A commercial for the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPLQSeBA28A
Not in English but it shows gameplay.
Initial plot summary.
Another Code: R (henceforth AC:R) is a 2009 release by CiNG (most famous for Hotel Dusk I suppose). AC:R is an adventure game, being the sequel to Another Code: Two Memories. AC:R was only released in Japan and the UK. Myself living the USA, I had to use nefarious means to play my legit copy of AC:R, but it all worked out. When it comes to the adventure game genre, CiNG happens to be my favorite developer. Their amazing works Hotel Dusk, Last Window, and Another Code blew me away when I played them years ago. Yes I'd previously played the old LucasArts and Sierra On-Line classics, but CiNG's releases were on a whole new level of story telling and immersion. So it was with great anticipation that I embarked into AC:R's world.
Unfortunately, AC:R did not live up to the standards set by its predecessors. But before I bring up the negatives, I will mention some positives. First off, the graphics are lovely, at least IMO. The characters are cel shaded and the backgrounds look like watercolor paintings. The OST consists of pleasant soft electronica. Controls work well, the Wii Remote is utilized via methods that I've seen no other Wii game employ. There are myriad subtleties to every aspect of the experience, and an astute player will be delighted in the finer details. The atmosphere of the Lake Juliet resort is tremendous, and I found great joy in exploring the virtual world presented here. Most importantly of all, AC:R focuses on an unusual protagonist who is portrayed honestly, openly, and without prejudice.
All of that said, an adventure game of this sort lives and dies by three things; plot, dialogue, and puzzles. And AC:R falls short in all three of those categories. AC:R's main plot is put to the wayside for about half the game while instead the focus shifts to a new character's subplot. This new character I found to be completely uninteresting and often annoying. His personal plight meant nothing to me and only served to deviate the focus of Ashley's original quest. On top of that, this "adventure game" is honestly more of a digital manga, due to overall balance greatly tilted towards character conversations. You will pour over reams and reams of banal dialogue, as characters ramble on and on about things which mean nothing to the grand scheme of the main plot. I understand this was done to build atmosphere and bonding, but the writing itself and the subject matter became so trite, I literally fell asleep a few times, while pressing A over and over again. Lastly the puzzles in this game were obviously watered down to appeal to the most casual player imaginable. This aspect was perhaps my greatest disappointment, because CiNG had created some truly amazing and devious puzzles in their DS adventure games. Not so here, there was actually only one singular puzzle in the entire game that made me have to scratch my head for a minute. Due to the lack of difficulty in the sparse puzzles provided, I found the most difficult aspect of AC:R to be simply surviving the many torrents of vapid dialogue.
So at the end of it all, what was I left with? A disappointing sequel from a developer who I had once believed could do no wrong. The clever graphics, great music, fabulous atmosphere, and noble intentions aren't the core of an adventure game. The core is the writing, the writing, the writing. And I am afraid Rika Suzuki fumbled the pen with this one. I honestly don't know if it was self indulgence or a rushed development that lead to that. Sadly it doesn't matter, this was a botched opportunity to expand CiNG's presence into the console realm. While I admire the intention and concept of Another Code: R, and I did have fun with it at times, I was simply not blown away like I usually am via CiNG releases. That said, AC:R is not a bad game, just a compromised one. I would still cautiously recommend it to hearty adventure players with a Wii in their living room. Exploring Lake Juliet is fantastic fun, but putting up with its occupants' banter not so much. Another Code Rent this one.
My personal rating: 7/10
Final save said I invested 24 hours into my first playthrough. That was with taking my sweet time, suffering narcolepsy, and not using a walkthrough.