EMMA: Lost in Memories Reviews

I must admit that Emma: Lost in Memories is a hard game for me to review. On one hand, it's has a really novel idea that I love. On the other hand, it's main flaw is pretty glaring, and if it's price wasn't so low or if steam had a "Neutral" rating, I probably wouldn't be recommending it. [b]• Minor Pros[/b] - While some of the reviews here say that the game is too short (and for the average game, it indeed is), I feel it lasts exactly long enough that all it's concepts are well explored, but short enough that it doesn't become boring or drawn out. [b]• Pros:[/b] - The hook of the game is amazing. It's innovative in concept and well executed. It ties in with the story too, which is nice. - The overall mechanics are simple, yet fully explored. Despite having only three buttons (or less, in the later stages), the levels never got repetitive. - The Feather Collectibles offer some replayability and, in most levels, create a whole new challenge instead of only making the original challenge slightly harder. [b]• Minor Cons:[/b] - The difficulty curve is not the best. It wasn't uncommon for me to struggle with a level, only for the following two or three to be a breeze. - Yes, most of the times you make a mistake you die and restart pretty quickly. Still, it was not uncommon for me to realize I had messed something up and then spend a couple of seconds looking for a wall of spikes or pit to throw myself into, which doesn't feel good. It's very nitpicky and less relevant later on, where 3/4 of the level kills you, but I don't think a instant reset button would hurt. [b]• Con[/b] - The only big problem I have with this game is that it's focus as a puzzle platformer fades over time, and it starts becoming a relentlesly difficult precision platformer. This becomes pretty clear at the halfway point and forward, where in many levels you quickly figure out how to reach the finish line, but actually getting there can be pain. It harshly diminishes the initial satisfaction of solving the puzzle, and devolves into a endurance test of trying to succeed in two or more almost pixel-perfect actions in a row. Since sometimes the solution involves this kind of platforming, it can also be hard to distinguish jumps you are supposed to make to solve the level and jumps you can't make at all. (Sorry for any grammar mistakes. English is not my native language, but I feel like this sort of feedback is important for the developers, specially since I liked the concept of the game so much.)