The game is just beautiful. It has a great story that is very well told. Two very different people are dragged into a war they don't care about, as enemies. And when they finally meet, an improbable friendship develops (there is more to it, but I won't spoil it for you). The voice acting is really good (the Canadian is played by Elijah Wood, Sebastian Koch is the German). I like the mix of English and German voice acting. It gives the game a certain authentic feel. Doing the German scenes in English by English speakers with an accent would have been a mistake. The transitions between the two main characters are very well made. Especially when they are close to each other, without knowing it. I also like the two animals a lot. They add a lot to the feel of the game. They sometimes lighten up the mood, while the general tone is that this is a war without winners, fought by people who did not choose this fate and just want it to end. I also enjoyed the stylistic choice in terms of visuals. Not everybody will like this painting-like look, but I thought it really added to the melancholic feeling of the game.

Overall it was just a great experience. And I highly recommend this game to everyone who likes good story-focussed games. As far as I can see, there are barely any user reviews for it. And not too much going on on the forum. I get the feeling this game doesn't have the visibility it deserves. And that's really a shame. Guys, give this game a chance! It deserves it.

8.5/10

Let me preface this by saying I got this game in a Humble Monthly with CoD WWII, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro Reignited. I bought the bundle for those games, expecting the rest to be junk. However, 11-11: Memories Retold was a mostly pleasant surprise that gave me even more value for my money.

11-11 is very much a story-driven point-and-click adventure game. Gameplay consists of very few puzzles and generally uninspired tasks. In this way, the game is like a third-person walking simulator or a Telltale title. As a game, it feels quite thin.

Another major issue is the graphics. I get the stylistic choice to have the world represented like a series of paintings; it's unique. Hideously unpleasant on the eyes... but unique. The thing is, it often looks worse than a PS2 title. Edges are blurry and colours blend too easily, making things pretty difficult to see.

Despite these issues, I somehow found the game to be incredibly engaging. The story, while not original, was intriguing, focused and dynamic based on your choices. The audio design was flawless, from the mostly superb voice-acting to the fantastic, poignant soundtrack.

But 11-11's best virtue is its fully-realized characters. By fully developing its two primary protagonists - and the supporting cast - the game allows you to sympathize with both characters. This allows choices that affect them both to actually have impact behind them.

I had doubts about playing this title, but I'm glad I wound up giving it a chance. Overall, I did enjoy my time with 11-11: Memories Retold and would recommend it if you catch it on sale.

11-11 Memories Retold I've had my eye on for a while, so I was stoked to finally be able to fire this game up...and I was glad I did. This game is a stunner in many ways.


This story focuses on the lives of two soldiers from opposing armies during World War I, how the war transformed their lives and the lives of those around them, and how their lives became inexorably intertwined throughout. I thought it was a very interesting exploration of humanity as told through both antagonist's perspective, and a compelling representation of war. World War I is not often used as the setting in games, a pair of notable recent examples notwithstanding. Trench warfare seemed particularly terrifying, and that was definitely conveyed immaculately.

The story also goes back and forth between Harry, a Canadian armed forces photographer who follows a Canadian Major (Barrett) around, taking pictures as directed, and plenty of his own as well, in the pursuit of wooing his love back home AND achieving fame as a wartime photographer; and Kurt, a German farmer who was working as an observation balloon construction hand, but who then enlisted as a soldier after his son Max and his son's unit went missing, so as to try to find him.

The story was engaging throughout, and with what I understand are seven potential endings and a ton of lore in the form of letters and such found around each chapter of the game.


Gameplay in 11-11 Memories Retold is at its core an adventure/walking simulator style game, where simply moving forward and completing a couple tasks, from building or repairing an object to sneaking past guards, and so on, is enough to advance the story. There is a decent amount of exploration available in each level and each chapter, and there are opportunities to also play as a cat and a pigeon (lol), which offers even more exploration during those bits.

Some parts of the game are advanced through dialogue choices, which impact the overall outcome of the game. Similarly, you will write many letters or send pictures to loved ones at several points in the game, and these will also have an impact on the story. Other points in the game use a more traditional checkpoint system. There are also quick time events, although the counters are actually very slow, giving you plenty of time to mull over your decision in those moments.

Also, you can revisit any levels you have completed, to finish finding letters, or maybe try a story decision, or what have you, which is nice.


This painted world is a stunner. I don't believe I've played another game with this specific art style and direction. I thought it was pretty awesome really.


Elijah Woods and Sebastian Koch did a great job, as did everyone else on the cast. This was a superbly acted game with believable characters and interactions between them. The rest of the audio tracks were no less well done.


Honestly, just play it. This game is deserving.

That was a pretty intense 9 hours of storytelling I just played through. 11.11 Memories Retold looks at World War One through the eyes of a young Canadian photographer, Harry who goes to war to impress a girl. And a German engineer, Kurt who signs up to look for his missing son. It also looks at the Great War through the eyes of a pigeon and also a cat at points but we can get into that later.

If I could describe this game in two words it would be tasteful and respectful.

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PROS

+ engaging story. The believable script (for the most part) is the game’s strongest point. It is bleak and dark at points and just uplifting enough in others to make you forget all about the war before you are plunged back into it again.

+ top notch acting and voicework. Sebastian Koch and Elijah Wood do an incredible job voicing their characters.

+ artwork. The visuals may not be for everyone but I loved the impressionist style everything is done in. It’s blurry and hard to look at sometimes but then again that’s probably a metaphor for war.

+ music. The sound overall in the game is amazing from the menu screen to when the credits roll.

+ chapter select and skip scene options after you complete the game. In a game like this where there are multiple endings and a ton of collectables, this is always a welcome feature.

+ familiars. You can play as a cat and a pigeon. True this might be shoehorned in to just drive home the whole predator and prey, war angle but it also gives the game another vehicle to drive forward the narrative.

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CON

- I was fine with just the story. When the game tried to…well be more gamey it felt awkward. Stealthing seems weird and out of place.

- Controls. The controls are pretty clunky at points and things like lining up your character to interact with objects was a bit off at times. The poor controls were highlighted in parts where you had to move into cover to avoid sniper fire and your character responds like he’s wading through toffee.

- Story issues. The story overall was great but there were parts for me that I had to just suspend disbelief a bit too much. The game’s story is pretty serious and in points it loses the plot literally. There are some pretty incredible coincidences that happen too. But nothing so bad to ruin the game for me.

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So, yeah. The folks that brought you Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run now bring you a very honest, heartwarming and at the same time utterly desperate tale of two unlikely friends in the Great War. This story does not favour any sides and really punches through with the feeling of how human beings are all the same no matter how different we are. The world we collectively experience is subjective and ambiguous but there are stone chiselled truths that bind us all together. Love, hate, fear, passion, family, friendship and war. We need reminders where we honour the dead and games and other media that can remind us that even though war might be something we have never directly experienced, it has catastrophic effects on millions around the world and is something we need to put an end to.

World War I.

A Disaster for each Side. Both with different Opinion, but with same Feelings.

All starts with 1 stupid Decision.

28 June 1914, Sarajevo

Assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Austria-Hungary) & Wife Sophia Chotek, Duchess von Hohenberg killed by
Gavrilo Princip (serbia-national Group Mlada Bosna (Young Bosnia) & Black Hand brought July Crisis & World War I.

Now we can play 2 Characters Harry (Canadian Photographer) who want show Julia his Courage & Kurt (German Engineer) who is searching for his Son. Later you can control a Cat & can use of a Dove/Pigeon.

+++ easy 100 % Achievements (to discover the whole Game)

+++ very informative Extras when you find every well hidden Collectible/ Bonus

++ good Story with 7 Endings (sadly most Endings arent good, no perfect Happy End for finishing all 7 Endings, because it's War)

+ Sound is mostly fitting & good Speakers (Elijah Wood)

+ nice Level Design

+/- Graphics hate it or like it (for me its fine Art, something Unique, focusing on important Matter)

-- very short if you rush through the Game

- could have more Stuff & Extra (not always same Card Game & other optional Quests)

Good for Achievement Hunters & Story Fans who love explore Games to 100 %

Buy it with => 50 % Discount. Hope you like it. Happy Gaming. GL HF <3

Disclaimer: I got this game for free from the developers as a review copy. I work for Europeana, who was contributed some of the historical background and imagery for this game. That said, I personally have no ties to the developers, have not contributed to the game, and will try to give as much as an unbiased review as I can.

After playing through the first chapter of this game, I can't wait to keep on playing through the rest. 11-11 Memories Retold is a stunningly beautiful, story-driven, immersive experience that encourages you to explore, to feel, and to take in the events and scenery around you with every step.

GRAPHICS:
First of all, the most striking feature of this game is of course the art style. While watching the trailers I thought I would get tired of the impressionist brush-stroke aesthetic quickly, or that maybe the scenery would blend in too much with each other and become confusing. The opposite is true: a perfect balance seem to have been struck between style and function. The art never ceases to amaze me: the way that your character's brush strokes subtly stay behind and fade fraction of a second after you've moved, the way the colours dance and play on the walls of the tunnels as you hold up your lantern, and most of all the feelings that are conveyed through motion and colour scheme. The drab gray sky of Vimy seems still full of life and colour, the browns of the trenches make you feel like you're dredging through sopping mud.
There are times where I find it a bit hard to distinguish details, which makes finding some of the collectibles more of a challenge. I walked by a piece of collectible two or three times before I realised the swath of white paint was actually a scrap of paper.

SOUND:
holy moly this soundtrack. It's beautiful, orchestral, and conveys the emotions of the story perfectly. This is one of those games that have you inadvertently stare into the distance over the bow of your ship as you listen to the tones of the OST. Secondly, the sound design is great too. A bottle of wine sloshes around as you carry it in your hand. You turn your head when a seagull caws in the background. The mortars hitting left and right feel weighty, real, impacting.
The voiceovers are very well done. Knowing a bit of German, these clearly isn't some english-speaking actor that tried to fake German accents. In truth, the VO talent hired for this game speaks for itself. Also, Elijah Wood. What more would you want?

GAMEPLAY
If you don't like walking simulators, this game isn't for you. If you like story-driven narratives that push you to explore beyond the main storyline, and if you love historical background, this is a great game to pick up. The game clearly tries to balance its pace very well, although the first few hours may seem a bit slow to some. For me, it felt like I was getting settled in to the background of the characters and the context of the narrative nicely with this slower pace. The main storyline is very linear, there aren't really diverging paths to take. Some choices you make have an impact on what happens later in the story, but this doesn't go that much further than some changes in dialogue. I don't think there are different endings to this, although I have only played the first chapter. There aren't any sidequests, but you are enticed to explore the surroundings so you can find scraps of collectibles that give you background history and images from WW1. A few times I clipped on things I didn't think would obstruct me.
There's a few quicktime events (you have to twiddle some knobs to repair the radio, for instance) and minigames (e.g. a very basic card game). There's no real puzzles, the minigames just serve to further the story with voiceover narrative. For the rest, you walk around, talk to people, get some items, make friends, take some pictures, get letters from home, and overall just enjoy the storyline.

SETTINGS:
The settings seem weirdly...unfinished? I think the minimal style of the settings (sliders are made out of ASCII Characters instead of being actual sliders, for instance) is intentional, but to me it felt like they still needed skinning. The graphics settings are adequate, but there's no FOV Slider, which I found dissapointing. The first half hour of the game puts the camera very close to the back of the character (you play in third person), which obstructs a lot of your view and makes it a bit claustrophobic to play at times. The FOV changes with the story, and gets a lot better near the end of the first chapter.

CONCLUSION
All in all, I really loved the first chapter of this game. The pacing feels right, the characters real. 11-11 recounts the stories and tragedies of the first world war in a terrifyingly beautiful and engaging manner. For me it feels like these developers are doing right what TellTale gets wrong.

Follow our curator page, OCG Curations if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Pros:

+ Outstanding interactive storytelling
+ Heartbreaking stories about human lives during the war that make you empathize
+ Perfectly suits both casual and sophisticated players
+ Unique and memorable visuals
+ Protagonists are very emotional and humane, making player feel and commiserate every single minute spent in the game
+ Your choices really matter here and tail the story
+ Game focuses on delivering you the story and the spirit of adventure instead of bothering you with difficult puzzles

Cons:

- A part of the story is hidden in collectibles, which are represented as lost letters around the levels. Guess, developer's intention was to make players explore every single of the corner, but sometimes player can feel like he has no time for this exploration because of the intense action. Also, these letters are way too difficult to notice sometimes due to the specifics of this visual style.

11-11 Memories Retold has been released at the memorable date, when people celebrate World War I ending. To honor this date, Aardman Studios decided to create this amazing piece of art, telling us heartbreaking stories, full of emotions and feelings. You can know this legend studio by their masterpiece works such as Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run animation movies. I had a great opportunity to meet their art director around five months ago and he was that guy who told me about this upcoming project, so I was looking forward to experience this one as soon as possible.


In 11-11 memories Retold players follow the story of two soldiers with a completely different lives and fates. One of them is Harry, voiced by Elijah Wood, a young and talented Canadian photographer, which was involved in war absolutely accidentally. During his work at photo studio he met Major Barrett, who invited him to the West Front. He convinced Harry that women loved soldiers in uniform and that it was going to be a great adventure for him and chance to see the world. Besides, he was not going to shoot or kill anyone over there and Mayor only wanted to see him as a photographer to show their country how prestigious it is to be a soldier. These words were enough to motivate Harry, as he only cared about Juliette’s attention, so he didn’t hesitate at all and set off to the front.

On the other side player has to follow the story of Kurt, voice by Sebastian Koch. His story is way more dramatic and touching: Kurt is a German electrical engineer, who has just realized that his son gone missing. Like a true loving father, he decided to to enlist the front and to do whatever it takes to find his beloved son and bring him home.

Their fates intersect later on. During the chapters player control Harry and Kurt in rotation and in some scenes player can even switch between them.


The gameplay is not tricky at all, because 11-11 Memories Retold tries to act more like an experience adventure game rather than a difficult tricky puzzle game. Harry and Kurt walk around different locations, talk to people and complete their easy objectives. Usually player has a specific goal to achieve and there is no chance for the player to be lost or wandering around the location for hours, without having a single idea where to go or what to do. This road to character’s goals is pretty linear with a small opportunity to explore here and there to find some collectibles.

There are some uncomplicated puzzles on the way and this is that unique moment when player can be really happy that puzzles are not so tricky at all. The main focus goes to the story and narration, so there is no way that player will be stuck for hours on one puzzle, not being able to proceed with a story. It doesn’t take much time to connect two points with a wire to repair the radio or to move away the cart on the rail to clear your path - that’s the kind of a puzzles that can be met in 11-11 Memories Retold.

At some point two of our heroes meet in the game and at this moment lots of decisions have to be made, which will affect the story. It’s interesting how developers managed to show players the way how two people interact with each other, when they have nothing in common and even use different languages. To show that, they use a red font in the dialogues, that represents misunderstanding. I mean that when Kurt says something in German, Harry is not able to communicate with him properly, because he is not German and the same happens to Kurt, when Harry starts to talk. Players always hear the narration of the story and character’s comments on the background, telling us their own vision of the story and this is absolutely brilliant way to captivate the player with the story.

Time to time, when Kurt has a bit of a spare time, he sits down and writes letters to his daughter. Players can choose which words to use in the letter and these letters will affect the story, so be careful here. His daughter is a young little ready and she can be not ready to hear the horrible truth about war or his missing brother. So it’s up to players either they want to try to explain everything in a mild way and lie at some points to protect her from horrible details or they can go hard and tell everything how it is and show this little girl how bad everything is.

Since 11-11 Memories Retold is a game about World War players must be ready to see a lot of emotional and disturbing scenes. Aardman Studios did everything to create an interesting balance between cute and adorable scenes with beautiful and picturesque landscapes and portraits of a horrible war scenes as well. At some points, it was really hard to keep myself brave and not to cry, that’s how touching it can be.


Definitely, graphics is one of the most notable things in this beautiful game. It is something that a potential player can see and think “Wow, that looks gorgeous, I am interested and I want to try this!”. It is rendered like an oiled paintings, like a Monet masterpieces came to life. Confident brush strokes add atmosphere to the story and make player believe that he is trapped in a picture. Every time he moves to the next scene it feels like the painting changes in a real time, adding new colors and brush strokes on the way. This effect is simply stunning, however, sometimes it can be hard to notice something that you need to find with this graphic style.


Voiced with professional actors, this game never had a chance to fail with its sound. It perfectly mixes with a nicely done music, that varies depending on the situation: disturbing and tragic tunes during the scenes full of sorrow or danger, or quite relaxing and mild music when everything is calm.


11-11 Memories Retold is a simply outstanding experience, where players can follow a great and touching story of completely different persons and see how they manage to go through the war.This game can be extremely touching and adorable at the same, players will have an opportunity to see all the horrors of war and understand how people lived back in that days.11-11 Memories Retold can be named one of the main military games, where player doesn’t have to shoot or kill anyone to enjoy a captivating piece of interactive storytelling.

Enjoy!

=== [Player Base: ] ===
☑ Casual players
☐ Hardcore players


===[]===
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Everyone
☑ Mature


===[] ===
☐ Doesn't have it
☐ Bad
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Fantastic


===[]===
☐ Really bad
☐ Bad
☐ OK
☐ Good
☑ Beautiful
☐ Masterpiece


===[]===
☑ Easy Peasy
☐ Easy to learn but hard to master
☐ Medium
☐ Hard
☐ Dark Souls


===[]===
☐ Really short ( 0 - 4 hours)
☑ Short ( 4 - 12 hours)
☐ Average ( 12 - 18 hours)
☐ Long ( 18+ hours)
☐ Endless


===[]===
☐ Toaster
☑ Average
☐ Solid Medium
☐ High end
☐ Unoptimized


===[]===
☐ Full price
☑ Wait for sale
☐ Don't do it
☐ Free


===[]===
☐ Game itself is a bug
☐ Lot of bugs
☑ Few Bugs
☐ Nothing

TOP 3 FUN THINGS TO DO:
⭐️Able to take plenty of photo's.
⭐️Playing as a cat/pigeon.
⭐️Collecting notes.

THE UNIQUES:
💎 Goes into depth about World War I.
💎 All designed in ink.
💎 Realistic.

PLAYER GAMING REQUIREMENTS:
💼World Wars.
💼Adventure.
💼Story Telling.

VERDICT:
Total Score = 75/100
This game tells you so much about what the first World War was really about when it comes to the people, it shows that we're all fighting for something, even if you don't agree with what's going on around you. You're there to fight for your country but what would happen if you put two people from different countries in the same room? (An underground bunker in this case) You'd be surprised that they'd actually get on and perhaps understand each other.

SIMILAR GAME LIKE THIS? / REVIEWER PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
This is a stand alone game!

GAMEPLAY
11-11 Memories Retold takes place from a third-person perspective with the possibility to choose between the two protagonists either at the beginning of the chapter, or freely in the middle during certain parts. Each character advances in the story with his own tools

■■■■■■■□□□ 7 / 10
Even enemies can make friends.

A game about the tragedy of war that DOESN'T also give an achievement for getting a headshot on three men with the same bullet

For some reason, I decided to play both "11-11 Memories Retold" and "Call of Duty: WWII" simultaneously. Now, these games might be drastically different: one is a poetic tribute to the fallen of WWI, and the other is more of a straightforward, gritty representation of WWII. But in my playthroughs, I actually found out some odd similarities between them:

- They make you control different characters interchangeably;
- They both have rather unnecessary flying sections;
- They both try to educate gamers about the wars with collectables;
- You'll have to drag your allies out of trouble in both of them;
- They have quick-time events;
- They have moments when you have to take cover from MG fire;
- They have stealth sections (because they wouldn't be war games without those, right?).

But I'm here to talk about "Memories", so here's what I think.

The game is very noble in wanting to introduce humane stories about who were the soldiers of WWI, and their reasons. It's easier to forget that conflict in favour of WWII - the Great War was much more grey, much less "good versus bad". But that is the core of the narrative: the idea of greyness, of non-absolutes, which comes out particularly stronger in the end(s).

The problem however is that the game is too much about its story and too little about gameplay. Not that the gameplay is bad, but everything in it is introduced half-baked, so to speak. The puzzles are so simple they could barely be called puzzles; the choices you have don't really affect the game as much as it announces. There are multiple endings, yes, but you get to select them on the spot, regardless of your actions until then: "The Witcher 3" this is not. The sections where you conduct both characters are so simple... you can see this is really not the point.

The impressionist visual style is great, and it comes across better when you are by a river, or in Paris, or at a field of poppies, or during the flying sections that exist with the sole propose of displaying such visuals. I really felt like I was transported into a Monet painting, but I found very hard to find some collectables in the scenarios due to these visuals.

Last but not least... there's the progression. I found myself having to repeat entire missions from the beginning because I missed something before, and the game would auto-save. This was a bummer on my second run.

The soundtrack by Olivier Deriviere is fantastic: actual war movies don't have music such as this. The voice acting is superb, but I didn't like however how Kurt's off-screen narration was in English, disrupting the historical immersion. Couldn't the game have at least given an option for German?

This is a game decidedly rough around the edges, but it is also greatly rewarding. This really is that kind of game you don't play to win, but to absorb its story. If you understand the nature of the game, then it's a beautiful piece of artwork that you should definitely have in your library - and if you're still in doubt, then get it on a sale.

It's that kind of game that you should play twice: once for the experience itself, and the other for the collectables and achievements. It's a shame there aren't many walkthroughs of this game out there.