Memories of East Coast

Memories of East Coast is a heartfelt visual novel that follows Sam, a man revisiting a place he hasn’t been to in fifteen years, where he confronts lingering memories and emotional truths. The game blends a poignant narrative with psychological themes, exploring loss, grief, and nostalgia through hand-drawn art and a carefully curated lo-fi soundtrack. Players experience Sam’s bittersweet journey as he navigates his past, uncovering alternate perspectives on life’s challenges in this introspective and immersive adventure.

Memories of East Coast: A Meditative Journey Through Nostalgia and Grief

Introduction: A Visual Novel That Lingers Like a Half-Remembered Dream

Memories of East Coast is a visual novel that dares to be introspective in an era of bombastic, action-driven narratives. Developed by the solo Malaysian studio Roomah Gaming and published by Eastasiasoft and Ratalaika Games, this 2021 release is a quiet, bittersweet exploration of memory, guilt, and the ghosts of the past. At its core, it is a story about Sam, a young police officer who embarks on a spontaneous trip to the East Coast—a place he hasn’t visited in fifteen years—only to be confronted by the specters of his childhood. The game’s premise is simple, but its execution is ambitious: it seeks to blend psychological commentary with a heartfelt narrative, all while relying on the player’s imagination to fill in the gaps left by its minimalist presentation.

From the outset, Memories of East Coast positions itself as an experience rather than a game. There are no high-stakes decisions, no branching pathways that drastically alter the story, and no character sprites to anchor the player’s visual expectations. Instead, the game trusts its audience to engage with its themes on a deeply personal level, using hand-drawn backgrounds, a lo-fi soundtrack, and a deliberately sparse narrative to evoke a sense of nostalgia and melancholy. It’s a bold approach, one that prioritizes atmosphere and emotional resonance over traditional gameplay mechanics.

Yet, for all its ambition, Memories of East Coast is a flawed gem. Its writing, while earnest, is marred by grammatical inconsistencies and tonal shifts that occasionally undercut its emotional weight. Its brevity—clocking in at around an hour—leaves little room for its themes to fully breathe, and its attempts at humor often feel jarring in an otherwise somber narrative. Despite these shortcomings, the game’s strengths—its evocative art, its haunting soundtrack, and its willingness to tackle complex emotional themes—make it a memorable, if imperfect, entry in the visual novel genre.

This review will delve deeply into Memories of East Coast, examining its development context, narrative structure, gameplay mechanics, artistic direction, and critical reception. It will also explore how the game fits into the broader landscape of visual novels and what its legacy might be in the years to come. Ultimately, Memories of East Coast is a game that invites reflection—not just on its own themes, but on the very nature of how we engage with stories about memory and loss.

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Development History & Context: The Birth of a Solo Developer’s Vision

The Studio Behind the Game: Roomah Gaming’s Artistic Mission

Memories of East Coast is the debut title from Roomah Gaming, a solo indie development studio based in Malaysia. Founded in late 2020, Roomah Gaming’s mission is succinctly stated on its website: “We produce art with bismillah.” This phrase, which translates to “In the name of God” in Arabic, underscores the studio’s commitment to creating works that are not just entertainment, but also carry psychological and philosophical weight. The developer’s goal is to provoke thought, evoke emotion, and, as they put it, “create a smile on your face.”

For a solo developer, the scope of Memories of East Coast is impressive. The game was built using Ren’Py, a popular open-source engine for visual novels, which allowed Roomah Gaming to focus on storytelling and art without the need for extensive programming knowledge. The choice of Ren’Py is telling—it’s a tool favored by indie developers for its accessibility and flexibility, and it has been used to create some of the most critically acclaimed visual novels of the past decade, including Doki Doki Literature Club and Katawa Shoujo.

The development of Memories of East Coast was likely a labor of love, with the sole developer handling everything from writing and art to sound design and programming. This solo approach is both the game’s greatest strength and its most glaring weakness. On one hand, it allows for a cohesive, deeply personal vision untainted by committee-driven design. On the other, it means that certain aspects of the game—particularly its writing and editing—suffer from a lack of external oversight.

The Gaming Landscape in 2021: A Renaissance for Visual Novels

Memories of East Coast was released in a year that saw a resurgence of interest in visual novels and narrative-driven experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic had led to a boom in indie game development, as creators found themselves with more time to work on passion projects. Meanwhile, players, stuck at home and craving meaningful experiences, turned to games that offered emotional depth and introspection.

2021 was also a year that saw the release of several high-profile visual novels, including The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition and Slay the Princess, both of which received critical acclaim for their storytelling and atmospheric presentation. These games, like Memories of East Coast, emphasized mood and theme over traditional gameplay, proving that there was a hungry audience for experiences that prioritized narrative and emotional resonance.

At the same time, the visual novel genre was evolving. While traditional Japanese-style visual novels remained popular, Western developers were increasingly experimenting with the form, blending it with elements of interactive fiction, psychological horror, and even meta-narrative techniques. Memories of East Coast fits squarely into this trend, offering a story that is as much about the act of remembering as it is about the memories themselves.

Technological Constraints and Creative Choices

Given its indie roots, Memories of East Coast is a technically modest game. Its system requirements are minimal—it can run on a machine with just 2 GB of RAM and a basic integrated graphics card—making it accessible to a wide audience. The game’s visual style is similarly unassuming, relying on hand-drawn backgrounds and a lack of character sprites to create a sense of abstraction.

The decision to omit character art is one of the game’s most interesting creative choices. According to the developer’s notes, this was done “intentionally to boost your creativity and imagination.” In practice, this means that the player is left to visualize the characters based on the text alone, which can be both freeing and frustrating. On one hand, it allows for a more personal connection to the story, as each player’s mental image of Sam, Lisa, and the other characters will be unique. On the other, it can make the narrative feel distant and disconnected, especially in moments where emotional beats rely heavily on facial expressions or body language.

The game’s soundtrack, composed of lo-fi tracks, is another standout feature. Lo-fi music, with its warm, nostalgic tones, has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, particularly as a backdrop for relaxation and introspection. In Memories of East Coast, the music serves as an emotional anchor, reinforcing the game’s themes of nostalgia and melancholy. The tracks are carefully selected to match the mood of each scene, and the game even includes a “music room” where players can listen to the full soundtrack outside of the main story.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: Confronting the Ghosts of the Past

Plot Summary: A Journey Through Memory and Guilt

Memories of East Coast follows Sam, a young police officer who, after a successful but emotionally taxing case, decides to take a spontaneous trip to the East Coast—a place he hasn’t visited since childhood. The journey is framed as a kind of pilgrimage, a chance for Sam to reconnect with a part of his past that he has long suppressed. As he drives, memories of his childhood—particularly of a tragic accident that shaped his life—begin to resurface, culminating in an encounter with Lisa, a young woman whose own past is intertwined with his.

The story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, with Sam’s present-day journey interspersed with flashbacks to his childhood. These flashbacks are triggered by locations, objects, and even smells, creating a sense of déjà vu that mirrors the way memory itself functions. The narrative is driven forward by a quirky, omniscient narrator who occasionally breaks the fourth wall, addressing the player directly in a way that blurs the line between story and meta-commentary.

At its heart, Memories of East Coast is a story about grief and the ways in which we cope with loss. Sam’s journey is not just a physical one, but an emotional one, as he is forced to confront the guilt and regret that have haunted him for years. The game’s central question is a profound one: How do we reconcile the past with the present, and what does it mean to truly let go?

Character Analysis: Sam, Lisa, and the Specter of Fate

The game’s cast is small but deeply symbolic. Sam is the protagonist, a man whose life has been defined by a single tragic event. His profession as a police officer suggests a desire for control and order, a way to impose structure on a world that has often felt chaotic and unfair. His trip to the East Coast is an attempt to reclaim a part of himself that he has lost, but it also forces him to confront the parts of his past that he would rather forget.

Lisa, the young woman Sam encounters, serves as both a mirror and a foil to him. Like Sam, she is haunted by her past, but where Sam is introspective and reserved, Lisa is more open and emotional. Their relationship is the emotional core of the game, a fragile connection built on shared pain and the hope of healing. The game’s most poignant moments come from their interactions, as they slowly peel back the layers of their respective traumas.

The third major “character” in the game is Fate, a mysterious figure who accompanies Sam on his journey. Fate is never fully explained—are they a literal manifestation of destiny, a figment of Sam’s imagination, or something else entirely? Their presence adds a layer of ambiguity to the story, reinforcing the game’s themes of memory and perception.

Themes: Memory, Grief, and the Illusion of Control

Memories of East Coast is a game that is deeply concerned with the nature of memory and how it shapes our identities. The game’s nonlinear structure mirrors the way memory itself functions—not as a straightforward narrative, but as a series of fragmented, emotionally charged moments that resurface in unexpected ways. The East Coast, in this context, is not just a physical location, but a psychological one, a place where the past and present collide.

The game also explores the idea of grief as a cyclical process. Sam’s journey is not a linear progression from denial to acceptance, but a series of setbacks and revelations, moments of clarity followed by relapses into guilt and self-doubt. This portrayal of grief is refreshing in its honesty, avoiding the tidy resolutions that so many stories about loss fall into.

Another key theme is the illusion of control. Sam’s career as a police officer is a way for him to impose order on a chaotic world, but his trip to the East Coast forces him to confront the fact that some things—particularly the past—cannot be controlled. The game’s narrator, with their occasional fourth-wall breaks, reinforces this idea, reminding the player that they, too, are subject to the whims of fate.

Writing and Dialogue: The Strengths and Weaknesses of a Solo Endeavor

The writing in Memories of East Coast is the game’s most polarizing aspect. At its best, it is poetic and evocative, capturing the bittersweet nature of nostalgia and the weight of unresolved grief. The game’s opening lines, for example, set the tone beautifully:

“The East Coast. A place where the sea meets the sky, where the past meets the present. A place where memories, both fond and sorrowful, linger like the salt in the air.”

At its worst, however, the writing is clunky and inconsistent, marred by grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and tonal shifts that undercut the game’s emotional weight. Some of these issues can be attributed to the fact that English is not the developer’s first language, but others—such as the overuse of em dashes and the occasional lapses into unintentional humor—suggest a lack of editorial oversight.

One of the most frequently cited examples of the game’s writing issues is the following line:

“Lisa smiled as she stood still and watch you walks away back to your car…”

This sentence, with its mismatched verb tenses and subject-verb disagreement, is jarring in a game that otherwise strives for lyrical prose. While such errors are not constant, they appear often enough to pull the player out of the experience, particularly in moments where the emotional stakes are high.

The game’s attempts at humor are similarly uneven. At one point, the narrator references the “My Heart Will Go On” recorder meme, a joke that feels wildly out of place in a story that is otherwise somber and introspective. These moments of levity are not inherently bad, but they are executed in a way that disrupts the game’s tone rather than enhancing it.

Despite these flaws, the game’s writing is not without merit. The core story is compelling and emotionally resonant, and the game’s themes are explored with a depth that is rare in visual novels of this scope. The issue is not with the ideas themselves, but with their execution. A stronger editorial pass—or even a professional translation—could have elevated Memories of East Coast from a flawed but ambitious experiment to a modern classic of the genre.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: A Minimalist Approach to Interactive Storytelling

Core Gameplay Loop: Reading, Choosing, and Reflecting

Memories of East Coast is, at its core, a kinetic visual novel, meaning that its gameplay is primarily focused on reading and making occasional choices that influence the flow of the narrative. There are no puzzles to solve, no inventory systems to manage, and no combat mechanics to master. Instead, the game’s “gameplay” consists of:

1. Reading the text: The majority of the experience is spent absorbing the story as it unfolds, with the player clicking through dialogue and narration.
2. Making choices: At key moments, the player is presented with branching dialogue options or decisions that determine the direction of the story. These choices are usually binary (e.g., “Go to the beach” vs. “Visit the lighthouse”) and often lead to additional dialogue rather than drastically altering the narrative.
3. Exploring the music room: Outside of the main story, players can visit a “music room” to listen to the game’s lo-fi soundtrack, which serves as a nice bonus for those who want to immerse themselves further in the game’s atmosphere.

The game’s minimalist approach to gameplay is both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it allows the story to take center stage, free from the distractions of complex mechanics. On the other, it means that players who are looking for more interactive elements may find the experience lacking.

Choice and Consequence: The Illusion of Agency

One of the most interesting aspects of Memories of East Coast is its approach to player agency. While the game presents the player with choices, these choices rarely have a significant impact on the overall narrative. Instead, they serve to unlock additional dialogue or scenes, providing a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations.

For example, early in the game, the player is given the choice to either sleep in or drive to the East Coast. Choosing to sleep in results in a short scene where Sam reflects on his exhaustion, while choosing to drive sets the main story in motion. Later choices—such as whether to visit a particular location or engage in a conversation—follow a similar pattern, offering small variations rather than major branching paths.

This approach to choice is deliberate. The game is not about shaping the story to fit the player’s desires, but about experiencing the story as it is, with all its ambiguities and unresolved emotions. In this sense, Memories of East Coast is more akin to a literary novel than a traditional game, where the focus is on the themes and the journey rather than the destination.

User Interface and Accessibility: A Clean but Limited Presentation

The game’s user interface is simple and unobtrusive, designed to keep the player’s focus on the story. The text is displayed in a clean, easy-to-read font, and the background art is presented in a way that complements rather than distracts from the narrative. The lack of character sprites further reinforces this minimalist approach, allowing the player’s imagination to fill in the gaps.

However, the UI is not without its issues. The game’s save system, while functional, is somewhat cumbersome. Players can manually save at any point, but the game does not include an autosave feature, which can be frustrating if the player forgets to save before a major choice. Additionally, the lack of a skip button for previously read text means that players who want to replay certain sections must sit through the entire scene again, which can be tedious given the game’s short length.

The game also includes Steam achievements, which are tied to exploring different dialogue options and uncovering hidden scenes. While these achievements are not particularly challenging, they do provide an incentive for players to engage with the game’s branching paths.

Innovation and Flaws: What Works and What Doesn’t

Memories of East Coast is not a game that reinvents the visual novel genre, but it does experiment with form and presentation in interesting ways. Some of its most innovative features include:

• The absence of character sprites: As mentioned earlier, the decision to omit character art is a bold one, forcing the player to rely on their imagination to visualize the characters. This choice enhances the game’s dreamlike atmosphere and makes the experience feel more personal.
• The use of lo-fi music: The game’s soundtrack is not just background noise, but an integral part of the storytelling. The lo-fi tracks are carefully selected to match the mood of each scene, creating a sense of immersion that is rare in visual novels.
• The nonlinear narrative structure: The game’s storytelling is fragmented, mirroring the way memory itself functions. This approach makes the story feel more organic and emotionally resonant.

However, the game also has several notable flaws, particularly in its execution:

• Grammatical and tonal inconsistencies: As discussed in the narrative section, the game’s writing is often marred by errors and awkward phrasing, which can pull the player out of the experience.
• Underdeveloped themes: While the game’s themes are compelling, they are not always explored in depth. The story’s brevity means that some of its most interesting ideas—such as the nature of fate and the cyclical nature of grief—are only touched upon rather than fully developed.
• Lack of visual variety: The game’s backgrounds, while beautiful, are limited in number, and the absence of character sprites can make the experience feel static and repetitive.

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World-Building, Art & Sound: Crafting a Dreamlike Atmosphere

Setting and Atmosphere: The East Coast as a Psychological Landscape

The East Coast, as depicted in Memories of East Coast, is more than just a physical location—it is a psychological landscape, a place where the past and present collide. The game’s setting is deliberately vague, with the exact location of the East Coast left ambiguous. This vagueness is key to the game’s atmosphere, as it allows the player to project their own memories and emotions onto the setting.

The game’s backgrounds are hand-drawn in a sketchy, watercolor style, giving them a dreamlike, almost impressionistic quality. The art is not hyper-realistic, but it is evocative, capturing the essence of a place rather than its exact details. The beaches, lighthouses, and small-town streets that Sam visits are rendered in soft, muted colors, reinforcing the game’s themes of nostalgia and melancholy.

The absence of character sprites further enhances this dreamlike atmosphere. Without visual representations of Sam, Lisa, and the other characters, the player is forced to imagine them for themselves, making the experience feel more personal and introspective. This choice also allows the game to focus on the emotional weight of the story rather than the specifics of the characters’ appearances.

Visual Direction: Minimalism as a Narrative Tool

Memories of East Coast’s visual direction is minimalist, but it is also highly intentional. The game’s art style is not just a result of budgetary constraints, but a deliberate choice to create a specific mood and tone. Some of the key visual elements include:

• Hand-drawn backgrounds: The game’s backgrounds are rendered in a loose, sketchy style that evokes the feeling of a memory half-remembered. The watercolor textures add a sense of warmth and nostalgia, while the lack of fine detail reinforces the game’s dreamlike atmosphere.
• No character sprites: As mentioned earlier, the absence of character art is one of the game’s most striking visual choices. It forces the player to rely on their imagination, making the story feel more personal and introspective.
• Symbolic imagery: The game makes use of recurring symbols, such as a plush unicorn, a bucket of fish, and a campfire, to reinforce its themes. These symbols are not just decorative—they are integral to the story, representing Sam’s childhood, his lost innocence, and his struggle to move forward.

While the game’s visuals are undeniably beautiful, they are also limited in scope. The number of unique backgrounds is relatively small, and the lack of character sprites can make the experience feel static at times. Additionally, the game’s minimalist approach means that some of its most emotionally charged moments—such as a confrontation between Sam and Lisa—lack the visual impact they might have had with more detailed art.

Sound Design and Music: The Power of Lo-Fi Nostalgia

The sound design in Memories of East Coast is subtle but effective. The game’s lo-fi soundtrack, composed of soft, melancholic tracks, is one of its strongest features. The music is not just background noise—it is an emotional anchor, reinforcing the game’s themes of nostalgia and introspection.

Some of the key aspects of the game’s sound design include:

• Lo-fi music: The game’s soundtrack consists of chill, downtempo tracks that evoke a sense of calm and reflection. The music is carefully selected to match the mood of each scene, with softer tracks accompanying introspective moments and more upbeat tracks playing during scenes of action or movement.
• Ambient sounds: The game makes use of subtle ambient sounds, such as the crash of waves, the rustle of leaves, and the distant hum of traffic, to create a sense of immersion. These sounds are not intrusive, but they add depth to the game’s atmosphere.
• Silence: The game is not afraid to use silence as a narrative tool. In some of the most emotionally charged moments, the music fades away, leaving only the sound of the text appearing on the screen. This silence is powerful, forcing the player to focus on the words and the emotions they convey.

The game’s soundtrack is so well-received that it includes a music room, where players can listen to the full soundtrack outside of the main story. This is a nice touch, as it allows players to revisit the game’s atmosphere even after they have finished the story.

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Reception & Legacy: A Flawed Gem in the Visual Novel Genre

Critical Reception: Praise for Atmosphere, Criticism for Execution

Memories of East Coast received mixed but generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at its atmosphere, art, and soundtrack, and criticism aimed at its writing and brevity. The game’s Metacritic score is not yet available due to a lack of reviews, but the existing critiques paint a picture of a game that is ambitious but flawed.

Some of the key points from critical reviews include:

• TheGamer (100/100): “Memories of East Coast is a short, yet wonderful experience that definitely delivers on [Roomah Gaming’s] statement [‘We produce art’].”
• TechRaptor (6/10): “Memories Of East Coast is an aesthetically pleasing visual novel that draws you in with stunning hand-drawn art and lo-fi beats in the background. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the same masterful execution when it comes to creative writing.”
• LadiesGamers (Liked): “Memories of East Coast is a nice little romp that gets you thinking about memories, guilt, and loss. It asks some interesting questions that I wish had been explored a little more. The art and music were a beautiful addition to the story.”
• Shindig (40/100): “The idea at the heart of Memories of East Coast—a solemn reflection on guilt and grief, told through the eyes of someone reconnecting with their tragic past—is a sound one, but it’s too underdeveloped and riddled with grammatical errors to come close to delivering on its potential.”

The consensus among critics is that Memories of East Coast is a game with a strong artistic vision, but one that is held back by its execution. The writing, while earnest, is often marred by grammatical errors and tonal inconsistencies, and the game’s brevity means that its themes are not always explored in depth. However, the game’s art, music, and atmosphere are universally praised, making it a memorable experience despite its flaws.

Commercial Reception: A Niche Success

Memories of East Coast was released on June 1, 2021, for Windows, with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch versions following later that year. The game was priced at $4.99 on consoles and $2.99 on Steam, making it an affordable impulse buy for fans of visual novels.

While the game did not achieve mainstream success, it found a niche audience among players who appreciated its introspective storytelling and atmospheric presentation. The game’s Steam reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with players praising its emotional depth and unique approach to narrative. However, the game’s commercial performance was likely modest, as it did not receive the same level of marketing or attention as larger indie releases.

Legacy and Influence: A Small but Meaningful Contribution

Memories of East Coast is not a game that will redefine the visual novel genre, but it is a small but meaningful contribution to the medium. Its minimalist approach to storytelling, its use of lo-fi music, and its willingness to tackle complex emotional themes make it a standout example of what indie developers can achieve with limited resources.

The game’s legacy is likely to be one of inspiration rather than imitation. Its flaws—particularly its writing and brevity—mean that it is not a perfect template for future visual novels, but its strengths—its atmosphere, its art, and its emotional resonance—serve as a reminder of the power of personal, introspective storytelling.

In the years since its release, Memories of East Coast has been cited as an influence by other indie developers, particularly those working in the visual novel and interactive fiction spaces. Its success—however modest—proves that there is an audience for games that prioritize emotional depth and atmospheric presentation over traditional gameplay mechanics.

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Conclusion: A Flawed but Unforgettable Journey

Memories of East Coast is a game that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. It is not a perfect experience—its writing is uneven, its brevity leaves some of its themes underdeveloped, and its attempts at humor often fall flat—but it is a game with heart, one that tackles complex emotional themes with a sincerity that is rare in modern gaming.

At its best, Memories of East Coast is a meditative, introspective journey, a story about memory, grief, and the struggle to reconcile the past with the present. Its hand-drawn art, its lo-fi soundtrack, and its dreamlike atmosphere create a sense of immersion that is difficult to shake, and its willingness to trust the player’s imagination makes it a deeply personal experience.

At its worst, the game is held back by its execution. The grammatical errors and tonal inconsistencies in the writing can pull the player out of the experience, and the lack of visual variety can make the game feel static and repetitive. However, these flaws do not overshadow the game’s strengths—they merely serve as a reminder of what Memories of East Coast could have been with a stronger editorial pass and a more polished presentation.

Ultimately, Memories of East Coast is a game that deserves to be experienced, if only for its ambition and its emotional resonance. It is not a game that will appeal to everyone—players who prefer action-driven narratives or complex gameplay mechanics may find it lacking—but for those who are willing to engage with its themes and its atmosphere, it is a journey worth taking.

Final Verdict: 7.5/10 – A Flawed but Memorable Exploration of Memory and Grief

Memories of East Coast is not a perfect game, but it is a game with soul, one that reminds us of the power of storytelling and the importance of confronting our past. It is a testament to the fact that even the most personal, introspective experiences can resonate with others, and that sometimes, the most meaningful journeys are the ones we take alone.