Games I Played in 2024 - Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories
Console: Switch, XSX, XB1, PS4, PS5, Steam
Developer: Froach Club
Release Date: April 6th 2023
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is a narrative adventure game made in RPG Maker with a distinct art style reminiscent of a classic Game Boy game, complete with a green monochrome look. This is, as far as I can tell, the first "big" game released by Froach Club, with the rest of their catalog being on itch.io.
While this isn't made particularly clear, this is actually Melon Journey 2: the original Melon Journey is available for free on their itch.io page, or the remake Melon Journey Pocket, playable on a real Game Boy, is available for $5 USD on Poppy Works's itch.io page. It is a 30 minute trade quest made in RPG Maker that actually introduces a lot of the characters and worldbuilding, as well as some inside jokes. It's hardly necessary to play it before playing this, but the game does take place after the first game. From this point forward, "Melon Journey" refers to Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories and not the original freeware game or its remake.
Melon Journey is a purely narrative game: though it's made with RPG Maker, there is no combat. The gameplay is entirely walking around and interacting with NPCs and objects, to the point that there's barely any puzzles. As a result, Melon Journey is a game that lives or dies by the quality of its writing. Thankfully, I think it's a wonderful little game with lots of heart and personality, with enough charm to carry its 4-6 hours of playtime without ever growing tiresome.
Melon Journey is the story of Honeydew, a girl who works in the marketing department of a melon company called Eglantine Industries, on a quest to find her best friend Cantaloupe. The world of Melon Journey is delightfully silly, with plenty of cute puns, anthropomorphic animal characters, and goofy stories. Whether it's finding a Cheese Cult dedicated to sawing aged camembert or participating in a trial centered around a sentient apple, Melon Journey is consistently amusing and charming.
With graphics made to be played at a small resolution (even when full-screened on PC, only less than half of the screen real estate is dedicated to the game), all the character sprites are small, but expressive. They all have a sort of Sanrio-esque vibe about them: a lot of the characters wouldn't particularly feel out of place next to Hello Kitty, for example. While small, the characters are plenty expressive and it's not hard to grow attached to the main cast in particular.
A lot of the NPCs are one-dimensional by design, only focused on one particular trait or object, which Melon Journey uses to its advantage by messing with their one trait for jokes, whether subversive or not. The main cast as well as the main side characters, though, are genuinely likeable and three-dimensional. There's a clear demarcation between NPCs and main characters in a way that feels somehow both seamless and appropriate. There is still some social commentary in the game that's hardly subtle, but it's integrated in a way that enhances the silliness by making fun of things. There's nothing especially biting or profound here in that aspect, so it doesn't take away from any of the narrative.
Melon Journey never takes itself too seriously, but there are a few serious sequences that are well-executed and lack humor, at least for a bit. The game isn't afraid to get melancholic or scary for the sake of its story, which makes the story as a whole feel more like an actual story and not a parody or something too cynical. There's an earnestness in the writing that makes it all very pleasant to play through.
The game's optional content, outside of five major sidequests, is merely the plethora of flavor text you get by interacting with random objects. Honeydew is mostly, but not entirely, a silent protagonist, but you get to see her thoughts and quips through the flavor text and some of the story beats. When knowing what to do, completing the game and all the sidequests takes no more than 90 minutes, but the joy of the first playthrough is to simply read as much dialogue as you can. In that way, Melon Journey reminds me the Hamtaro games on Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, but without the keyword mechanics. Should all five major sidequests be completed, you even get a secret ending as a post-credits scene, which is a neat bonus.
The music of Melon Journey was composed by Mario Russeau, and it befits the game's kooky vibes. It mostly consists of modern chiptune (and not Game Boy accurate chiptune) with what sounds like either sampled drums or real drums, though it's not afraid of being avant-garde, with odd melodies, distortion, or warped notes to fit the current scene. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find the soundtrack online, and it does not seem purchasable outside of getting a limited edition console version.
The sound effects also deserve a special mention. Footstep sounds, though seeming a bit loud at first, do add a lot of personality to the game, as heavier characters will make louder footsteps. It also properly communicates the kind of floor Honeydew is walking on. Most strikingly, all sound effects (or at least, all those I can recall) are real life samples. They clash (in a good way) with the soundtrack and aesthetics, and stand out really well. This extends to character interjections: speaking to a sad dog NPC will trigger the sound of a dog whining, for example. It gives the game life, in a way.
PROS AND CONS
PROS
• Fun story with amusing writing, jokes, and a lot of heart
• Good atmosphere during some more serious scenes
• Bizarre, yet fitting soundtrack and sound effects
• Unique visual style
• Fun extra scenes or dialogue are good rewards for exploration
CONS
• Stumbles a little at the finish line; the final twist is weak
• No puzzles to spice up gameplay, excluding two very simple ones
• Unique visual style
WORTH PLAYING?
Make no mistake: despite the lack of cons, this kind of game is very much for a specific type of audience. If you're not a fan of purely narrative games where all you do is walk around and talk to NPCs, then no matter how good I think the game is, you shouldn't play this. If it sounds appealing to you, however, absolutely give Melon Journey a shot: it's cheap, short enough for one or two sittings, and has heaps of charm to keep you playing. The graphics will not appeal to some to the point of a being a dealbreaker, while it will be a major selling point for others. Despite being made in RPG Maker, it doesn't really "feel" like an RPG Maker game, if that makes sense.
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