Anima is a fascinating series. Created by The Anima Project, the franchise began as a tabletop role-playing game before branching out into other forms of media. It features a dark fantasy world with complex themes and mysteries for fans to uncover. In 2011, a third party developed the first video game in the series, titled Anima: Ark of Sinners; however, it was poorly received due to its unfinished state upon release. Despite this, that game ultimately inspired the creator of Anima to step into the world of game development himself, eventually leading to the release of Anima: Gate of Memories in 2016.
While the original Gate of Memories featured surprising depth and solid gameplay, it was also held back by the development team's limitations at the time. The game had rough edges that many players weren't willing to overlook, and unfortunately, issues with the publisher resulted in the title being a complete financial loss for The Anima Project. In many ways, Gate of Memories was a "failure"—a title most developers would have given up on.
But then, something happened.
After dealing with legal issues for years, The Anima Project regained the rights to Gate of Memories and set out to make things right—to develop the title into what it should have been from the start. They took a game that already possessed a solid foundation and fun mechanics and further refined it. They completely overhauled the graphics, polished the gameplay, and expanded the title in entirely new ways. This is the definitive version of both Anima: Gate of Memories and its sequel, and the perfect jumping-in point for fans both new and old.
That is not to say the game is perfect. Despite being a complete remaster, certain limitations still hold the title back. However, overlooking these minor issues is a small price to pay for solid gameplay that harkens back to the "good old days" of the PlayStation 2. With a unique structure that I can only describe as Legacy of Kain meets Nier, it is an incredibly dense package featuring dozens of hours of content and a world you will truly want to explore.
The World of Anima:
Anima: Gate of Memories I & II Remastered is a package of two stories in one: first, we have the original Gate of Memories, and then the companion story, The Nameless Chronicles. Both titles take place during the same period but show two different sides of the same coin.
The story of Anima is both dark and complex. In Gate of Memories, players are introduced to a young woman—known as the Bearer—who has made a deal with a talking book named Ergo, an act that deleted her own name from her memories. Ergo was once a powerful being said to have threatened the world and nearly led to its destruction before being sealed away in his current book form.
The story begins with the Bearer and Ergo working for the Order of Nathaniel as they set out in search of powerful artifacts known as Byblos. This search leads to an encounter with a strange woman and ultimately sets them on a path to discover the Tower of Arcane—a mysterious magical place where dark secrets are locked away and memories come alive.
Together, the Bearer and Ergo investigate the tower and learn about those connected to this strange world. These discoveries lead them to uncover more not only about the world but also about themselves and the Order they serve.
Storytelling:
The storytelling in Anima: Gate of Memories I & II is split between multiple styles. The cutscenes are, admittedly, a bit lacking; they mostly feature characters frozen in place with little to no animation. This is a drawback the developers themselves have acknowledged in our interview with them, as they chose to prioritize their resources on the gameplay instead. Thankfully, these scenes make up only a small part of the story, with the vast majority of the narrative delivered through environmental storytelling and the documents players discover along the way.
When finding these notes, the main character, the Bearer, narrates them—and most are surprisingly substantial. While some simply explain the world, others dive deep into the backstories of the protagonists and the antagonists encountered at the end of each section of the tower. These plotlines are often quite surprising and tend to be the most interesting parts of the story. They also develop the lore further and teach players about the world "outside."
Along with these notes, the Bearer and Ergo constantly banter. While much of their dialogue concerns their current circumstances, we also see their relationship develop throughout the adventure. Ergo loves to tease the Bearer, calling her "Baby" every chance he gets, and often comes completely out of left field with his comments. One standout moment is when he randomly sings his own version of the Reading Rainbow theme—it is simply genius and a major "blast from the past" for those who grew up in the '90s. This is where the story shines brightest, easily making up for the underwhelming nature of the initial cutscenes.
Exploring the World:
The gameplay in Anima: Gate of Memories is a bit deceiving at first. While the game opens with a mostly linear section followed by a generic puzzle, this is only a mini-tutorial to help ease players into what is to come. Upon finishing the introductory boss battle, the second playable character—the human form of Ergo—is unlocked, and the entire world opens up; this is the true Gate of Memories experience.
Once the protagonists arrive at the tower, players are free to navigate the rooms and explore every corner. Multiple puzzles and doors will block your way, but by completing them, you can progress to the main sections of the world, of which each floor of the tower has several.
By passing through one of the main doors in the tower, the characters are transported to semi-open worlds with multiple paths to explore. Once again, these areas are littered with puzzles and items to find, along with various enemies and bosses to take on. Each area centers around a unique theme, making them vastly different from one another in both style and size. One early area is a massive open grassland with paths leading to different dungeon-like sections, while another is more enclosed, themed after a haunted mansion with hidden rooms to discover. Regardless of the setting, the game is fully focused on exploration, with puzzles and traps to mix things up. Although players can freely travel to these sections at any time, there is a clear intended order; being under-leveled will make things significantly more difficult.
After players have cleared the initial areas, the higher floors of the tower are unlocked, presenting even more challenges. With more areas open comes more backtracking, as new discoveries often provide key items or abilities that allow you to progress elsewhere. This is where the game's Metroidvania aspects come into play, which can lead to players getting lost quite easily. Thankfully, there is a map to help guide you and fast-travel points to be unlocked, though not all areas can be accessed so easily. Sadly, this means traversing one particularly frustrating spike-trap area—introduced early in the game—more than once, as well as tackling some challenging platforming puzzles. While this doesn't happen too often, some players will surely dread a return visit.
Moving past these hangups, the overall world is designed very well, with plenty to see and do. Enemies are also unique to each area and often require the use of both characters to overcome. This leads directly into the combat system, which makes up the second half of the core gameplay.
The RPG Combat System:
At its core, Gate of Memories is an action RPG split between two characters. The Bearer and Ergo are both playable, and each possesses their own set of skills and abilities. While there isn't a vast distinction between the two—as they tend to have their own versions of technically the same abilities—having two characters means having two health bars; a weakened character can be swapped out to protect them. However, this isn't always a perfect escape, as light-colored enemies can only be defeated by the Bearer, while darker-colored ones are reserved for Ergo. This requirement ensures players use both characters without needing to master two entirely different playstyles.
The main differences actually arise from customization. Every character has a normal attack, a heavy attack, and a magic attack, but specific skills and abilities can also be equipped to shortcut buttons. While both characters obtain similar attacks, players can choose different loadouts for each. This effectively allows for two sets of skills to be available at any time, providing even more reason to switch between them. Both characters level up together, thankfully, so players can freely spend gained skill points on both to keep them equally developed.
While this system isn't as deep as a typical RPG—resembling more of what one would expect from a character action game—it aids the natural progression of the story and prevents players from wandering into areas they aren't yet ready for. That said, the game’s open nature does allow for some sequence breaking; it is possible to beat the "third" boss before the first two, which is something I personally encountered, leaving me overpowered for quite a while afterward.
The Remaster:
With the remastered version of Gate of Memories and its sequel, a lot has changed. While the original release had solid core gameplay, it was noticeably lacking in many areas. This was understandable, considering it was The Anima Project's first video game, and both time and funding were major factors. Those willing to overlook the original's lack of detail and sometimes awkward controls could still find an enjoyable experience to lose themselves in for hours on end. With the remaster, however, it is a different story.
While the core remains the same—meaning we are still missing full-motion cutscenes—the visuals have been overhauled to the point where some areas of the game are nearly unrecognizable. While the geometry may be the same, the upgrades to the textures and the placement of environmental objects make it look like a new world. Every single inch of the game has seen a revision, which is exactly what many fans would have wished for in the original release.
Along with the visuals, the combat system has been improved, and multiple other quality-of-life upgrades have been incorporated. There are also some surprises to be found, which I will leave for players to discover for themselves.
Overall, these improvements represent what Gate of Memories always should have been. Finally, after a long legal battle, The Anima Project was able to make that vision a reality.
Should you play it?
Anima: Gate of Memories I & II Remastered isn’t a game that will appeal to everyone, but for many, it might just be the hidden gem they have been hoping for.
Fans of the original two games will know what they are in for and will be happy to see the series in this new, definitive form. As for newcomers, this is truly the type of game that appeals to players who "miss the good old days" of 3D adventure games from the early to mid-2000s. While the combat system isn't overly complex, the exploration-based gameplay makes it easy to immerse yourself in the world and spend countless hours exploring.
While some puzzles and platforming sections can be a bit annoying at times, they are only a small part of the overall experience. Additionally, while the lack of animated cutscenes still holds the game back, these moments are mostly reserved for the opening hours; environmental storytelling, found documents, flashbacks, and amusing character banter fill the rest of the game. It is a minor complaint in the context of the overall package, though it may initially put some players off since it is the first thing they see. Thankfully, things change rather quickly, so all we can say is: please push past the intro before judging this book by its cover.
Overall, Anima: Gate of Memories I & II Remastered is a fun callback to the adventure games of days gone by. Players can easily immerse themselves in its unique, dark world filled with mysteries, but it is the exploration that will keep them coming back for more.
VERDICT: Recommended
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
Review Copy was Provided
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