Lemme start this off with the positive aspects of the game.

I love the setting, which might be due to my having a soft spot for cyberpunk.

The aesthethic is beautiful, the orange/white color contrast works well and is integrated into the architecture, posters, graffitti, Sensens, and just about everywhere while not being overbearing. There is also nice contrast between the higher class and lower class parts of Neo-Paris. Luxurious shops, finished roads, well-furnished homes, and even a ritzy android brothel can be found in the Saint-Michel district. Slum 404, however, right next to the district, has no roads. The buildings are dilapidated, Leapers run abound with their home, the sewers, being just next to the slum, and there are no stores - merely stalls, stands, and bar put together by scrap metal. The world was well fleshed out and I wanted to explore more of it.

Sadly, you don't really get to explore it since the level design is very linear. If you liked the world of Mirror's Edge but hated that you didn't get to explore it much, Remember Me has the same issue.

The premise of the game is interesting too, with memories becoming a commodity. I love the opening of the game, showing the moving, heart-felt, well-intentioned marketing for commoditizing memories - then the stark reality of how prisoners in La Bastille are abused by having memories taken away, and how the wardens and doctors are basically thought police.

Also, I think Nilin is cool and a badass. I like her character design. I did roll my eyes a few times during the game towards the end when she said things that just made you go "Wait, what?" because they felt uncharacteristic and shoveled/ham-fisted in for the sake of "drama". Female representation in video games has been a hot topic lately, so I figured that was worth mentioning.

Ok, now for the bad stuff and why I can't recommend the game for $30 in good conscience.

The gameplay is lackluster and easily the weakest part of the game. Mostly just memorize 1 or 2 combos, swap out the Pressens you need for the situation, and press the spacebar + a/w/s/d whenever you see a big red "!" on some part of the screen - often the direction you dodge in doesn't even matter and can be cast during any attack. The platforming/parkour is very fragmented, lacking the flow of Mirror's Edge or Assassin's Creed while having less depth. It being slow and easy makes it incredibly boring and tedious .

Being boring and tedious seems to be a common theme, even in the memory remix portions of the game. Memory remixing is just a matter of moving through the scene and trying all the possibilities until you get the outcome the game wanted. There isn't any challenge, risk, or open-endedness to how you reach the outcome. Memory remixing is basically a point and click adventure game that lasts 5 minutes at most.

Also, UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENES. If you're a completionist like me, this will make 100%'ing the game a royal pain. Rewatch every monologue by Nilin, watch Nilin put her hand to ear and walk at a snail's pace until Edge is done talking to her, watch a Leaper attack an enforcer to the ground, watch a conversation go on and on, watch the memory for its full duration at normal speed before you remix it, etc.


Verdict:
If you do not already own this you're probably better off just watching a let's play or waiting for it to go on sale for about $10.
If you do own this, it is worth a playthrough at least.

Hopefully if DONTNOD Entertainment get a sequel going they can polish the gameplay to make it more engaging, allow you to explore Neo-Paris or another city in this dystopian setting, and allow you to skip cutscenes.