Nintendo reviving a nearly 20-year-old Nintendo DS game for the Switch is wild

2024-02-03

GamesPuzzleNintendo reviving a nearly 20-year-old Nintendo DS game for the Switch is wildWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Nintendo)

Another Code: Recollection screenshot

Ever since I started playing Another Code: Recollection for the Nintendo Switch, a single thought has pervaded every corner of my brain. Any clever puzzle I solve, I think it. Every bit of dialogue, I think it. I especially think it every single time I have to somewhat jankily move from one place to another. What I can’t stop thinking is actually rather simple: I cannot believe that this even exists at all.

Each received middling to good reviews at the time, and have been fondly remembered, but it’s hard to consider either a slam dunk on paper. Even with Another Code: Recollection having overhauled visuals, new voice acting, and an added set of hint and navigation systems, the core games there are, well, what they are. It’s a much nicer presentation than ever before, but it’s still the same two games under all of that.

An improbable collection

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Another Code: Recollection screenshot

Without spoiling anything, the two of them feature protagonist Ashley Mizuki Robbins as she looks into her parents' disappearance. They largely follow her as she mucks about on an island and lake area, respectively, solving puzzles and looking for answers in relation to some troubling or missing or unclear memories. I promise it’s more exciting than that sounds, but it’s certainly no Subway Surfers TikTok mashup.

But even if the Another Code games were immediately and obviously exciting, attention-grabbing titles, it increasingly feels like bringing forward older releases is an afterthought for most companies. This is not a particularly new problem, but it’s exacerbated for the likes of Nintendo through the existence of Nintendo Switch Online’s offerings, which often include digital versions of classic games for subscribers. Why bother releasing an all-new version of something when the old ones, ported to new hardware, will satisfy most folks? Digital versions of the same old Golden Sun games, for example, are surely an easier lift than full-on remakes.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Another Code: Recollection screenshot

This context is necessary to fully understand what I mean when I say, “I cannot believe that this even exists at all.” I can’t! I simply can’t, for all of the aforementioned reasons, believe that Another Code: Recollection exists at all. I’m hesitant to hang any sort of grand meaning on its existence, though I would surely love to see Hotel Dusk and its sequel get the same treatment, but it feels like a wonder to have been able to go pick up a physical copy – the only one in the store, admittedly – at my local Best Buy on release day.

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It’s an attitude I wish we saw more of from folks at Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox, honestly. I wish it didn’t feel so surprising to see one of them pull a game out of mothballs like this. (Sega, if you’re listening, my kingdom for a localized version of Valkyria Chronicles 3.) I have no idea how the numbers even remotely work out, and it absolutely feels like they must not from the outside looking in, and yet anything else remains a shame. So, instead, I’ll hope that Another Code: Recollection is just the start of a new trend that’s simply hard to visualize, but one that helps bring even more games that were once only memories themselves to the modern landscape.

CATEGORIESWii-uPlatformsNintendo

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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2

1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

An improbable collection

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