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Although it's not the best text-driven game on the DS, Trace Memory is still a nice effort worthy of playing.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Trace Memory stars Ashley Robbins, a 13-year old girl who's on her way to Blood Edward Island with the main objective of seeing her father and finding out a few things from her past. Of course, what kind of game would it be if he just met up with you and told all as the ship pulls up to the shore?

Trace Memory is another in an increasing list of text-driven DS games where the objective is more along the lines of solving puzzles and mysteries than battle (think Hotel Dusk and the Ace Attorney games). As a matter of fact, in these games, there is no battle at all.

The game makes good use of the stylus for solving the various puzzles such as using it as a ------------ to ------------ the ------------ on your way to and through the mansion. (What? You thought I'd give away the answers? This is a review, not a walkthrough!) Seriously though, for example, the first puzzle of the game involves you having to lower a drawbridge and the puzzles let you use your stylus in a number of different ways (such as throwing objects, making a cutting motion, etc.). The stylus also works famously in your attempt to search rooms for clues and items that you need to solve puzzles.

The graphics in this game are not really anything to brag about, but I'd say that they get the job done, as does the sound. The value of the game could have been higher, as you can replay it as many times as you want, but if you get the perfect ending the first time around (hint: examine everything and I do mean EVERYTHING ... OK, maybe this is a review AND a walkthrough), then there's no real point to additional play-throughs.

Overall, I had a good experience with this game and would recommend it to others. Games such as this and Hotel Dusk (and, to an extent, Ace Attorney) are almost along the lines of "interactive novels" more than they are "games" and it's definitely a different, albeit good, experience to go through for any style or level of gamer.

Overall: 7.4
Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 7
Sound: 7
Value: 6
Tilt: 8

A memorable experience!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This a fantastic game. It's only downfall is that it isn't very long (I finished the game in under 7 hours of game play). But the story is engaging with wonderful characters, and the graphics are a work of art! Nintendo has once again made use of the DS features magnificently. It's like a good book, it's a game you will definitely want to enjoy more than once!

Pretty quick

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I beat the game in 2 days. It would have been one but it was Christmas.
The puzzles aren't that challenging. I did however have to play the game 3x in order to get the good ending. if you don't trigger all of D's memories he just stays on the island. Grrr. If when you find the first shoe, he doesn't have a memory, you already missed something and will be able to still finish the game, but he will remain on the island unhelped.
Annoying but since you can't leave the mansion once you're in it, make sure you touch EVERYTHING the first time around.

I wish we could give half-star ratings...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

...because I'd give this game four and a half if I could. It's not quite a five-star game, but pretty close!

The plot is simple enough; it centers around Ashley Robbins, a 13-year-old girl searching for her father, a scientist who studied human memories and who ran off for unexplained reasons when she was three. The game takes place on the eve of Ashley's fourteenth birthday (cleverly, the game uses the player's month and day of birth as Ashley's; so in my case, the game takes place on October 27th, the day before my own birthday). Early in the game, Ashley meets a ghost who only identifies himself as D, who was about her age when he died 60-odd years ago; and as the game progresses, she has to do double duty, piecing together not only her own past but D's as well. The ending varies depending on whether or not the player performs certain actions at different points throughout the game.

The gameplay itself is loads of fun if you're like me and you miss the classic graphic adventures of the 80's and 90's. All of the elements are there: Challenging puzzles, great (and funny!) dialogue, a story that's well-written and engaging without being overwhelmingly complicated. The best ending, if you can get it, unlocks the "starred" game, which is identical in almost every way other than a few minor differences; if you can beat THAT with the best ending, you're treated to a bonus puzzle which strongly hints that there may be a sequel.

Which brings me to my only issue with this game. The path to the best ending isn't always as clear as it could be; unfortunately, if you miss even the tiniest step, the game ends on a significantly less satisfying note, and for the player who's not aware that there's more than one ending (like I was at first), it's easy to assume that the game is supposed to end that way. I'm glad now that I didn't write this review after I beat the game the first time, because I probably would have only given it three stars. My advice, if you don't want to spoil the game for yourself by consulting GameFAQs, is to save often and try EVERYTHING. Truthfully, though, even if you don't get the best ending, the game is still loads of fun, and definitely worth a look if you're the puzzle-solving type.

Pretty good.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Yeah, Trace Memory was pretty good, but it was just way too short. To begin with, You figure out Ashley's story, but not D's. And secondly, some more could have been put into Ashley's story. I can't really think of think of anything that could have been added to Ashley's story, to be honest, but figuring out D's story would have been cool. I mean, seriously, you find out (I'm not going to give anything away) so much, but not everything. You have a number of clues to what happened to D, but never get to completely figure it out. And if you're really interested in D's story, you'll be all like, "Aw, man." when the game is over, and Ashley leaves the island. (That's about all you'll get from me, Ashley does, in fact, leave the island.) The story, regardless of how much of D's story you figure out, is intriguing, enough to keep you going and trying to figure out the hard puzzles, and believe me, a couple, not a whole lot, but a couple, are a little on the head-scratcher side. And while I'm speaking of the puzzles, I should say that they utilize almost all of the DS's functions. You use the mic to blow on things, and you do a lot of moving and picking up and the like. But I should say that Trace Memory is by no means an action freak's fantasy come true. To the contrary, an action freak would probably die of boredom, as there is extremely little action, the only to speak of being in the flashbacks, but because when the characters are interacting with each other, you only see pictures of them, there isn't much to see there. Trace Memory is, by and far, the thinker's game, what with all the puzzles. I finished in a total of 8 hours over the course of not even a whole week, it was just way too short, but it was nonetheless an enjoyable game, however, there is almost no replay value to speak of aside from an alternate ending. I suggest this game for those who have only a little time and can't pick up more lengthy games or for someone who wants an engaging story that you actually have to piece together as the characters do (unlike other games where you already know what happened well before the characters do).

Awesome game that ends to early

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I just finished Trace Memeory and I really enjoyed it. It's about this 13 year old girl named Ashley who, until a few days ago, thought her father to be dead. She travels to Blood Edward Island with her aunt Jessica to discover the truth behind her mothers death and her fathers disappearance. The game is straightforward for the most part. It took me only 5-6 hours to complete over the course of 2 days...and a lot of the time the game was on without me playing. But of course, there are the pros and the cons.

Pros:

-Simplisitic, usar friendly game play
-Good story-line
-Decent graphics

Cons:

-Tedious puzzles at times
-To short

Oh Poor Trace Memory

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: June 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The concept behind Trace Memory wasn't that bad. I actually sort of enjoyed the game while playing it. Nitpicky on the details, like other detective/clue searching games on the DS, but man did this title get overshadowed by the likes of Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center.

I think Trace Memory wanted to be unique, like Phoenix Wright and Trauma Center. And the graphic work and gameplay really wasn't that bad. In the end, I think the shadow cast by the DS juggernaut Phoenix Wright was just too big. The price at which Trace Memory is available masks an actually decent game.

I bought mine for $7.99, brand new. I bought it a while ago, and I was thinking to myself, my goodness this must be a terrible game. But give it a try. There's a possibility that I'm writing a sympathy review for this one because it wasn't given much of a shot, or maybe cause I just wrote such a derisive one about Pokemon. Haha.

But seriously, Trace Memory isn't so bad. Not the greatest, but not too bad. For game details, read some of the other reviews. I'm not big on giving out too many game details.

Trace Memory can be found, sadly, for a whopping $12.99, or less. Man, I feel sorry for Trace Memory, and it's not even a person. Poor Trace Memory...

Great adventure game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Another Code: Two Memories (known as Trace Memory in America) is an adventure game for the Nintendo DS. Naturally, the storyline is a prominent feature of this title. You play the part of Ashley Mizuki Robbins, a 13-year-old girl with a haunting past. On the eve of her 14th birthday, she visits the ominously named 'Blood Edward Island' in the hope of seeing her father, a man who she believed had been dead for 11 years. When you arrive on the island, your father is nowhere to be seen, and so your aunt Jessica (who has been "like a mother" to you) goes to look for him. Typically, she also goes missing, and you are left to explore the island on your own; however, you soon meet up with a likeable ghost named 'D', who has been dead for more than 60 years and cannot remember anything about his past.

Luckily, the plot is very engrossing and will keep you hooked until you unravel every little secret of Ashley's (and D's) history. This is coupled with some impressively imaginative gameplay, which will have you using your DS in just about every way possible. Furthermore, you will be able to zoom in on places of interest and pick up items that may come in use later on. The puzzles are satisfyingly challenging, but you should be able to solve them without too much trouble. Bear in mind that a good chunk of your time will be spent reading dialogue, which may be a put off to anybody who craves constant action.

The graphics, meanwhile, are very nice indeed. The distinctly anime style is perfectly suited to the game, and the characters look excellent. You will play the majority of the game from a birds-eye view, though the camera will sometimes zoom in and everything will transform into 3D. The sound is also solid enough, though is nothing spectacular. There is no voice acting, but that is to be expected in a game of this type.

The game's major flaw is its small lifespan - it is just far too short. You will be able to finish the game in around 4 to 5 hours, and will likely have no desire to play over it again. This is because you will know the solutions to all of the puzzles, and so a second run-through is a bit pointless. Nevertheless, there is an alternate ending, which may have enthusiasts experiencing the adventure all over again.

In spite of this, however, Another Code is strongly recommendable to any fan of the genre. While the game itself may only last a few hours, your memory of it will last for much, much longer.

Renaissance of Myst-type games on the DS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is too short, which is a pity, considering it's very well-done. The developers make clever use of the DS's unique capabilities. I recommend this game to the intellectual gamer with a long attention span

Fantastic Storyline just WAY TOO SHORT!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Trace Memory has a great storyline and in my opinion has better graphics than many for the DS. However, this game is SUPER short. I completed the entire game is less than 8 hours. I believe that they could have stretched out the game a little longer. I enjoyed this game because not only was I wraped up in the story, but this game really gave the DS the chance to do everything it was meant to do. You can use the stylus or you can use the buttons through the whole game. I prefer the stylus but again that's my opinion. - You can also use the microphone which I think is WAY cool! This game has many different puzzles too! I rated Trace Memory 3 stars overall because of the length of the game. If you are a relentless player like I am you might be VERY disappointed with the length of this game. But if you are player who plays a little every once in a while. You will most likely LOVE this game. I'm not saying I don't love it but it's too short for me!!!

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