Memory's Reach News

Memory’s Reach is a metroidvania that focuses on exploration and puzzle gameplay. This is a game that you can take at your own pace and really dig into the mechanical functioning of the world.

For this month’s dev update, I wanted to run through some of the types of puzzles you’ll encounter in the game.

Please note: many of the screenshots below contain non-final and placeholder art.

[h2]Single Puzzles[/h2]
These are discrete, self-contained logic puzzles that usually come in the form of holographic displays. You access these from a terminal and solve the puzzle using its bespoke interface. Generally these sorts of puzzles are used to break up exploration and gate progress by unlocking doors or activating machinery and so forth.



[h2]Navigation & Puzzle-box Rooms[/h2]
These are challenges that incorporate the room or immediate environment. You will need to use a variety of the tools and abilities at your disposal to proceed. These could be navigation based (e.g. figuring out how to align a series of platforms in order to move around a room), observation based (e.g. identifying hidden features in a room), logic based (e.g. deducing how various elements of a room interact with each other), or mechanics based (e.g. solving the puzzle requires use of a bespoke mechanic or player ability). Many rooms involve a combination of several types.



[h2]Environmental Mastery[/h2]
Each level contains large-scale puzzles that span multiple rooms and often involve large portions of the wider level. You will need to become familiar with the level layout and how everything is connected together, understand how the mechanics can be used to interact with and manipulate that layout, and then apply that knowledge in order to proceed. Or put another way: each level is one massive puzzle!



[h2]Collectible Hunt[/h2]
Many optional collectibles are scattered throughout the game (more on them in a future update), and finding them all is an additional challenge. Sometimes these are rewards for solving some of the puzzles above, while other times they are rewards for exploration and finding hidden paths. Finding them all will help to unravel story and even provide clues to more hidden secrets!



[h2]Combining Them All[/h2]
Each area of the game includes a mix of all of these sorts of puzzles, and often in combination with one another. For example, while at times a Single Puzzle might be used simply to unlock a door, at other times one or more of them might be used as components of a Puzzle-box room. Meanwhile as you work your way through the level, opening paths, powering up devices, raising bridges, etc, you are actually setting up the conditions for the Environmental Mastery challenge to begin…

Wishlist Memory’s Reach on Steam.

I want to take a moment to talk a bit about the high-level design concept behind Memory’s Reach, and what I’m trying to achieve with the game. I’m aiming to build what you might call a “Puzzlevania” - a blending of the genres of adventure-puzzle (defined by a focus on exploration, narrative, and puzzle solving) and metroidvania (notable for their focus on expansive, interconnected worlds and ability-gated progression). I believe these two genres are well suited for mashing together into something new.


[h2]Game Structure[/h2]
In Memory’s Reach the primary gameplay comes in the form of interacting with and solving puzzles, while the overarching structure of the game is one of an interconnected world that gradually reveals its secrets as you solve puzzles and acquire new abilities.

It’s a structure built around the concept of ability-gated progression. While exploring the world you will inevitably come across locked or obstructed pathways and other inaccessible areas. But by solving key puzzles in certain areas you will acquire power ups that grant new abilities.

I’ll talk a bit more about abilities in a future dev diary, but some examples include things like a Range Finder, that allows you to measure distances and interact with distant objects; a Translocator, that allows teleportation across wide gaps and to hard-to-reach places; and Radiation Shields, which allow safe passage through zones of deadly radiation.

Returning to the previously inaccessible area with this new ability in hand, you can bypass the obstacle and access more of the game’s world. This loop repeats, and gradually over time you will amass an assortment of powerful abilities and unravel an ever increasing world to explore.


[h2]Always More to Explore[/h2]
In addition to progressing through the main story, these abilities will also allow you to access a range of secondary and hidden areas off the main path. It’s here that you will find optional collectible items (tied into the game’s story), and even some bonus optional abilities!

I want the world to feel like it continues to grow - there’s always more to explore, more puzzles to solve, and more secrets to find.

If you’re a fan of exploration based games, puzzles, and metroidvanias (as I am), then I’m aiming for Memory’s Reach to be exactly the game for you ːsteamhappyː

Wishlist Memory’s Reach on Steam.

Welcome to the first Memory’s Reach Dev Update! This is something I have been wanting to do since announcing the game last September, though it has taken me a bit of time to get the ball rolling on it (actually making the game keeps getting in the way). But going forward you can expect this to be a semi-regular thing, with new posts every month or two covering a range of topics about the game, including news, announcements, development updates, and even a few design deep dives.

For this first update, we're going to look back at GDC (with screenshots from the demo playable at the show), and a quick development update.

[h2]GDC 2023[/h2]
The Game Developers Conference, the big annual event on many a game dev’s calendar, when devs from around the world gather in San Francisco to share their craft, learn from others, meet, greet, do business, and drink an alarming amount of bad American coffee ːsteammockingː



I was in attendance this year with a playable demo of Memory’s Reach. This would mark the first time the game was playable at a major public event, having previously only shown very rough builds to friends and family and at one small local dev meetup. And the response, I’m pleased to say, was fantastic. People picked up the controls quickly, the puzzles made intuitive sense, and most importantly - they liked what they played ːsteamhappyː



The highlight of the week was the Bring Your Own Game event on Tuesday night, where hundreds of indies crowded into a pub with their laptops and Steam Decks to show off their games. I was set up at the far back upstairs corner of the pub, well out of view of anyone who was more than a few meters away. But despite this the game was never short of an audience, so much so that I was unable to spare any time to check out anyone else’s games!

It was a great opportunity to show the game to other developers and I walked away with a lot of great feedback and playtesting notes. I left the San Francisco with renewed excitement, eager to jump back into development.

And speaking of development…

[h2]Development Progress Update[/h2]
Development of Memory’s Reach is plugging along at a steady pace. A lot of time recently was spent preparing the build for GDC, so it’s good to be back and working on the full game. In fact things are about to ramp up considerably. Up until now Memory’s Reach has been a solo project, but in the coming weeks and months additional devs will be lending their expertise to the project. Specifically I’ll be bringing on board audio, narrative, and UI specialists, while design, 3D art, and code will remain my responsibility. I look forward to being able to share samples of their work in future updates.



[h2]Next Time[/h2]
That’s all for this update. Next time will be a Design Deep Dive where I talk about blending genres and take an in-depth look at the structure of the game. Keep a lookout for it by following on itch.io or Steam, and don’t forget to give the game a Wishlist while you’re at it ːsteamhappyː