Review: Anima Gate of Memories Remaster – A Classic Reborn

Review: Anima: Gate of Memories I&II Remaster – A Classic Experience Reborn

The Anima franchise returns with a remastered bundle that brings both Anima: Gate of Memories and its sequel back into modern platforms. While the collection offers technical stability and mild visual upgrades, it remains deeply rooted in the design principles of its original 2016–2018 releases. The result is a package that respects its classic identity but doesn’t fully embrace what a modern remaster could have achieved.

Built upon the wider Anima universe—spanning tabletop RPGs, novels, and lore-heavy narratives—the story follows The Bearer and her enigmatic companion Ergo Mundus, navigating a world filled with philosophical undertones and branching pathways. The narrative still carries weight, but the delivery relies heavily on reading lore documents and navigating ambiguous objectives, making the journey both intriguing and occasionally disorienting.

World Design & Exploration

The remaster retains the original’s labyrinth-like structure, where interconnected levels offer multiple branching routes, hidden rooms, and areas that don’t appear on the map. For players who enjoy thorough exploration, Anima’s world still feels unique, mysterious, and rewarding. However, vague objective markers and the absence of modern navigation tools can lead to unnecessary backtracking and confusion—especially during side quests like freeing prisoners, which are hidden deep inside the game’s first labyrinth rather than the central hub.

Combat System & Gameplay Flow

Combat in Anima is functional but far from fluid. The game relies on basic combos, character switching, and ability usage to keep encounters dynamic, but sluggish animations and stiff transitions expose the age of the underlying system. Modern action RPGs have raised the bar significantly, and this remaster unfortunately doesn’t push the formula forward.

Boss encounters remain the highlight of both games. Their scale, creativity, and encounter pacing still hold up remarkably well, offering some of the most memorable moments in the collection.

Remaster Quality & Enhancements

While the visual touch-up is welcome—improved lighting, sharper textures, and enhanced stability—the remaster stops short of meaningful modernization. Character models retain their stiff animations, environmental assets remain dated, and quality-of-life improvements are virtually absent. Objective markers, improved UI, streamlined navigation, or polished voice acting would have elevated this release considerably.

Storytelling, Atmosphere & Sound

Anima’s storytelling leans heavily on cryptic lore entries and thematic undertones rather than direct exposition. The atmosphere is strong—supported by somber music and stylistic environments—but the limited voice acting and minimal cinematic presentation may feel dated to today’s players.