Review for 11-11: MEMORIES RETOLD. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 09/11/2018
As any good gamer knows, war never changes. Or maybe not, the war has changed. It matters little, in truth, since 11-11 Memories Retold tells us about a different war, it tells us about the First World War from the point of view of two people who are not at all similar but who, to a certain extent, took the field pushed by love and not violence. However, the war remains ruthless and in the end they will have to deal with it.
Our protagonists are two, Harry and Kurt, respectively Canadian and German. The former lives quietly in Toronto, working as a photographer. The young man has long been in love with his best friend but does not have the courage to confess. One day, a high-ranking military man walks into the shop where Harry works and convinces him to follow him into the war, as a photographer. The young man accepts, not wanting violence but only the uniform to become a hero and impress the girl.
Kurt, on the other hand, works as an engineer at a zeppelin factory. One day, she discovers that her son's unity has been lost. Man cannot stay at home without knowing what fate has been reserved for the young man. Apologizing to his wife and little daughter, he leaves for the front, without really wanting to pick up a gun.
11-11 Memories Retold will make us control one character at a time, living their stories step by step, until they inevitably intersect. The work of Digixart and Aardman Animations is a linear and fairly fluid narrative adventure, divided into many small sequences. We will have to interact with a few environmental elements in order to continue, moving crates, collecting objects or taking pictures as Harry. The playful quantity is therefore limited, as is typical of the genre: by now we know very well what to expect and everyone will know if it is a defect or not.
Every action and every sequence, therefore, does not want to test us: it only wants tell us a story not of war, but that moves "inside" the war. The conflict is shown from all its points of view: the front, with its muddy trenches, the explosions and the gas that claimed countless victims, but also the distant villages, with the life of those who suffer the consequences of the war without having maybe not even seen a gun. The sequences are not always effective: some phases are too rapid and the emotional impact is limited in this case.
The two protagonists, however, convince: white flies in the midst of death continually trying to find direction. Furthermore, the point of arrival is in the hands of the player: during the game we will have to make some choices, but everything will really be decided in the final. The work proposes multiple conclusions and knows how to excite. Don't expect countless Detroit: Become Human-style offshoots, of course, but be prepared for a tough choice.
The emotion, however, does not entirely derive from the narration but also comes thanks to theexcellent dubbing and the remarkable soundtrack created in collaboration with the British Philharmonia Orchestra. Music and dialogues give a dreamy tone to the entire work, poetic even in cases where death overwhelms it. Perhaps, the graphics component helps to make it lighter. For sure, it makes the work get a unique soul.
11-11 Memories Retold is an impressionist painting always in motion, defined by large brushstrokes. Color and light are handled very well and each shot is a small painting. Not all elements are defined equally and some sequences might be a little too smoky, especially on smaller screens, but on balance that's not a big deal. Likewise, some inaccuracies (subtitles not appearing, inaccurate command prompts and unoptimized uploads) do not cause great annoyance, but certainly sorry that everything is not in the state of the art.
The game lasts, we could say, the right: in about five hours you will have experienced the whole work by Bandai Namco. The replay value depends a lot on the individual: there are many collectibles, photographs or documents that tell of the First World War, easily traceable but still lost, also the endings are interesting to explore. The latter, however, can be seen simply by loading the penultimate chapter and playing less than half an hour, changing their choices.
11-11 Memories Retold tells us about the First World War in a different way and knows how to do it quite well. It is a linear narrative adventure with a very limited playful depth. If the graphic style and the themes intrigue, it is definitely a recommended purchase, net of some defects.
► 11-11: MEMORIES RETOLD is an Adventure type game developed by Aardman Animations Digixart and published by Bandai Namco for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 09/11/2018
