Indie Forgotton Anne

[radiofloyd]

Started this earlier on the Switch. Played the opening 20 minutes or so. The game reviewed well when it came out last year and the comparisons to Studio Ghibli were enough to convince me to buy it. 

 

 

The game is basically a side-scrolling adventure in a Ghibli-esque world, or something out of an Enid Blyton story. The setting seems to be a world where forgotten things go, most of the characters in the game seem to be objects and household items, things like that, but you play as a girl. There’s also an older man who is trying to develop a way to get back to the real world. From what I gathered. 

 

 

The game looks beautiful and the opening is very cinematic. 

[OrangeRKN]

I played this through (twice) a few weeks ago, the comparisons to Ghibli (and Spirited Away especially) are very apt - it's the closest I've ever come to playing one of their films as a game. It's beautiful in motion too. The cutscene art can look a bit off-model but in game everything flows so nicely. You know that satisfied feeling you get in a game when you walk up some stairs and the feet line up with every step perfectly? That's Forgotten Anne.

 

My only criticism is the slow pace, especially on subsequent playthroughs. The voice acting is good but dialogue can't be skipped, so it can take an age to get anywhere.

[Maryokutai]

Really liked it as well when I played it last (?) year. It was the artstyle that got me to risk buying it on a whim but the story and characters are really the strong points here. That said, despite some interesting choice options and potentially different narrative routes I've only played through it once because as OrangeRKN now confirms I always expected it to run out of steam during multiple playthroughs due to its pace.

I'd definitely recommend it though, the first-time experience is fun, unique and with some nice surprises.

 

Also, for the record, the game is called Forgotton Anne.

[radiofloyd]

Changed the topic title. I would never have noticed that!

[OrangeRKN]

I've played the damn game twice and never noticed it's spelt wrong

 

https://www.gameskinny.com/wyhye/egx-2016-forgotton-anne-i-hope-we-didnt-forget-to-ask-anything

The spelling of 'forgotten' with an 'o' is significant to the story, but of course you won't know how until you play the whole game.

 

It can't have been that significant then...

 

Just found this:

 

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/04/interview_recalling_forgotton_anne_with_developer_throughline_games

Push Square: One of the points that always seems to come up whenever we write about the title on Push Square is the spelling. Could you tell us the thought process behind the word 'Forgotton'?

Alfred Nguyen: Haha, yes – we’ve been a bit stubborn in insisting this way of spelling despite PR people advising against it.

Valdemar Schultz Andreasen: I think the PR team foresaw that we would have to answer this question a couple of times! Haha!

Alfred: There is no single reason, but it started with the intuitive desire to have the title stand out and be playful since the game takes place in this fantastical imaginary world. Language in general is very fluid and keeps evolving, so in keeping with the premise of the game, we imagine it as a forgotten way of spelling the word. The ‘O’ being a circle which is emphasized in the logo also has strong connections to both a theme in the game and the aesthetics. You’ll notice Anne is sleeping in a round bed and the magical Arca she is wearing is round and so on.

 

So I guess that's that!

[Maryokutai]

I only noticed it by chance on the Xbox menu screen at some point. It's easier to notice when the title is written in a "normal" font and not part of a logo.

 

As for the explanation, I never knew until today either. The circle thing seems a bit far-fatched but the part about its spelling being forgotten seems reasonable enough.

It's a nice little thing that adds to the other nice little things of this game.