11-11: Memories Retold | Xbox One | Review

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Everyone has their own feelings about war. Whether it’s something that feels close to home or distant, it’s undoubtedly an emotional and evocative subject. Coinciding with the centenary of the end of World War 1, 11-11: Memories Retold brings a different perspective to a conflict which changed the world forever.

​by James
Michael
​Parry

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​@james_parry

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Developer: Aardman Digital, DigixArt
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Players​: 1

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Gaming’s nuanced insight into war has often been limited to whether the explosions in the latest Battlefield or Call of Duty are more explodey, so to come into a game where the fighting itself is very much in the background is beyond refreshing. 11-11 is a game that changes your pre-programmed gamer mindset, because it isn’t a game in which you ‘win’.

Instead, story is absolutely critical, with publisher Bandai Namco and co-developers Aardman Digital and DigixArt bringing in the writing talents of Iain Sharkey and Stephen Long - famed for their mind-bending, but always thoughtful work on Derren Brown’s specials - to create characters we actually care about.

Kurt (brought to life by Homeland, The Lives of Others and Bridge of Spies actor Sebastian Koch) is a German zeppelin engineer drawn into the war when his son, Max, goes missing. Meanwhile, Harry (voiced by Elijah Wood) is a Canadian photographer who’s only trying to impress his would-be girlfriend Julia when he signs up to be one of the Allies’ official photographers.

Your time is split equally between the two perspectives, letting you get to know more about each character mostly through framed voice overs. While influencing narrative outcomes isn’t a major focus of the game - in fact, events largely happen around you without input - you do make a mark on the story through the pictures you choose to take (which cannily turn up in cutscenes later on) as Harry and what you decide to put in letters home penned by Kurt.

Gameplay is light here, with only the occasional puzzle or slightly wonky stealth section to vary the pacing, but to suddenly thrust you into some sort of shooting gallery would take away the power of what 11-11 is trying to do.

At times you also take charge of a pigeon or cat, which Harry and Kurt have picked up along their journeys respectively. This can offer a few additional gameplay twists and opportunities for unique storytelling moments, but largely they feel fairly token and don’t reach their full potential.​

When you venture out into No Man’s Land as either animal, which you’ll do frequently, there’s a far lesser sense of danger considering both sides deem them to be harmless. Neither army is portrayed as right or wrong, and there’s no glorifying the situation; in fact, the soldiers themselves are more alike than any rhetoric or propaganda from the time would have you believe.

​Undoubtedly the first things that’ll strike you when loading up the game is the astonishing visual style, which makes use of a technique known as ‘painterly’ to have scenes appear as if they’re being redrawn by thousands of brush strokes as you move. There’s a feeling of walking through beautiful impressionist landscapes as you explore, offering up breathtaking scenes amid the undeniable horrors of the war itself.

​In less skilled hands this could have come off as a cheap Photoshop effect, but this collaboration between Aardman Digital (who, contrary to popular belief, work with more than just clay) and DigixArt creates a sublime combination of technical prowess and artistic flair. They’ve crafted a truly unique style which impressively manages to adapt to a variety of locations and climates throughout the game’s course.

While the effect does attract attention, it may prove to be an acquired taste as the industry races towards photorealism. The visual fidelity of the assets themselves, when you look past the effect, is fairly low, which can give a somewhat dated feel at times, particularly to characters in cutscenes.

It’s not too big of an issue, however, when the elements surrounding that mostly nail remaining historically accurate and respectful of true events, whilst balancing that with the sort of nonsense which makes a game a game, like successfully navigating a homemade hot air balloon over No Man’s Land at night, for example.

11-11’s soundtrack also succeeds in feeling appropriate without sounding generic, as composer Olivier Deriviere, responsible for music on titles like Alone in the Dark, Remember Me and Vampyr, uses a choir’s chorus to echo across the battlefield, creating a chilling and sombre mood.​​

The execution is exceptional and the end product is, quite unironically, a very memorable experience.

The strongest feeling which shines through as you play though, is pride, as every element of the game is carefully pieced together to create a tribute to those who valiantly fought and sadly lost their lives.

It’s unfortunate that the odd technical mishap occasionally creeps in to spoil the immersion, but compared to a narrative journey from, say, the Telltale stable, 11-11 more than competes with the best in the adventure genre.

If you’re looking for a history lesson, you won’t find it here. While Memories Retold uses the war as its setting, it’s more about the relationship between Harry and Kurt and how it develops over those last two years of conflict. Fortunately, the execution is exceptional and the end product is, quite unironically, a very memorable experience.

Pros

• Visually unique, to an impressive degree
• Memorable, often interactive & compelling story
• Gameplay is suitably simple & accessible

Cons

• Bugs can quickly break the illusion
• Animal sections are fairly forgettable
• May prove too much of an acquired taste for some

9/10