You wake up in the middle of the forest, not knowing why and how you’re there. As you try to get out of there, you find items that remind you of your troubled past. This is the premise of Memorabilia. It’s a short interactive story game by Arkania that tackles themes of domestic abuse and depression. Granted you’re not triggered by its themes, you can expect a well-made game that creatively tackles a sensitive subject. 

Let the light guide you

Memorabilia provides a first-person point of view of a woman lost in a forest—or so it seems. As the woman, you wake up feeling confused and vulnerable. You can tell you’re in a forest, but have no clue how you arrived there. Using your Move keys (W, A, S, and D), you need to start walking to the nearest exit. The path towards the exit is littered with items you need to interact with.

Examining items is important as it will jog your character’s memory. While holding an item, feel free to examine it by moving your mouse around. You also have a flashlight with you which you can use to find both the trail and other items.  If you pick up items in the correct way, the game should run smoothly from beginning to end. Here are the two actions you need to follow to a tee.

The first one is to pick up items from a distance and not directly above them. If you don’t, the game will freeze and you will not be able to move. The second action is to pick up items from a stationary position. If you interact with items while moving, you will appear to float away from the location. Arkania is fully aware of these known bugs and has said that there’s no way around it, yet. 

Time to forge your own path

Memorabilia is a well-thought-out role-playing game that respectfully presents a very serious issue. It’s incredibly easy to ‘play’ as you only need to pick up items and let the voice-over finish. In addition, it’s also easy to finish as the light from your flashlight will guide you towards the path. Overall, it’s a game worth playing twice so you can see alternate endings.