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The reason reviews have said that Another Code feels like a step backwards seems to come from the idea that items can't be picked up until needed.
I speak from absolutely no experience, but I kind of get the impression that Another is going to be somewhat "small".
It's like, some adventure games just throw items all over the place. And they're the only thing that seems "real" about any room you go into. And you're just supposed to run around, scoop up everything in sight, and whenever you see something that something can be used on, you just dig out your bag-o-crap and start attempting to mash some things into other things at random, until something clicks. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Another seems to want you to explore. Appreciate all the rooms. Take in all the details. Then when you hit a problem later on, you're supposed to already have an idea on how to solve it. If you don't, then you go back and explore some more. If you just go back and look for an "item" in a room, then that's the cheap way out.
I think it's a "philosophy" thing, seperating Another from more typical adventure games. It might be small, but they're trying to do more with what they have. Maybe it's because of hardware limitations. Or developer inexperience. Or maybe it's just an artistic thing.
Of course, I could be wrong about the entire thing.
Either way, it's the sort of game that doesn't come around very often, and I'd like to see more of them on the DS, so I'll take what I can get.
(Hay Microsoft! Port the SNES Shadowrun to the DS already! And give it a sequel, damnit!)