is a series of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese romance

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

video games released by

KID Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, leath ...

. The first game in the series, simply called ''Memories Off'', was released in 1999 for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

. ''Memories Off'' titles have been released on the PC as well as video and handheld gaming consoles such as the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

, Dreamcast,

WonderSwan Color The (ワンダースワン) is a handheld game console released in Japan by Bandai. It was developed by Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto Laboratory and Bandai, and was the last piece of hardware Yokoi developed before his death in 1997. Released i ...

, and the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

. Several of the series' games' story have been adapted into

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

s, novels, or

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

. With the bankruptcy of KID in 2006, the development of ''Memories Off #5: Encore'' was cancelled. It also marked a temporary halt to any development of the game series. However, after Cyberfront took over the brand, development resumed and ''Memories Off #5: Encore'' was released on July 12, 2007. However, ,

5pb. , formerly , is a Japanese video game developer and record label for video game and anime music. It was formed on April 6, 2005 after Chiyomaru Shikura left Scitron to begin the company as its executive director, a position he still holds. Th ...

Games has acquired exclusive rights of the series from Cyberfront and all future development of the series will be handled by 5pb. Games.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Memories Off follows the style of most visual novels; the majority of time spent playing the game is spent on reading through the

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is c ...

or story that appears on screen. Every so often, the game will pause and the player is given a chance to choose from two to five options regarding how he or she wishes to advance the game. The plot will then branch into paths focusing on a single heroine depending on the choices that were made by the player; a conclusive character ending will be presented at the end of any given path. Starting from ''Memories Off 2nd'', all main series games offer the possibility of multiple endings for each of the heroines. Hence, in order to experience the game and all of the main plotlines in their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and make difference choices to further the plot in alternative directions. Some of the Memories Off games may also contain a hidden "True" plotline that is only made available to the player after all of the other main plotlines are completed. Voice acting is usually present during all key points of the games, and all main series games from ''Memories Off 2nd'' onward have had full voice acting. Environments and objects in game are also generally non-interactive and non-free-roaming, but some background animations have been added to the series, starting with ''You That Become A Memory ~Memories Off~'', in order to enhance the visual experience.

Games

The first installment of the series was released in Japan on September 30, 1999. Subsequent titles were tied together based on the ending of a specific route from the previous installment. Since the game's original release, many ''Memories Off'' games have been localized for the Chinese and Korean-speaking markets as well as being ported on multiple

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

s, handhelds, and the PC. , there are 17 games in the series. This number includes the main series as well as direct prequels and sequels and spin-offs. The first seven games in the main series are planned for release across two collections titled ''Memories Off Historia Vol. 1'' and ''Vol. 2'', with four and three games included respectively, on March 25, 2021, for the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

and

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

consoles. All 7 titles are scheduled for release on Steam.

Main series

*''

Memories Off is a series of Japanese romance visual novel video games released by KID. The first game in the series, simply called ''Memories Off'', was released in 1999 for the PlayStation. ''Memories Off'' titles have been released on the PC as well as ...

'' ( PS: 1999, PC: 2000, DC: 2000,

PS2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia o ...

: 2002, PSP: 2008, iPhone: 2009) *''

Memories Off 2nd is a Japanese romance visual novel released by KID for the Dreamcast and PlayStation consoles on September 27, 2001. It is the second game in the Memories Off series. The game was released for the PlayStation Portable on May 29, 2008. Char ...

'' ( PS: 2000, DC: 2001, PC: 2002, PSP: 2008, iPhone: 2010) *'' Omoide ni Kawaru Kimi: Memories Off'' (

: 2002, DC: 2002, PC: 2004, PSP: 2008, iPhone: 2010) * (

: 2004, PC: 2004, PSP: 2008) * (

: 2005, PC: 2007, PSP: 2009) *'' Memories Off 6: T-wave'' (

: 2008, PSP,

360 360 may refer to: * 360 (number) * 360 AD, a year * 360 BC, a year * 360 degrees, a circle Businesses and organizations * 360 Architecture, an American architectural design firm * Ngong Ping 360, a tourism project in Lantau Island, Hong Kong * Q ...

: 2009, iPhone: 2010,

PS3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

, PSV: 2013) *'' Memories Off: Yubikiri no Kioku'' (

: 2010, PSP: 2011,

, PSV: 2013) *''Memories Off: Innocent Fille'' (

PS4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in E ...

, PSV, PC, Switch: 2018)

Direct prequels, sequels, and spin-offs

*'' Memories Off Pure'' ( NGP: 2000) – Prequel to Memories Off *''Memories Off Festa'' ( WSC: 2001) *''Memories Off Duet'' (

: 2003, PC: 2008) – A compilation of Memories Off and Memories Off 2nd, includes additional prequel story *''Memories Off Mix'' (

: 2003) *'' Memories Off After Rain Vol. 1~3'' (

: 2005, PC: 2008, PSP: 2009) – After stories to Memories Off and Memories Off 2nd. * (

: 2006) *''Memories Off History'' ( PC: 2007) *'' Memories Off #5 encore'' (

: 2007, PSP: 2008) *''Your·Memories Off ~Girl's Style'' (

: 2008, PSP: 2009) – The only ''otome'' game in the series (targeted at female players) *''Memories Off 6: Next Relation'' (

: 2009,

: 2009, PSP: 2010,

, PSV: 2013) – Sequel to Memories Off 6: T-Wave.

OVA adaptations

*''

'' *''

'' * * *

Notes

References

External links

''Memories Off'' series' official website
{{Memories Off Bishōjo games IOS games Otome games KID games Dreamcast games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Vita games Video game franchises introduced in 1999 Visual novels Windows games