Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      City of Gangsters and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider featured image

      City of Gangsters and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider are the free Epic Games from February 3rd 2023

      February 3, 2023

      EPIC Games have announced their free games for the 3rd of February 2023. City of Gangsters and Dishonored: Death of…

      What’s coming to PlayStation Plus in February 2023?

      What’s coming to PlayStation Plus in February 2023?

      February 3, 2023

      TODAY, PlayStation Australia is happy to reveal the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for February. Take on demonic Deadites in asymmetrical…

      The Sims 4 Expands with the Growing Together Expansion Pack

      The Sims 4 Expands with the Growing Together Expansion Pack

      February 3, 2023

      [This press release has been provided by EA Games and is presented by the GOA team for your information] Electronic…

      Samsung Galaxy S23 range announced

      Samsung Galaxy S23 range announced

      February 2, 2023

      [This press release has been provided by Samsung PR and is presented by the GOA team for your information] SYDNEY,…

      Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Delayed

      Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Delayed

      February 1, 2023

      DIRECT from the EA Star Wars Twitter account this morning, it has been announced that the much-anticipated sequel to Star…

      View All
    • Reviews
      Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger review

      Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger review

      February 4, 2023

      HAVING a decent gaming headset is all well and good, but it helps to have somewhere to store it when…

      Auro Of Worlds Key Art

      Aura Of Worlds Review: Change My Mind About Rogue-Lites

      February 4, 2023

      I don’t like rogue-lite games. It’s a weird way to start a review of rogue-lite game Aura Of Worlds, but I need to give some perspective.

      Inkulinati review – the art of war

      Inkulinati review – the art of war

      February 3, 2023

      IInkulinati is an ink-based strategy game where you play as a master of the secret art of Inkulinati – the art…

      Victoria 3 reviewed

      Victoria 3 reviewed

      February 1, 2023

      READERS of my writings over the years will hopefully be aware that I am very fond of Grand Strategy Games…

      Playing the OG Xbox console on modern TVs with Xedusa

      Playing the OG Xbox console on modern TVs with Xedusa

      February 1, 2023

      IT’s now been over 20 years since the Xbox hit store shelves and I’ll admit it, many games on the…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      Nuts & Bolts Hero Card Ep 72

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 72: Jim Has A Spreadsheet

      February 4, 2023

      In this episode of Nuts & Bolts Jim and Natty talk about a threat to the DOTA Lima Major in…

      The Weekly Show Hero Card Ep 269

      The Weekly Show Ep 269: Is E3 Worth It?

      February 3, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Hero Card Ep 71

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 71: 2023 Starts With A BANG!

      January 28, 2023

      Natty and Jim have their work cut out for them catching up on all the esports news! From ESL launching…

      The Weekly Show Ep 268 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 268: Out With The Old, In With The New…Year

      December 16, 2022

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 70 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 70: Farewell 2022

      December 10, 2022

      In their last show for 2022 Jim gets fired up about an incident in Argentinian Valorant, Natty laments the end…

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Platformer
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » Some Distant Memory Review
    Some Distant Memory Review
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Some Distant Memory Review

    Chris InglisBy Chris InglisFebruary 2, 2020
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Some Distant Memory is one of those games for nights where you want to be completely immersed in a deep and meaningful story.

    Some Distant Memory is a hand-drawn story exploration game developed by Galvanic Games and published by Way Down Deep. The game released on Steam and Mac OS X on November 15, 2019. Set 300 years after the apocalypse in Texas. Earth’s few surviving humans now live in self-contained colonies, protected from the bloom algae that consumed the planet during “The Collapse.” The most successful of these colonies, Ares, was originally built to prepare for life on Mars. Their mission long since abandoned, Ares now salvages wreckage from the wasteland that was once their home.

    You are a leader of that effort; a professor and chosen interpreter of the Arora AI. However, centuries of bloom corrosion have taken their toll and resources are scarce. You spent the last decade searching for the Sunken City, a mythic trove of old Earth technology sealed away from the contamination of the surface. Arora says you’re on the right track, but time is running out.

    Some Distant Memory Review

    The controls are very simple, and this is one of its strengths, allowing you to focus more on the story. Each scene has limited play space and you move Professor Zay with the WSAD keys. You hold Arora who lights the darkness around you. Communication between the characters is done with speech bubbles and an inaudible garble. Each character has their own unique voice garble which helped you to discern who was talking when you would drift off into their world. This wasn’t off-putting at all and added to the overall mysterious atmosphere of the game. When the Professor comes across a relatively modern artifact, the desert sand crumbles, and she falls into a deep hole. Landing on a mattress, Arora has barely enough signal to communicate back to the Commander.

    Some Distant Memory Review

    As you navigate each scene you will come across objects that can be interacted with and you quickly realise you’ve stumbled upon an underground house which could be the famed sunken city. If some objects aren’t obvious, you can press ‘tab’ to scan the area which will briefly highlight them in yellow. Once you interact with these objects such as books, paintings, statues and newspaper clippings, Arora uses the data to form a digital fingerprint of that item. Details discovered from each item range from memories of that item, text messages, sticky notes attached to pages of a book, and so on.

    Some Distant Memory Review

    As you search further into the house and read more of the item’s history, Arora starts to put all the discovered data into memory scenes. These are objects that can be viewed once you have found the required objects in that room, and Arora will project a memory sequence of something that happened in that room. We discover that in this house used to live an elderly couple, their daughter and the daughter’s son. As you progress through the house, you start to piece together the story and actions of this family.

    Relationships between the characters are explored, as is the circumstances leading to the collapse and the downfall of human activity given the 21st century’s lack of care for the planet. The game’s futuristic sound effects and mysterious music really helps to put you into the shoes of the characters; not only the Professor who is discovering these items and memories but investing in the relationships of the characters within the memories. At the same time and amid the quest of discovery, there’s a calmness to the music and sounds that really adds to the atmosphere, drawing you into the story.

    Some Distant Memory Review

    There are some puzzles in the game, such as working out how to open the garage door, but all sequences and events happen in relative order, so you never get stuck and there’s always a way to progress. The map shows you the rooms you’ve discovered so far, memories you’ve seen, any incomplete memories, doorways that can be opened and some impassable sections. In the bottom right corner, a counter tracks the number of artifacts/objects that you’ve found. This is ultimately your measure of progress through the game’s 4 hours of content and is a helpful tool if you missed some objects in earlier sequences.

    Some Distant Memory Review

    You will need to do some backtracking at various points, but this makes sense as you piece together the story behind the characters and their relationships to each other which gets quite emotional. Without giving away spoilers, there was often feelings of impending doom throughout the game. Some parts were upsetting, some put a smile on my face with clever humour and the ending had me on my toes, hoping for the best outcome but preparing for the worst. It was a bittersweet ending to the game that left me hoping there’s more story DLC coming or a sequel.

    Overall, Some Distant Memory is one of those games for nights where you want to be completely immersed in a deep and meaningful story. Like cosying up on the couch with a rug and reading a good book, this game gave me those warm feelings despite the emotional outcomes of the story. The music and soundtrack, coupled with the hand-drawn art, brings together an impressive game that touches the soul and gives you light reflection on your own life.

    This review utilised a Steam key provided by the publisher for review purposes. Some Distant Memory is available now on Steam and Mac OS X.

    #gameonAUS


    Written by: @ChrisJInglis

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleEp 158 – The D*ckhead Edition
    Next Article The Asus ROG Phone II: Gaming Power In Your Pocket

    Related Posts

    Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger review
    GAMING REVIEWS February 4, 2023

    Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger review

    HAVING a decent gaming headset is all well and good, but it helps to have somewhere to store it when…

    Auro Of Worlds Key Art
    ACTION-ADVENTURE February 4, 2023

    Aura Of Worlds Review: Change My Mind About Rogue-Lites

    I don’t like rogue-lite games. It’s a weird way to start a review of rogue-lite game Aura Of Worlds, but I need to give some perspective.

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads

    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • APPLE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • ESPORTS
    • Events
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • GAMING HARDWARE
    • GAMING NEWS
    • GAMING REVIEWS
    • GIFT GUIDE
    • GOA
    • GOA PODCAST
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE GAMING
    • Industry
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • Press Release
    • PREVIEW
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SUBSCRIPTION GAMES SERVICE UPDATES
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger review
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Satechi 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger review

    February 4, 2023Royce WilsonBy Royce Wilson

    HAVING a decent gaming headset is all well and good, but it helps to have somewhere to store it when you’re not wearing it.…

    Nuts & Bolts Hero Card Ep 72
    GOA PODCAST

    Nuts & Bolts Ep 72: Jim Has A Spreadsheet

    February 4, 2023Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    In this episode of Nuts & Bolts Jim and Natty talk about a threat to the DOTA Lima Major in Peru, NZ Esports’s funding…

    Auro Of Worlds Key Art
    ACTION-ADVENTURE

    Aura Of Worlds Review: Change My Mind About Rogue-Lites

    February 4, 2023Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    I don’t like rogue-lite games. It’s a weird way to start a review of rogue-lite game Aura Of Worlds, but I need to give some perspective.

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2023. Privacy Policy. Website by Digital Hitmen

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.