[Nintendo Switch] Review of SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky

SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky, crafted by PQube and MAGES, marks the newest addition to a well-established visual novel series. If you’re curious about how it fares, read on for an in-depth review!

SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky fits neatly within the Memories Off series – a franchise that first took off back in 1999 on the PlayStation. This particular title branches off as a spin-off from the core series, with a fresh installment expected on the Nintendo Switch in Japan next year. Fingers crossed, it makes its way to our shores, too! The story unfolds a decade after the primary series events, placing players in the shoes of Junya Mizumoto, a college student.

Our protagonist, Junya, is grappling with the heartache of losing his brother in a tragic mishap a year ago. Adding salt to the wound, a mysterious girl crosses his path with a chilling declaration: it should have been him who died. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, but there’s a silver lining – Junya soon finds himself collaborating on a project with Chihaya Hojo, his childhood friend. The task at hand involves the renovation of the Hojo manor, a traditional Japanese house with familial ties to Chihaya. With numerous story paths and choices influencing your relationships with characters such as Chihaya, Hinata Ise, Azusa Satomi, Chunyu Huang, and Yuriko Oyama, there are plenty of twists and turns to explore – though I won’t spoil the surprises ahead!

For those new to the world of visual novels, they truly live up to their name, presenting narratives of varying lengths in an engaging, visual format. A noticeable highlight is the inclusion of full voice acting, although, as with many recent visual novels, the performances are all in Japanese. If you don’t speak the language, prepare for lots of reading – but that’s all part of the charm of visual novels.

In SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky, we once again step into the world a decade after the main plot concludes, assuming the role of college-going Junya Mizumoto. Still rocked by his brother’s sudden death, a chance encounter with a strange girl accusing him of surviving sets the intense, emotional stakes. Brightside? There’s a diversion when Junya’s soon diving into repairs and renovations alongside his old friend, Chihaya Hojo. What’s this project? You have the Hojo manor, rich in family history and ripe for renewal. As the narrative unfolds, the game promises more mysteries and relationship dynamics for you to uncover – but you’ll want to dive in yourself to get the whole picture!

I’ll mention that, besides some minor issues with grammar and typos in localization, there’s little to nitpick about this release. SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky is out now for the Nintendo Switch, retailing at $39.99.

Note: This review of SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by PQube.