Gamescom 2017 round-up: Part 2
Forgotton Anne
by Peter Färberböck
At the Square Enix Collective booth, we saw Forgotton Anne, a new story-driven 2D adventure game from ThroughLine Games that mixes platforming and adventure gameplay. Its visuals closely resemble various anime series and games, especially its cinematic cut scenes. In Cologne, we had the opportunity to play the demo.
Forgotton Anne tells its story in a world of forgotten objects that mixes in a hint of steampunk with fantasy and anime visuals. Anne and Master Bonku are trapped in a lonely world of machines and abandoned buildings, seeking a way back home to the world of humans. So-called “Forgotlings” serve them in this very peculiar place; they are talking objects, like shoes and lamps and other things that have been lost and forgotten.
One day, this magical place is attacked by rebels, causing chaos. Anne rushes out to keep order among her subordinates and to assess this critical situation. From this very moment on, we learn more and more about her own past and gain a better understanding of this world she now lives in.
It is probably safe to say that Forgotton Anne plays best with a controller, as a lot of jumping and climbing occurs. In addition to that, the protagonist is able to fly. You’ll sometimes have to combine these abilities to reach your destination. While most of the challenges during the gamescom demo were easy to deal with, and this is not the type of game where dying appears to be an issue, some parts might require at least a bit of skill and timing.
Aside from that, we were never under the impression that we were simply running through just one of many procedural levels. All objectives are closely derived from the story, which relies a lot on cut scenes and fully-voiced dialogues with NPCs. According to writer Morten Brunbjerg, the script for this cinematic adventure game is approximately 400 pages long. Branching dialogues are the main reason for that.
There is choice and consequence in the game. Naturally, the story won’t change entirely and decisions are typically limited to two real alternatives, but still, it is possible to choose between life and death, or how you want to treat Forgotlings. Do you want Anne to be strict or more easygoing? It is your call. Even though the story won’t be extraordinarily long (around six hours), details like this might justify a second playthrough for some players.
Puzzles are involved as well: Anne has the power to draw living energy from an object and move it, allowing her to fix and disable mechanisms, or even kill and revive Forgotlings. Usually there are several energy sources you can draw from, so it makes sense to explore the 2D environment first before you decide. This is one of several gameplay elements that are introduced along the way. There may even be some sliding puzzles.
While the gameplay of Forgotton Anne left a good first impression, what really stood out were the anime cut scenes. The games by Level-5 (like Professor Layton) come into mind, in the most positive way. Animations could be a bit smoother at times, but nevertheless, it is already impressive at this stage, particularly since this project from Denmark has neither a huge budget nor a huge team behind it.
Other than that, we enjoyed the intense orchestral soundtrack performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra a lot. The score does support the atmosphere quite nicely and contributes to a very sound overall impression.
There is no exact release date yet, but Forgotton Anne could be available on PC (Steam), Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 later this year. The first minutes of gameplay were very entertaining, and both story and presentation seem to intertwine in a convincing manner. People who enjoy the anime look and do not mind the platform aspects should definitely keep an eye on it.
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