.
I would give "Trace Memory" an A.

Not worth it.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: January 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I really wanted to like this game. It looks gorgeous and the plotline intrigued me right from the start. Where did it go wrong? Was it the fact that the puzzles were so obvious that they functioned as merely timekillers? Was it the fact that most of the touchpad interaction seemed tagged-on and ultimately useless? Was it that the plot turned out to be predictable and cliched? Was it that the game was so linear that I couldn't have gotten lost if i tried?

Maybe it was all of the above.

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