A second chance
Back in 2016 there was a little game that ended up making a huge impression on me. Anima: Gate of Memories was an unknown title from a small developer that ended up consuming me for a month. I still to this day recommend it to people. It felt like it came out of nowhere and was forgotten just as quickly. They made a sequel that basically repeated the cycle and since then, nothing. Now in the glorious year of 2025 we are getting a collection of both games with some upgrades, and there has never been a better time to dive in. Anima: Gate of Memories I & II Remastered is a collection of hidden gems that people need to pay attention to.
I am not going to go deep into each game as we have existing reviews for both games. You can find them here and here, so give them a read. I covered the first game, while the second was tackled by my colleague Anthony, and we both really enjoyed both titles. Give those reviews a read, this review will focus mostly on what has been upgraded for both games.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
A quick elevator pitch of both games is that you play as The Bearer in the first game as she is forcefully connected to Ergo and they fight together. The second game serves as a sort of companion piece to the original connection of the story. The game feels a lot like Nier in the sense that it focuses on action, wild storylines, and just an ambience that feels unique. The combat is stiff, but fun, and the lore throughout the game kept me guessing and wanting to uncover more. It is truly one of the most interesting games I have ever played.
So what is new in this collection? The biggest and most obvious change is the visuals. Both games have been rebuilt from the ground up for modern platforms. The game is an open world adventure so when I booted up the originals and ran them side-by-side, the difference was notable. Environments are better lit and have more detail. It is worth noting the original game was almost a decade ago, but I still wouldn’t confuse this remaster for a modern game. It looks better, but the bones remain the same.
This is immediately evident once I started playing. The combat in the original was clunky with stiff animations, and that remains the same here. While they have rebalanced the combat for this release, it still has its issues. Some enemies spam distant attacks and forced me to constantly spam the dodge move looking for an opening. The lock-on mechanic still feels awkward, but once I got back into the groove it was fine.
One of my biggest issues with the original game was its lack of direction. I spent a ton of time not knowing how to progress. That has been addressed here, but not quite as much as I hoped for. I don’t need giant arrows showcasing the critical path, but a little more direction in similar looking areas is appreciated. The new visuals make it easier to figure out, but there are still times I needed to look up what to do next.
The platforming sections were also a sore spot due to the stiff controls. This hasn’t been addressed as the controls feel exactly the same as in the original. Again these are minor quirks I just would have loved to see ironed out.
The Anima games are unique in almost every aspect, and in a world where everything seems to want to be the same thing, it is a breath of fresh air. I loved these games when they came out originally, and I loved revisiting them for this review. If you never got a chance to check these out, I cannot recommend them enough. Sure, they have hard edges, but once you get past those, both games are some of the most interesting and unique action RPGs I have played. Definitely worth checking out.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
