Author Topic: Amnesia: Later x Crowd (Switch) Review Mini  (Read 5416 times)

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Offline Shaymin

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Amnesia: Later x Crowd (Switch) Review Mini
« on: September 26, 2022, 04:46:00 AM »

I can punch that caging jackass in the face. 10/10, would punch again.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewmini/61682/amnesia-later-x-crowd-switch-review-mini

As would befit a game as big as it became for Idea Factory following its initial release, Amnesia: Memories attracted more than its share of follow-up content. Two of the most famous “fan discs” for Amnesia, “Later” and “Crowd,” have been combined into one cart for Switch release, and though the content does feel a bit out of balance between the two games, it’s a solid package if you enjoyed the original stories.

The “Later” game is a collection of vignettes that are unlocked following a common route that gives the main character amnesia (again…) and sets them out on a non-specific route that features interactions with the suitors, their female friends, and the manager at their job. After going to the end of the common route with a character, it unlocks a brief route with the female friends, four routes with the manager (one per the original four route characterizations) and extended post-story scenes with the suitors. And much to my joy, the Diamond Route post-story does feature them getting exactly what they deserved for the end of that storyline. The suitor routes, although they do feature dialogue choices, don’t seem to have specific bad endings (just a “friend” and “romance” ending each) - though there is a special post-story route with the spirit that unlocks once all of the other characters are handled. It was a nice and breezy read, even if it was a little light on actual gameplay.

“Crowd” features a couple of different game modes and certainly has more interaction. There are a group of minigames that include falling block puzzles, a cross between “Simon” and memory, and even some quick math. (All of which is themed around the protagonist’s job.) The “Suspense” mode offers a route with each suitor that plays out as a combination of novel and point and click adventure in the style of a Zero Escape game, though on a much smaller scale. The “Love” scenes are a brief sequence that can lead to exclusive scenes, and everything feeds into points that can be used to unlock even more scenes.

It’s hard to fully rate these fan discs or compilations of post-game content because they’re so dependent on how well the base game clicked with you, or if you weren’t satisfied with the handling of a suitor and want to see them get their comeuppance. Later x Crowd is one of the better fandisc treatments on the Switch, however, with a good mix of modes and two games worth of fanservice. It’s a definite recommendation after clearing the original.

Donald Theriault - News Editor, Nintendo World Report / 2016 Nintendo World Champion
Tutorial box out.