Keep in Mind: Remastered

In Brief

Keep in Mind: Remastered is a short walking simulator that deals with life crises such as alcoholism, grief & depression

While video games are usually lighthearted, fun and sometimes addictive escapes from real life; however, some games try to tackle real life issues, and serve to make players think and reflect on something rather than escape it. This has been even more common in the past few years with the openness of digital marketplaces and the explosion of the indie developer scene. One such game that tackles some tough issues, specifically alcoholism and mental illness, is called Keep in Mind from Little Moth Studios and remastered by Akupara Games. The story follows Jonas, who suffers from alcoholism and mental illnesses like depression and grief, as he awakens one night in a strange alternate version of his world he must go on to face the darkest demons of his psyche.

To get a feel for today's game before decide to enter the limited giveaway of 200 Steam keys, please check out the following game play videos of Keep in Mind: Remastered{……..SPOILER ALERT……} HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. You can also see more game play videos and a couple of walkthrough videos in the ‘Other Reviews and Videos’ section below.

Introduction:

If you awoke in a dark world plagued by beasts and demons, what would you do?

Keep in Mind: Remastered follows Jonas, a

Keep in Mind is a psychological indie game that follows Jonas, a man haunted by alcoholism, depression, and grief, on a journey of reflection and emotional healing. This game was created for those who struggle with mental illness or those who find themselves lost in the dark. This game is meant to be a therapeutic experience, but because of its sensitive and controversial content, some audiences may want to be wary.

One night, Jonas awakens to a shadowy mirror world where beasts lurk and the stars don't shine. Lost and scared, Jonas must face all those twisted beasts if he ever wishes to return home and learn the truth about his darkness.

Keep in Mind: Remastered takes the critically acclaimed Game Jolt version of the game and revamps it with a new engine, bug fixes, and brand new professionally composed soundtrack.

Features:

• Critically Acclaimed Story – Join Jonas as he confronts his personal demons in order help save himself from his own destructive alcoholism
• Eerie Soundtrack – Listen to the haunting soundtrack that immerses you in the game
• Memorable Experience – Characters and emotions that will stick with you, long after you complete the game
• For those not winning a key, maybe you could purchase the game instead for charity because Keep in Mind: Remastered, Akupara Game's profits are donated to charity, Child's Play

Reference accessed HERE 10th September 2018.

Installation:

Assuming you win a Steam key for Keep in Mind: Remastered, once you've received it via the email you used to enter the giveaway. If you have any problems, use the contact form. Also, If you've previously won a Steam key for any other limited giveaway and still not received your key, please contact the giveaway team via the contact form HERE. Please include details of the name and the email you used when you entered the competition, plus a screenshot of your name in the winners list would be useful to confirm your win, thank you.

You must activate the game via your Steam client. Once activated it will be permanently tied to your Steam profile and you'll be able to install the game at any time, anywhere on any computer, so long as you can validate who you are (usually via emails etc.). If you don't have a Steam account, you will first have to download and install the Steam client HERE

Then create a Steam profile/account. Once that has been completed you can input the Steam code that you've received (after completing the form filling) via the game button along the top of the Steam client, (located between friends and Help). From the drop-down menu select 'Activate a product on Steam'. This opens a product activation window. Just follow the prompts to complete activation. Once the Steam code has been accepted, the game will be associated with your Steam account and can be installed any time you wish

If you have a problem installing or activating or getting Keep in Mind: Remastered to work, please visit the problems section over in the Game Discussion forums, which I've now incorporated into the FAQ's thread, and which you can find HERE or check the Steam forums or contact Steam support.

The Game:

Because Keep in Mind: Remastered is more a statement of a life in crisis as opposed to a fun game, I thought two different opinions of the game would be appropriate. Due to family circumstances, I hadn't the time to fully review the game when it went live so I’ve posted two referenced reviews below. However, I finally managed to get some time to devote to this emotive game and although a little reluctant to because of the issues it portrays (my mother was one of those in the sixties that was prescribed what the Rolling Stones sang about, i.e. '' mothers little helpers''. She went on to admissions into mental institutions for most of my childhood and had many courses of electric shock treatment (before it was attenuated significantly), that left her a wreck. She had three kids over a space of 3 years (April 1955 to Feb 1958 and wasn't able to cope because my father was initially in the forces (National Service) and then worked away from home. Basically, she suffered postnatal depression before it was ever diagnosed and was told to 'man up to her responsibilities'. she was labeled a manic depressive. This game brought back many memories of those days when I was a kid back in the sixties. When my father died earlier this year, we found a stash of drawings and paintings that I and my siblings had done when we were kids. The one that really stood out was a card I'd made for my mother of her in a hospital bed, with lightning strikes hitting her head. It brought tears to my eyes. Playing a game that covered the subject of mental health was quite emotive for me, but I stuck it out and I must say, despite its premise, I was hooked and played it to the end. The art style is very retro (something I actually really like in some games) and for this game was actually quite appropriate. It's a very short game, but really made me think. The following two reviews I've posted below will give you a good idea as to whether you would enjoy playing this game and joining the competition to win a key. to all those that win a key; maybe you'll even contemplate the issues of mental health and alcoholism and even maybe contribute towards a charity that supports such issues.

The game can be played in English, Deutsch, Francais, Italiano, Español (México) Português do Brasil, 日本語 (Japanese), 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) and русский (Russian).

Review 1:

I haven’t felt so enlightened and disturbed at the same time, by a video game since discovering Moirai (a short F2P that’s sadly, no longer playable). A strange connection which Keep in Mind: Remastered also shares from the point of view of its gameplay length. Rarely do I find titles that can be finished within 20 minutes or less, but that’s not to say that such a limited time frame cannot suffice for a strong impression. And in case you’re wondering, the initial Keep in Mind was a 2016 release by Little Moth Studios while the 2018 remastered version I’m writing about, is the Steam development debut of Akupara Games (better known as publishers of titles such as Whispering Willows or Star Vikings Forever).

Right off the bat, I shall explain that I never discriminate a title for any reason at all. That obviously includes length of its gameplay. Ironically, it took me more time to write this review than see Keep in Mind: Re-mastered’s story all the way through. However, I could call it anything but wasted time. Why? Well the game’s narrative revolves around alcoholism and its subsequent spiral of regret which leads to a very convincing guilt trip for our protagonist, Jonas. This fallen hero’s chance at redemption is still within reach, but the brief road ahead will be filled with vivid examples/memories of the very reasons which brought him to the brink of despair. I hope you’re not expecting me to spoil any further details to a storyline which can take you less to finish, than eating your breakfast. As a final metaphor, compare Jonas’ eye-opening journey to that which finally led to a change of heart for Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. But far more twisted, naturally.

Nothing creates a stronger contrast within Keep in Mind: Remastered, than its visual assets that provide a clear distinction between Jonas’ reality and the “living nightmare” he must endure in his inebriated state. To put it in simple terms, the game looks like an Atari 2600 release for most of its gameplay. It didn’t bother me that much since I’m aware that this was a clear level design and narrative choice. Independent developers and their projects wouldn’t be the same, without bold stylistic decisions which may be interpreted as unnecessary risks by “high rollers” of the gaming industry. I think that these differences in opinion and approach methods, are a defining trait and a selling point. Being different and offering something that no one else will, is a large part of the appeal, after all. Long story short, the game runs flawlessly and it scaled to 4K resolution without a single issue. The original Keep in Mind was powered by Game Maker: Studio but the Remastered is finally joining the Unity Engine team.

The sounds were also overhauled and while they won’t be mind-blowing in any capacity, they maintain the tension of its mature themes. Some voice acting wouldn’t have gone unnoticed, but alas, it’s a text-based story which plays out as a visual novel to a certain extent. The soundtrack was on par with the visuals and I couldn’t complain about song variety since it shouldn’t take you longer to get to the bottom of Jonas’ plights, than the span of a couple of songs.

If you’re familiar with the aforementioned 1843 novella about a heartless miser, you know that the “hero” gets visited by three ethereal entities calling themselves “The Ghosts of Christmas”. Our story’s Jonas receives the “concerned visits” of 16 creatures. These can be of supernatural origins or not. Literal materialization of the protagonist’s fears and past or present failures. His inner demons, if you will. They can be quite vocal, but their role is purely educational. Jonas isn’t on a trip through any hell. Perhaps he’s stuck in limbo, but his salvation isn’t hopeless. Jonas must travel across a small territory that’s comprised of his suburban neighborhood and interact with these sixteen unwanted guests. Only upon hearing all their stories or gloating, can he safely return to his home and bedroom. Alcohol triggered insanity played out as a central theme in Layers of Fear, but Keep in Mind shares only the similarity of a strained marriage as the direct result of that vice.

Depending on how much you care about moralizing undertones, you may enjoy Keep in Mind: Remastered or not. It’s perfectly understandable and I had my own initial reservations. I decided to keep recommending it, because of the serious issues it discusses and the fact that it still offers a satisfying end which isn’t characteristic to the horror genre, this title wishes to belong to. The true sense of fear and uncertainty doesn’t stem from the overindulgence regarding intoxicating substances, but from the monster they can transform you into. Don’t go thinking that I’m a teetotaler or that I’ll be judging what you do with your mind and body. You know better than me, what are your expectations and desires. Finding a balance or not, even cruelly brief titles such as Keep in Mind: Remastered can be veritable life lesson for the open-minded.

Reference accessed HERE original review posted by Cristian P. on March 31st, 2018; Edited and reposted by Whiterabbit-uk 10th September 2018.

Review 2:

Akupara Games' recent release Keep in Mind: Remastered is at its core a walking simulator that confronts heavy concepts like alcoholism and depression. This isn't your average mobile game. It most definitely won't appeal to a mass audience, though for those of you who are interested, it does explore some of the darker sides of average suburban life.

If you have never heard of Keep in Mind before, let me fill you in. It started out as a web-based game on Game Jolt. It has since been remastered by Akupara Games, which brings with it a new engine, bug fixes, and a brand new professionally composed soundtrack. Suffice it to say, some work went into this release in order to make sure it is up to snuff.

Now I would hate to give too much of the story away as this is a short game, but basically, you play the part of Jonas, a man tormented by his past who is currently struggling with alcoholism and depression, which is affecting his relationship with his wife. As he is sleeping, he slips into a shadowy mirror world filled with scary creatures and dark skies.

Once you find yourself in this alternate reality, you will spend the next half hour exploring it so that you can track down those monsters I mentioned and finally confront your fears.

As for the controls, they work great, though there isn't much to do other than walking around and interacting with monsters. After all, this is a walking simulator, so limited interactivity is expected. Basically, you have two control zones at your disposal. On the left side of the screen is a virtual thumb stick that remains invisible so that most of your screen is clear, and on the right is a single visible button that you tap on to talk. Both the virtual thumb stick and talk button are responsive, and I never once had any trouble navigating the game.

One issue I did notice is that this release lists support for Android TV. I was able to install the game successfully on my Shield TV, however the controls didn't work. I am unsure if this is simply a bug or just an incorrect listing for ATV. Either way, ATV support is a no go.

Oh, and if you feel the $0.99 asking price is too high for a game that only lasts half an hour, I would like to point out that all its profits will be going to Child's Play, a charity that donates toys and games to children's hospitals worldwide. So at the very least, you know your purchase will be helping kids in need.

While I am still unsure whether the heavy concepts covered in this release are therapeutic (as the developer claims), it does offer something a little different from the norm, which is always a welcome sight. If you are looking for a contemplative experience rather than a traditional game, Keep in Mind: Remastered fills that niche. Plus it never hurts when you know the money you have spent is going towards a good cause.

Reference accessed HERE original review by Matthew Sholtz on 8th March 2018; Edited, and reposted by Whiterabbit-uk 10th September 2018.

Other reviews & Videos of Keep in Mind: Remastered:

You can check 30 comments and short reviews from the Steam community for Keep in Mind: Remastered HERE. And more videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE (Russian/русский), HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE.

Suggestions:

If you're one of the 200 lucky winners of a Steam key for Keep in Mind: Remastered please give some feedback about your opinion of the game, for example, what you liked or disliked about it, or how it could be improved from your point of view. What, improvements, if any, would change your opinion?

There are thousands of subscribers to the game giveaway of the day every weekend which makes this an ideal forum for giving developers ideas as to what their consumers (i.e you) would like to see in a game; for example, you could suggest extra content such as better or more original mini games, or a level editor that you would like to see that would make it more appealing to you. Maybe you think the graphics are a little dated and are in need of re skinning, or maybe you've just had enough of the genre and want to see something different or something with more originality?

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Little Moth Studios & Akupara Games (remastered the game) for providing 200 keys for Keep in Mind: Remastered and to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If this weeks limited giveaway game doesn't grab you, but you still hanker for a new game, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free in the 'Weekly roundup of game deals', HERE (I've not updated in in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns thread for details of other free games and offers HERE

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, if you have a problem getting the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve or if you have a game to offer the community you can do so HERE