Another Code: Recollection: A Reimagined Journey into Mystery and Puzzles

Ever since I started playing Another Code: Recollection on Nintendo Switch, one thought keeps recurring in my mind. It accompanies me as I solve intriguing puzzles and even during mundane transitions between locations. That thought is simple: I can’t believe this exists.

But let me clarify, Another Code: Recollection is not a bad game. Allow me to shed light on what it truly is: a “fully enhanced” pair of games that blends mystery and puzzle-solving. It consists of Another Code: Two Memories, which was released almost 20 years ago on the Nintendo DS (known as Trace Memory in North America), and Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories, which appeared 15 years ago on the Wii console but didn’t make it to the North American market.

Both games were well-received by reviewers, but they were never huge hits on paper. Although Another Code: Recollection features improved visuals, new dialogues, and additional hint and navigation systems, they are still essentially the same two games. Everything is now much more polished, but the foundation remains unchanged.

In both games, whose plot I won’t spoil, the protagonist is Ashley Mizuki Robbins. Ashley searches for clues about her parents’ disappearance. Players will follow her journey as she moves from one island to another, solving puzzles and seeking answers to unclear and missing memories. I can assure you that it’s much more exciting than it sounds, but it’s definitely not a fusion of Subway Surfers and TikTok.

However, even if the Another Code games were instantly exciting and attention-grabbing, it seems more and more that re-releasing older titles is just a concern for a few companies. It’s not a new problem, but for giants like Nintendo, it becomes even more complicated due to the availability of classic games on Nintendo Switch Online. Why release an entirely new version of something when porting older titles to a new platform is enough to satisfy most people? Digital versions of the same old titles, such as Golden Sun, seem like a much simpler solution than fully remaking them from scratch.

Moreover, let’s not forget the fact that the game creator, Cing, has been dead for over 15 years. Although the company released the well-received game Little King’s Story on the Wii a year before their bankruptcy in March 2010, most of Cing’s major games published by Nintendo remain in a sort of limbo.

Only by considering this context can you understand what I mean when I say, “I can’t believe this exists.” I simply can’t! Given all the reasons mentioned earlier, it’s hard for me to believe that Another Code: Recollection exists. While I don’t want to delve too deeply into its significance, I would also like to see games like Hotel Dusk and its sequel receive the same treatment on the Nintendo Switch. It feels like a miracle to be able to purchase a physical copy, especially since it was the only one available in the store on release day.

I hope that this approach will also be seen by people in positions at Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. I hope it won’t be surprising anymore when any of these companies release an old game in an entirely new rendition. (Sega, if you’re listening, I’m ready to give everything for a localized version of Valkyria Chronicles 3.) I have no idea how the costs of such projects are covered, and I instinctively feel that they weren’t explicitly calculated, but I don’t see any other possibility. So let’s remain open to the hope that Another Code: Recollection is just the beginning of a new trend. It may be hard to imagine, but I hope it leads to the revival of even more games that have long become mere memories for players.