I finished writing my review based on my experience. I know that some people love the game, but this is my opinion. Please don't attack me for it. http://www.appunwrapper.com/2015/05/01/forgotten-memories-alternate-realities-review/
^Im playing on the Madcatz Micro, and it plays awesome. The only flaw is that the controller support is limited into the gameplay so far and none in the menus yet, but Tato mentioned they just rushed it to get the MFi support out asap and they are working to put in full MFi controller support.
@EP, i think the small controller doesnt fits well to my hand since i have the small stratus too, i have an average hand size but maybe i just get used to console joystick thats why i prefer the big one. thanks for the quick imps on madcatz, im definitely going to get one this week . ps. the combat in normal mode (with MFi) will be disaster w/o the support on the menu
Get the bigger Madcatz controller if you're getting a new one. Should fit well for you and if it's really almost the same as the micro based on the reviews i have read, it should be awesome
I've tried few and I think the MadCatzCTRL is just awesome. What are your favorites MFI controllers? PS: We are updating the game guide with MFI controllers layout.
No attack from me - I largely agree. A very nice review. There are so many aspects of this game that are the best I have ever seen in a mobile title...well, now that I think about it...comparable to even the best Mac/PC titles (yes I'm looking at you Bioshock Infinite . My hat is off to the developers and their fantastic work and passion that obviously shines through. This game has incredible graphics, sounds, storyline, atmosphere, artwork, puzzles and performance. They all come together to create a very frightening and fun gaming experience *except* when combat is involved. The combat mechanics are truly a disaster and take away from the enjoyment of the game. The combat is very frustrating and often turns the game into a grind as you try to progress through the storyline while repeating the same areas over and over due to combat failure. The game goes from an A+ to a solid D when you enter combat mode. It is almost as if there were different developers working on each part of the game. Here are some of the problems: - Changing weapons during combat does not pause the action. So, as you fumble to move from ranged to melee weapons using the menu system, the hits keep coming. - When you are struck by an enemy you cannot reload any of your ranged weapons, before, during, after or in between enemy strikes. You need to try to run away to create enough distance to allow for a reload and any chance at survival. This is tough in close quarters as you cannot push an enemy away or push through enemies. I found once an enemy struck me while I had a ranged weapon equipped it was impossible to reload or switch to a melee weapon because there was not sufficient pause in the action between the enemy's hits. - Some of the enemies are only knee high and you often can't tell in which direction they are attacking you from in order to retaliate. This is particularly difficult with the range of the flashlight. As a result, you just die without seeing the true location of your enemy. You also cannot reach them with your aim reticule when they are right up against you and have to back up in order to strike. You should be able to hit them when they are on top of you. - Multiple enemies spawn and attack at the same time but without a ranged weapon you cannot defeat them. Hitting one leaves time for the other to hit you. Again, you have no realistic chance without a ranged weapon to defeat both....maybe you can line them up if you are lucky and hit both at the same time but the controls and your character's reaction/delay when struck are very clunky and make it difficult to maneuver into position to continue the fight. - Your stamina depletes in melee mode way too quickly and it takes too many hits to kill an enemy. I know the "1-2-3" combo will knock them out due to the increasing power of consecutive hits but it is very difficult to tell how far away the enemy is from your character when in battle in order to connect in consecutive attempts without a "whiff". - The mini-dot that represents your aim is not very responsive while in combat. The enemy movement and your reaction when getting hit makes it difficult to put the reticule in the right kill spot for the next hit. It takes several swipe/touch gestures to get it in the right spot and by then the enemy has moved along. Providing wonky combat mechanics does not make the game more challenging - it makes it more frustrating. There is nothing "old school" about making the player feel like they can't control the outcome of the enemy encounter through better/improved tactics. I'm surprised some of these combat problems didn't surface during the beta testing. All-in-all, I dread the combat encounters and usually just run away into a new area of the map to continue making progress on the story. This is a shame as combat can and should be another enjoying aspect of the game. Even the GTA series - with the awkward auto-aim assist is more manageable. Mobile combat for FPSs is always tough to get right but I would point to some other games like Modern Combat, Nova 3, Dead Trigger, Max Payne and even Doom for examples of FPS combat done smoothly and well. I offer these comments to the developers in the spirit of constructive criticism as I have a lot of respect for what they have created. I hope they make a ton of money! The game could just be so much better and I hope they are able to improve it for future versions.
Game Impressions Okay!! I made it about halfway through the game on Normal Mode, but eventually got a bit stuck, so I switched to Easy mode and completed the game. I promise I'll finish the game on Normal next! In these impressions, I may forget stuff, but this is the gist. Anyways, these are my impressions of the game. Hands down, one of the best iOS games this year. In my top five for sure. As I started the game, I was immediately sucked in. I don't mean to be sexist, but usually I avoid playing as a female character in video games (minus one of my fav games of all time, Tomb Raider 2013), so I was a bit skeptical playing as a lady in FM. But it was totally awesome, she deserved a bit of fleshing out, but I really like the protagonist. The story was deeper than I expected, and the ending made me want to jump to the future and play the next episode. Then, there's the graphics. I'm used my most powerful iDevice, an iPad Air 1. The post processing is console level, and I was amazed. For a free-control third person game that relies on flashlight effects and includes great shadowing, it's incredible how smoothly it runs. I also like how you can turn off the fx you don't want. The flashlight is pretty realistic, like when you walk up and point it at a wall. The level design is equally stellar, in most cases. Textures look good, and the placement of static and dynamic mannequins really amps up the fear, especially on normal difficulty. The backtracking was acceptable, the loading times are short, and overall, it's just a well made map. Dark, gritty, and sometimes confusing in a good way. Environments are also littered with clues and points of interest, which adds a lot to the experience. Puzzles weren't too difficult, save a single one that involved clocks. Normal mode is the way to play. The feeling that time is against you with your flashlight battery, the feeling of relief when you manage to save, and the overall fear of dying is much more fitting for such a game. I know some people don't like the floppy saves, but it's a fitting challenge in my opinion. But hey, that doesn't mean I don't like the unlimited-ness that Easy mode has to offer. Audio wise, it was excellent. The voice acting is strong. The sound effects have just the right kick. And I seriously can't get the main menu music out of my head, props to the composer. But lastly, gripes. Control-wise, it works great with just the touch screen, but sometimes the camera gets a bit weird. As I mentioned before, I got completely stuck on a puzzle involving clocks, and I ended up looking the solution up on PocketGamer. There's also the risk of getting hopelessly stuck if you run out of floppy saves and are low on health right before a difficult section or battle, forcing you to either win by luck, or restart the game altogether. I would want the option to turn off subtitles. The flashlight also doesn't seem to have the most realistic distance of light. And lastly, as frightening as the game is, I was still much more horrified by this other iOS game called Indigo Lake. That's just me I think. All in all, I rate 9/10. The devs created an great game that does the iOS platform justice in these horrific f2p times. Tato, epic work, looking forward to the next episode and updates for FM. You have my full support.
About my thoughts about the game. I have followed the game since I am registered here on TA. I admit, back then I was intrigued by being able to play a real Silent Hill on the go. The graphics were not believed to be possible. Fast forward to today. The graphics are still the best on mobile, no contest (if you are a sucker for this kind of dynamic lighting). But I stopped caring already 2 or 3 years ago. Great looking FPS came and went and I played some of them. Not on my iPhone, as it's display doesn't let them shine, but at home on my iPad. But more and more often I just switched on my PS3/PS4 and played much better (looking) games instead. On the go I totally switched to playing nice colorful games easy to pick up and put away quickly (even F2P ones but without ever spending serious money). So I must admit, FM isn't the game I would spend 5 on nowadays, but of course I did after following it for years. Graphics are there (even on my iPad 3) and atmosphere is too. And with 1.02 the game is even playable on the go. I tried but won't again. The atmosphere gets killled on the tram, which is one thing, but actually I won't because there is no cloud save. I have seen the intro part like 5 times now and first mannequin awaken for don't know how often. New version is welcome, but it didn't fix anything for me. Switch to another app and FM is gone. It seems to inhale the 1GB RAM of my device and taking away a few KB just kills it. I adjusted my play style, but seriously, a mobile game that I need to play at home in the dark and close all other apps for it to work? Alien Isolation and Evil Within are calling, more so now I can suspend/resume. iOS was meant for this, but even if FM isn't killed because I accidentally switch apps, picking it up later always means title and loading screen. I resume my PS4 games faster. So what I will do is to wait until I can jailbreak my iPad and use my dualshocks (sure wont spend money on a overpriced iOS controller) and hope for a couple of game versions with more problems to be fixed. I had some extraordinary patience with the game, because I waited so long for being able to play it. But starting over again for another few times will kill all atmosphere it has...mannequins already feel like a chore, not a threat. It is a pity. After 6 years the game should have had some of the glaring problems fixed in 1.0 but, even if repeating myself, I blame (the choice of) playtesters. They were obviously selected from the very hardcore that don't care much about us down here. At least they should have noticed that shaking your iPad, even at home, is most ridiculous...my wife was most bewildered.
Thanks, I had noticed that option, but did just always forget to check it early enough. But it is not only the cutscene, it is the fight too. I found it fine the first time, not even very hard. But the more often I play it questions come up, why being hit by plastic sprays blood and why it goes down visually undamaged after you hit it like 10 times. Sure some games have the same problem of not making the impact of a fight visually comprehensible, just that the repitition made it worse.
listen,i'm One of The Tester,of course i Respect you're opinion about The Game,but i want say something: we wasn't selected from Harcore Players,we simply Are Harcore player(Like me) and Others Testers,but also Normal players,When Someone say "It's Difficult this Game" but after have a reply that The Game it mean to be really Challenging,we all Respect this decision,For me It's not Difficult,i finish The Game hundreds of time using only The Pipe..but again,we're not all equal in gaming skill,and When we Start to test,The Game was more Difficult,with 50% less floppy and Medikit,we're talking,and they added more(Like The Launch Version) there Testers of every IPad,at The Beginning Enemy Grab Evasion was different,double tap on Both side of The screen,but we feel Like was unresponsible,and at The end,decide For The shaking One,but was that You evade after shaking,in The Launch Version there was a problem,where The shaking to evade take more time,and has been fixed in this update..but i Agree that push fast on screen It's better,and will introduce as an update..For what concerne The play on The go,this Game was/still to be For Longer session,better with headphones,lights out..
I didn't blame them for not being able to do more with their small team. As I said it is the problem of quite some games. I didn't even complain about it first time, thought the basic fighting was fine for such a game. The problem is, hardcore or not, many people have to repeat lots of the game, be it fighting or just collecting obvious stuff. It makes the game less scary and I don't remember that being the case in Silent Hill. But maybe my standards have risen and I just forgot about that. The 4,99, yeah, I don't even waste a second thought on them. I rather pay more money to get a great experience, never understood the "Is game X worth it at Y amount?". My time is too limited to play bad games. I don't call this one bad and I know many enjoy it, but for me (and quite some others) it has just been frustrating not scary. Not even hardcore, as far as I got difficulty was fine. Actually I died because flashlight energy went, I accidentally closed the app while shaking my iPad or just wasn't able to face an enemy fast enough.
I fully understand. The team wanted this to be hardcore/challenging and communicated this to the testers. They even put that in the description. So no need to give it to fresh unbiased testers who would represent 90% of the potential customers. The surprising thing is how fast the hardcore stance was softened after the '[unfounded accusation] playtesters' came in and found this too hardcore even reading that warning. About the shaking, it is not a huge thing, but stuff like that would not happen with like a dozen playtesters who never played the game adding to those who are naturally routine-blinded after some time.
Wow you went into even more detail about the combat than I did! As for trying to hit two enemies at once, I did try that when they were right next to each other, but it was so hard to tell if it was working or not. I still got injured and it was still hard to tell from which one. The enemies seem to injure Rose without even touching her.
I've seen your videos and from what I retain, you don't seem to have that much trouble with combats. The only thing you need to improve is your timing. You seem to deliberately hit enemies without any timing, they will punish you. All in all, even one easy mode you'll get hit if you never time your combos.
Mm-hmm, the update made absolutely no difference in that regard, unfortunately. Part of the problem is that the game was originally mobile-specific, but over time the developers firmly decided to aim for a multi-platform title, which isn't at all an issue in itself, but it was accompanied by the arrogance of ignoring the needs of the mobile platform simply because they wouldn't be an issue on the console destination the developers are hungrily eyeing. On a console, you probably would play a game like this in one place, in the dark, and for long sessions, but a console is not a mobile device, and their uses and purposes are entirely different. I don't have a problem with the limited saving mechanic in FM, other than the game's tendency to throw away all your progress if you try to do something else with your device at the same time, which is not a good thing when it affects a game that expects you to spend 15-20+ minutes between saves. That said, as for people not appreciating "hardcore" and "old-school" gameplay, the Alone in the Dark trilogy arrived on the scene well before Resident Evil and Silent Hill, were (and remain) much more difficult games, and still allow saving anywhere, even on iOS, so that's an argument that really needs to be put to rest.
