Maeko's Memories

by carraka
Overall★★★★★★★★★★4.19
Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.79
Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.50
Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.20
Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.43
Audio★★★★★★★★★★4.16
Mood★★★★★★★★★★4.32
Ludum_Dare_44_2019-04-29_21-25-22.png

Maeko is a single mother with a 15-year-old daughter, struggling to make ends meet. One day she gains consciousness outside a curious shop, with no memory of how she arrived there. She learns from the proprietor of the shop that she decided to sell her life experiences, that is, her memories. Now she can’t remember what happened in the last three days. At all.

With her newfound credits, Maeko could choose to buy back her memories -- to learn what really happened to her -- or maybe just spend it all on a top-of-the-line audio system. It’s up to the player to decide what Maeko remembers … and what she forgets.

_All writing, art, and audio, created in 72 hours. Visual novel engine also created from scratch._

Note: In the original version first day of the game is playable (and you can also access Maeko's lost memories, if you manage your currency). In the full version, all three days of the game are playable, and with seven endings to unlock! Please base your rating on the original version.

Thank you!

Genres: visual novel
Tools: Unity

Comments22

finntastico
finntastico30 Apr 2019, 21:04
Nice,very moody game :) Like how the music and colors fit together.
Gear Steak
Gear Steak1 May 2019, 00:22
This is the first entry that I've given 5 stars across the board too. You came up with a really good concept and this could be something really special if you flesh it out into a full length game post jam
aCactus
aCactus1 May 2019, 03:56
I've enjoyed this game so far. The artstyle combined with the music give it the odd combination of being both moody and colorful, and everything looks really beautiful.

I say "so far" because I can't seem to progress past this point, as choosing dialogue options will only reload the same set of options.

this is on the downloadable windows version- i couldn't get the HTML version to load in my browser. if this is something y'all have already fixed, sorry for redundant report. :P

(Post edit):
i like the game so far! It was mysterious trying to figure out who i am without memories, and it was nice having at least a little bit of identity left. Avi is a good bean and im sorry for forgetting them. I havent looked at all the lost memories yet, but the ones ive seen so far have filled in lots of holes in my backstory while still leaving enough mystery.
Draconimous
Draconimous1 May 2019, 04:26
This was a pretty awesome game! the art and audio combined with the feel of the game really pulled it all together :) great job!
RumSquawks1 May 2019, 04:57
Really cool story and such a nice take on the theme! I'm definitely following along to see future updates.
Carraka
Carrakaauthor1 May 2019, 05:02
@acactus Thanks! We already fixed that bug, but good catch! Just for you, we've added a downloadable bugfix version, just in case you want to come bug-hunting with us. It's available on the same itch.io page.
jyrkface1 May 2019, 05:10
There is a lot to love about this game. Wow. Incredible art, and not just for the time crunch. I think what blows me away the most is the sound design. So So So good. Way too good for a jam game, but that seems to be the bar set all around here. 5 stars across the board. I wish I had more of them.
Carraka
Carrakaauthor1 May 2019, 05:13
@jyrkface Thank you! Our three artists murdered themselves around the clock pouring out an incredible amount of content. I'll pass on your compliments to our sound designer as well!
Fahim Faysal1 May 2019, 05:43
I love the concept and the mood.The art and music do a great job setting up the cyberpunk atmosphere. The mechanic also fits the them very well. You can either sacrifice your past life or your present one. The story is very intriguing. Great job on the presentation.
Unfortunately, I experienced some bugs. When you chase ari the first time the last dialogue choices don;t seem to work. Sometimes the character portraits would get squished if I went to the memory screen.
I think your plan to expand on the game slowly is good. I'd very much liked to play a bugfixed version when it's up.
Carraka
Carrakaauthor1 May 2019, 06:21
@fahim-faysal You can play a bugfixed version now! Just scroll up and select the link to the bugfixed version instead of the original build. We'll @ you again when we update with additional content as well.

If you're experiencing those bugs in the bugfixed version, just clarify - we'll look into it!
finalspace1 May 2019, 07:01
Wow, the art! Nice one!
mamoniem
mamoniem1 May 2019, 08:03
A nice telltale take for the jam!

-m
Dina
Dina1 May 2019, 09:22
Good idea and wonderful graphics!
Fahim Faysal1 May 2019, 11:03
Okay I finally finished the fixed version it and I really like it. VN games are a bit rare this time around due to the theme but this one was a treat. I think the story is quite interesting already. Keep working on it.
aCactus
aCactus1 May 2019, 14:09
@carraka thank you very much for the bugfix version! one thing i noticed is that I seem unable to repurchase my memories in the bugfix, although it was possible in the earlier version.
Tamail1 May 2019, 17:43
Oh this game is sooooo good! I love the idea so much! The art, the storytelling, the audio - I love it all. You did so much work, I'm so freakin' amazed by it. Great job, keep it up!
Nava2 May 2019, 00:19
What an amazing entry! I love everything about it!
SpiRiTs2 May 2019, 00:22
I really loved the art style and audio!!.. Amazing Job!
webthingee
webthingee2 May 2019, 00:38
We had kicked around the idea of a game like this. congrats. I didn't know how to pull it off, and you managed something really interesting, entertaining, and fun. kudos!
ant33310002 May 2019, 02:38
i really like this, it does a great job of throwing you right into the mystery! Good Job!
Marcus Gambit
Marcus Gambit3 May 2019, 13:30
Amazing work in 3 days. Even if it is not my favorite genre, I can see how everything is coherent : story telling, arts, audio and the implementation of the whole (I tried the bug bug fix version). Obviously an excellent take on the theme :clap:
Local Minimum
Local Minimum5 May 2019, 08:13
Well made! Very good mood and overall experience. I got to the same place as the screenshot above. I think fixing the bug there is well within the rules https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/rules. (I would also suggest marking your file on itch.io as windows so it can be run through the itch-app)

Other games by @carraka

Found a bug?
Tell us on Discord