Forgotton Anne Review - A Cinematic Adventure

Forgotton Anne is a 2.5D cinematic adventure that makes you feel like you are playing through an anime due to its visuals, but can it do more with its overall gameplay?

The game takes place in the Forgotton Lands, a place where all misplaced or lost objects go, however here they are known as Forgotlings and have a lot more character to them. We play as Anne, an Enforcer in this world who sets out to squash a rising rebellion that intends to stop her and her master Bonku from returning to the human world.

It becomes a tale of finding out who you really are and the unique premise makes it an enjoyable ride throughout. Characters have a lot of personality to them and the story isn't so straightforward at times where certain actions can determine the path you take.

Forgotlings themselves range from something as simple as a scarf, all the way to a giant refrigerator. I don't think the artists were at a loss on the kind of items they could come up with, but whats even more impressive is how much character each one is given. For example the refrigerator tending the bar because that's the only thing it knows from the real world.

The premise behind the game is being 'forgotten' about and every character you come across will share the same sentiment. Some in a rather light manner and others in a darker way. I found it a very interesting direction to go in, not only because of the creative ideas they were able to come up with but also the different character backgrounds and motivations that were present.

The world we play in is entirely run by the use of Anima, an energy source that is almost completely controlled by Master Bonku. He intends to use large amounts of this to start up something called the Ether bridge and through this has promised some forgotlings that they would be able to cross and get home, however not everything is at it seems. As you continue through the game, you really begin to question which side you should really be fighting for.

Obtaining and controlling Anima is a key gameplay factor and this is done through the use of something called the Arca. This is attached to Anne's wrist and can not only be used for what I mentioned earlier, but also to change switches and distil or take the natural Anima from a forgotling.

Not to worry, there isn't a way for you to go just go round distilling every character in the game as that can make advancing forward quite difficult, however there are certain moments when you will have to make a choice and it can of course positively or negatively affect the story and interactions you may have later on.

Anima can also be used to power mechanical wings that Anne makes use of during the platforming elements. These are used to reach platforms that are a little too high up for simple jump.

The visuals are definitely one of the biggest highlights of the game and really does feel like you are playing through an anime. Animations seamlessly connect to each other and look amazing and backgrounds are presented with a smooth painted effect.

Forgotton Anne is a finely crafted adventure. The visuals only immerse you further into the world and I enjoyed every step of the adventure. The characters and all their different personalities was a joy to interact with and I felt that the platforming elements were done just right.

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