Trace Memory - DS Game (Retro Fam)

Until recently, the only 2 DS games I had were Metroid Prime: Hunters and Meteos. Finally deciding to at least built up a good library in spite of the town's absolutely dismal selections, I heard Trace Memory was incredibly great despite its short length. Against better judgment since a short game shouldn't be full price, I got it and I can actually say that it is quite an intriguing game to pick up. You just wish that it was either longer or that the game was cheaper like my 10$ Feel the Magic was.Story: You play Ashley, a 13 year old girl travelling with her aunt who gets invited to Blood Edward Island. Turns out her father, who was supposed to be dead, wanted her there and is on the island. Her aunt Jessica sets out to find her but doesn't come back so Ashley sets off to find her father and Jessica, a murder mystery and another one concerning something called "Trace".Graphics: It's not really the most graphically sound game. Your top screen acts as a kind of basic area look giving you a more detailed view of your changing surroundings while you move Ashley with stylus or D-pad on 2nd screen which shows the area in a top-view. Now and then a puzzle will appear on the 2nd screen with varying designs and your top screen tends to be more story based such as conversations.Sound/Music: No voice acting that I can recall but the music was quite relaxing and I even started to hum it a little bit. It's probably not something that you'll be downloading or purchasing but what's there.

"Trace Memory" can be summed up as a point and click mystery with a couple of twists for the DS. You play a young girl travelling with the aunt who raised you to a mysterious island to meet your father, who you believed had died years ago. Before long, you find yourself separated from your aunt and exploring the island with a ghost who has lost his memories of his previous life.The gameplay is pretty starightforward; you explore your surroundings on a mostly preset path with numerous puzzles scattered throughout. The graphics are prtty good with a Japanese-influenced style on the characters. Most of the puzzles utilize the DS's special features, sometimes in pretty unique ways. They can at times leave you a bit stumped, especially if you aren't familiar with everything the DS can do.The main drawbacks of this game are its short play time and the lack of freedom to really explore. You can finish the game in just a few short hours and it's tough to miss anything the gam wants you to see. There are a few little bit of story you can skip over and supposedly playing through a second time gives you a special bonus, but chances are you won't want to play through the game more than once or twice at most. Still, it's a fun and engaging experience and you will feel pretty good about yourself when you suddenly figure out a puzzle that's been stumping you. It's good as a rental or if you can find it for below retail.

I just finished Trace Memeory and I really enjoyed it. It's about this 13 year old girl named Ashley who, until a few days ago, thought her father to be dead. She travels to Blood Edward Island with her aunt Jessica to discover the truth behind her mothers death and her fathers disappearance. The game is straightforward for the most part. It took me only 5-6 hours to complete over the course of 2 days...and a lot of the time the game was on without me playing. But of course, there are the pros and the cons.Pros:-Simplisitic, usar friendly game play-Good story-line-Decent graphicsCons:-Tedious puzzles at times-To short