Memory Girl + is a visual novel about a girl named Memori, who is searching for someone who disappeared from her life, someone very important to her. However… she has been here before. She’s the main heroine of a visual novel, but the main character… he’s gone. How did he disappear? Where did he go? Is this a glitch in the game? At least, that’s what she wonders. I first saw this game at Next Fest 2024 with one of the most underrated demos in that October lineup. Now that I’ve played it, it’s just as cool as I expected yet somehow filled with some plot points I didn’t see coming back at all.

A Short Visual Novel Experience That Far Exceeds Its Price

The game is a pure visual novel, which means it’s heavily story-focused with no real gameplay aside from the choices you make. You will travel to different locations to talk to people and find out what’s going on. You will have dialogue choices to pick from that might lead to an ending, reveal new information that you might otherwise have missed, or even unlock bonus content.

Three dollars for the game is an insanely good deal, even though it’s short. I think it’s a very well-produced experience, especially with the occasional voice acting. The game’s artwork is also stunning, and the designs for each character feel unique. I love the design of Memori’s friend Messiah and all the other various characters we meet. The level of quality here is comparable to any big-name visual novels you can find in the Japanese market, it’s just a lot shorter, but there’s nothing wrong with that when it’s designed to be this length. If you don’t want to get spoiled about any element, I would just say stop right here and go get it. It’s going to be worth the price regardless.

A Psychological Adventure We’re Left to Figure Out Alongside Memori

In some aspects, the game reminded me a bit of Serial Experiments Lain, particularly in certain visual elements and the surreal atmosphere. At times, you’re not sure what’s going on, and the glitchy effects mixed with odd horror elements keep you slightly on edge, even when nothing overtly horrific is happening right in front of you. The situation is anything but normal. There are some characters you meet who raise questions, along with mysteries about certain people that you have to explore or piece together through assumptions.

It has a huge psychological element to it overall. An adventure that’s just so hard not to spoil and one that I thought I’d figured out early on, but I was left guessing towards the end. It’s a game that makes you subtly question what you see and decide what was literal and what was just imagery that might not mean anything, all in the pursuit of figuring out what the heck is going on. That’s not just with the main story either. There are some characters, and some side elements, that I have so many questions about. Since you play as Memori, a self-proclaimed NPC in a game who has become self-aware, you’re playing as someone who doesn’t seem to know much either. She herself seems to be experiencing new things in this “loop,” the same days she has lived through since “he” disappeared. Which just makes the setting so much more perplexing in several ways, especially once you see the conclusion of Memori’s story.

My Final Thoughts

The main story is honestly fantastic, and I had fun trying to predict which direction it was going. Even after seeing the ending, I still have so many questions, and I kind of love games like that. I don’t think everything needs to be answered, and the fact that they managed to get me hooked on the scenarios and mysteries they presented in just a short two-hour playthrough already feels like a success. The bonus content in the game raises more questions than answers, some of which almost contradict the main ending of the game, which I’m really curious about what’s going on there (And whether or not there will be a continuation).

I hope the game can get more traction especially with an English speaking audience. The translation was excellent and I didn’t notice any real mistakes. I really want to see more from this developer. I do see that they have other games that are not officially translated, but I see some fan translations in English so I might go check that out. The creator’s name is cream△, I believe they have a VTuber channel and she also does voice acting in the game.