Again (Nintendo DS) - Review by Trent

Introduction

CING went defunct in 2010 after a steady stream of interesting emotional video games for Nintendo platforms. They had partnered with Tecmo to produce Again (originally known as Again: Eye of Providence) and after a while it was finally released. The question on everyone's minds, is CINGs latest title one of their golden hits? Or does it fail to live up to the standards gamers have for the company?

Gameplay

Again is a much more condensed and limited world then past CING titles. You will find there is a lack of puzzles in the traditional sense. Instead you will have "visions" which are essentially spot the difference and then a task for you to achieve sometimes within these visions.

But all is not lost, the story is typical of an American Crime Drama, and while CING hasn't expanded as creativity as in the past, the story has its good points and bad points like any other of their titles.

The story follows a FBI agent which prefers to be called J, rather than his full name and is joined with his partner Kate Hathaway. While the cast of Again is very much like your typical Cold Case episode or Medium, the story does shove a few left field ideas which stump you at various points which you would normally be pinpointing who did it to begin with. It's like a game of Cluedo which other people are hiding cards instead of playing the game properly. It might feel lowbrow and a bit boring at times, it does flow for the most part to give you an interesting experience.

J has a vision ability which allows him to see the past, a paranormal twist which seems believable to all who hear his story. Besides that shallow hindsight, the vision ability does add something fresh and interesting to the interactive novel genre on the Nintendo DS.

Controls

The game controls by using the touch screen and either of the button sets depending on how you're holding the DS (eg. Left hand or Right hand). The buttons are used to "walk" in segments which allow it. Otherwise for the most part your constricted on the touch screen, which you can either use a stylus or a thumb, as its quite finger friendly.

The touch screen can be used to select commands as well as looking around Crime Scene segments. Clicking on an object in these segments will allow you to examine the object. While holding down on an object will activate your vision sense.

Graphics

The graphics are quite appealing to the eye and fit well. While the actor cut outs feel a bit off, overall they fit in with the game and the style which is present within the title.

Sound

While not as memorable as other CING titles, the sound is still relatively fitting and emotional. It seems to fit in at the right times and is captures the moments well, but the tunes are overall very bland and typical of Drama TV shows in the West.

Dual screen

Again is played by holding the Nintendo DS on its side like a novel. The touch screen is used for selecting various commands as well as looking around the Crime Scenes. The non-touch screen is used for showing images of the character which is communicating with you as well as other prompts and the "past".

Final comments

CINGs works consist on dealing with the effect the past has on the future, a common theme between all of their titles of resent. Again deals with these themes in a more bizarre and American Cop Drama style, and while it does an alright job at that, it is riddled with issues which have shaved the game down to the core mechanics which make up the novel titles by CING. It is a real shame that Again isn't as good as their past titles, but on the same token if you take it more as a book then a video game, it feels much more accepting.

Pro: Story has a few left field turns which keep it interesting, Relaxing experience which all CING games deliver, Enjoyable despite its flaws.
Con: Lack of puzzles and sections which break up the novel aspect of the game, Controls are not as fine tuned as past CING Nintendo DS games, Story is a bit predictable and shallow at some stages.
Final score: 7.5

Share on Twitter or Facebook

Comments