Anima: Gate of Memories - The Nameless Chronicles (PC) Review

For those that played the original Anima: Gate of Memories, almost everything here will be similar in terms of the system, the style, the characters, with the notable fact of almost everything being improved. For those that have not, perhaps the most popular example would be ARPGs like Drakengard or Devil May Cry in that the player goes through a dark tale, while slashing their way through 100s of enemies.

First things first, the graphics have been massively improved over the first game. It is stunning how much better this looks, up there with higher budget titles and is impressive for a small studio. Gratefully, the talking and cinematic sections have been brought up to modern standards. In the first title, it was laughably bad as the 'movies' would consist of literal still-shots of the characters 'in action' while they talked or battled. This was a major knock against the first outing and now it feels like a true cinematic experience, like pretty much every other title in the genre.

This follows the nameless man who is immortal and walks the world hunting monsters but is hunted by the Church that does not understand him. Before too long, events swirl him into a similar area from the first game, which acts as a sort of central hub to go to various levels. First looking at the pictures, someone would expect a shallow 'angst/edgy' main character but it is very refreshing this angle was not taken and instead he feels like someone who is fairly fleshed out.

Combat is a combo-driven affair of having various buttons that do things from conventional sword attacks, launch moves, dive moves, and casting spells. As things go on, the player gets Experience Points that allow them to upgrade and learn new moves. Despite the flashy pictures to the contrary, most of combat is simply hitting the same button over and over, like in Drakengard, in one of its more negative capacities.

Even though there is a combo meter, a fair amount of moves and options, it almost always comes down to finding a cheap move that works and spamming it endlessly. Almost always this is the normal sword slash or the air slash. In one of its two major criticisms, combat is not particularly interesting and often is an annoyance. Enemies have the uncanny ability to perma-stun the player, which feeds into the original problem that it was best to just hide around a corner casting air slash.

The second issue is the camera. While not responsive at the best of times, it becomes downright unforgiveable at others when it goes into forced angles. Many of the boss fights are like this, with the camera stuck in very awkward positions, like far off for the first witch fight or a very strange 2D overhead one for a series of battles. Needless to say, these are the types of battles that really call into question people's patience. Due to camera issues, even the platforming at times is frustrating, and many items are hidden by such camera tricks.

After battle, gamers can buy different weapons, accessories, and level-up skills. The skill tree system is interesting in that depending on the way it is unlocked changes the stats of the character. Various accessories will give stat increases or bonuses, like increased experience or money. Players can also design their combos, as well as read up on the extensive back-story.

Despite some issues, this has heart. Yes, it has flaws, but it was made by people that clearly love games. The story itself is interesting, dealing with death, possession, and even the main character feels real without being edgy in the slightest. It is a title that succeeds despite itself. It doesn't have AAA developer budgets and studios behind it, but it sets out to give the player a good story and experience, and largely succeeds.