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SPYxFAMILY has been showered with success lately. Apart from the excellent manga, its anime adaptation boosted its fame. It stands out for its carefully made animation, wonderful humor, and unique musical themes. However, the most remarkable thing about it is its characters. We have Yor trying to be the best mother despite being the deadliest assassin in the world and Loid trying to be the dad of the year just to prevent a war. They are excellent protagonists. Yet, the one who steals the show is Anya, an inexhaustible source of memes and iconic scenes. SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories is here to place the mind-reader kid under the spotlight. While it is a fan-service-fueled adventure, it falls into the shallowness of many other anime-inspired games.
The Joys of an Ordinary Life?
Let me start by saying this: the ones who’ll enjoy SPYxANYA: Operation Memories are fans of the anime. That’s not to say you won’t like it as a newcomer, but without previous knowledge about the cast, the jokes and the references will be ephemeral to many. The story centers around Anya’s special assignment of writing a diary while still trying to befriend Damian Desmond in her efforts to preserve world peace, or so she thinks. The little telepath deduces that if she makes a super cool diary, Damian will want to see it and become her friend. Anya’s parents also want to help Anya complete her task, so Yor suggests she take pictures for her diary, and Loid recommends places to visit.
It’s a simple plot, but it fits perfectly with what the anime establishes with the characters. It’s like living an episode of the show, as the characters respect their personalities and particular characteristics. Seeing Anya interact with every place, person, or item you can find in the store to take fantastic pictures is adorable. You can even unlock special events with other characters for a unique photo session or watch scenes from the show. However, rather than creating your own story, SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories feels like an anime filler. It doesn’t have a unique plot as it relies heavily on the anime and brings a more slice-of-life-like approach to the story.
For me, this is one of the saddest parts of SPY×ANYA. While I know it is difficult to manifest something original in an existing universe, the developers could’ve taken more time to bring something new to the beloved family. Again, I don’t mind the fan service. SPYxFAMILY is one of my favorite series ever. Still, even as the diehard fan that I am, I found this adventure repetitive and, at times, extremely dull, which is the complete opposite of what the source has conveyed in the past.
Making Starlight Anya’s Photo Album
The gameplay itself is straightforward but repetitive. You go to school, talk to your classmates, take pictures, go home to talk to your family, take another picture, and repeat the day. This happens throughout a few days until it’s finally time to go outside. This is when the Forgers visit exciting places and have more opportunities to take unique photos. Then, you go back to the routine of going to class.
SPYxANYA: Operation Memories lacks variety in what is supposed to be the essential part of the story. Furthermore, it is very limited to “actions,” which is the number of attempts you have to take a photo. Even if you have several photo spots —this depends on the specific items you buy at the store or the default ones the place has— you can only take two or three. So you have to go back several times to complete the diary page of the exact location.
The most fun part of SPY×ANYA is its minigames, which recreate iconic chapters of the anime. Among the minigames is one with Yor fighting enemies, which is a clear reference to Yakuza games, Loid infiltrating into a museum, Anya’s physical education class, or the most dangerous one, Yor cooking. In addition, playing the minigames earns you PP points that you can use as currency in the store to buy more accessories and outfits. Of course, each minigame costs 100 Eureka points, which you earn by taking pictures. I also really enjoyed seeing the outfits of the characters from the show and being able to dress them up according to the occasion. I couldn’t help but put the Forgers in a navy-style outfit to go to the aquarium; I even had Bond wear his bow tie in a shade of blue.
An Anime Brought to Life
The first thing that surprised me about the game was how it could almost perfectly replicate the 2D style of the anime in 3D models with cell shading. Although some angles lose this effect, they aren’t too jarring. There were times when SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories made me forget I was in a video game due to the visual fidelity of its anime source. I noticed no difference between the show and the environments or characters. You can even see an almost identical replica of the Eden Academy or the Forger’s house, with more depth. While I enjoyed the scenery and the small cutscenes, the UI was too cluttered. It covered too much space on the screen, and it was even annoying on some occasions as I couldn’t hide it to take pictures of certain scenes.
Also, there are too many loading screens when changing locations. For example, when Anya goes to school, she has the animation of getting up, then when she says goodbye to leave home, the animation of the bus, then the loading screen, then the animation in Eden, and finally, when the classes are over. It is up to that moment when you can start playing the game. The same happens on the way home or when going out somewhere else. Fortunately, you can skip the cinematics, but there are too many, and they continuously repeat themselves.
The music isn’t bad, but it’s not a fundamental part of the game. It has a feeling that reminds me of elevator music or when I played Mii Plaza or Nintendogs. The tunes are quiet, like the pacing, but the audio is more to fill the emptiness in the background. However, I loved that the same Japanese voice actors participated in SPY×ANYA for their characters. Plus, when they do funny reactions, the sound effects and voices are the same, like Anya’s iconic Khaaaaan.
SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories is not a masterpiece. I would have loved to get a story with the drama between spies or something more about Yor or Yuri. I expected more like an OVA, even if it was a short mission. Still, if you’re looking for a cozy game and you’re a fan of SPYxFAMILY, you’ll enjoy it for a while and in short doses. You can relive the most iconic scenes from the anime, talk to your favorite character, and get postcards by unlocking special moments. Still, out of everything SPYxFAMILY related, this has to be the weakest product in the market.
SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories (PlayStation 5 Reviewed)
Just like other big and famous anime shows, SPYxANYA suffers from one thing: filler content. The lack of originality and repetitive gameplay will drive away even the most diehard fans. While the fan service is welcome, it isn't enough to hold anyone's attention.
Pros
- Excellent replica of the anime style
- Usage of the same voice actors
- Fun minigames
Cons
- Repetitive gameplay
- Too many load screens
