I’m making memories that I want to keep, but they’re bitter rather than sweet.
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories, published by XSEED, is a story-driven adventure game about a girl named Honeydew searching for her friend Cantaloupe. Light exploration elements add a bit of depth to the experience, but in the end it’s all about moving from screen to screen, talking to characters, and advancing the plot. may not be enough to
We meet Honeydew when she wakes up for her morning shift at the Melon Soda Factory where she works. Her introduction to her quirky co-workers is humorous, and the comedic writing ups the game and its tone. Honeydew sets out to follow his trail and gather clues along the way. At the same time, elections are taking place in the area, which makes for a fun backdrop for her Honeydew’s Journey.
Another interesting element of Melon Journey is how the melon itself, the fruit, is simultaneously considered contraband, but incredibly ubiquitous. However, the characters and dialogue represent the heart of the experience. The writing actually reminds me a bit of Earthbound and Undertale in its absurdity. I definitely feel it’s worth talking to everyone you come across. You can also complete side quests by collecting certain objects or engaging in certain conversations, but the actual The way quests are tracked could be clearer.
One of Melon Journey’s most annoying problems is its save system, which can be invoked from the pause menu almost any time. For one thing, save files basically don’t show any information about your location or how long you’ve played. Another reason is that although the game is short (2-3 hours), it feels ripe for checkpoints and autosave features. The main reason for this is that the game hard crashed twice for him, losing about 20-30 minutes of progress each time. Hopefully a game update will fix the crashing issue, but saving often feels like good advice for the time being.
There is also an item menu that is of little use outside of side quests. It’s really hard to get lost because there aren’t many places to go.And also because Melon Journey does a great job of pointing you in the right direction to progress the story. changes, exits are opened or blocked. All of this tells the player where to go next. The end result is an experience that feels lively but somewhat shallow.
Melon Journey’s clean, pixelated look harkens back to the Game Boy era, and the lo-fi soundtrack complements the slow-paced story very well. It is a pity that there is not much to do. The presentation is certainly a highlight, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing modern titles making use of retro aesthetics. yeah.
After all, there isn’t much to remember about Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories. The charm of its characters and writing is immediately apparent, but there isn’t much to do in places like Ham Town and Hog Town. Hard Crash certainly put a damper on my experience, but it was the fact that I really had to force myself to keep getting a volume-speaking game. Those looking for adventure can enjoy just a few hours immersed in a melon journey. Others may want to stick to watermelons for sweet memories.
