Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories Reviews
There are still glimpses of the original's charm, and the potential of an earthquake-surviving simulator is made clear, but this tonally awkward, disaster of a game doesn't get close to realising it.
Its shortcomings far outweigh its merits, but what merits they are - Disaster Report 4 is silly, humane and utterly charming.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is not the most refined game you'll find in 2020, falling short on multiple technical levels, but its blend of personal dramas and crisis management with slivers of wit and absurdity makes for a surprisingly impactful disaster movie-inspired experience that is arguably one that's difficult to find elsewhere.
Not always I have a chance to review a game the title of which could be used as well as a title for my review. While playing Disaster Report 4 I truly felt like a reporter witnessing a tragedy first-hand since the game is a small catastrophe in almost every aspect. That being said, it is also virtually impossible not to develop a love-hate relationship with it because of how bonkers its story gets.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Never having witnessed the apparent previous disasters having been reported I can't comment in any way how this edition compares...
In many ways, Disaster Report 4 lives up to its name. Sure, it’s a disaster, but it’s a disaster with heart. It’s a buggy, technically-flawed mess that somehow, seemingly against all odds, manages to pull you in with its charming characters and compelling narrative. If you can overlook its unpolished nature and a few questionable design choices to experience a game unlike anything else on the Switch, you may just enjoy this quirky and chaotic adventure.
In paring down the campy charm of the series before it, Disaster Report 4's more serious tone often crumbles like the very buildings you find yourself running away from.
I found it quite difficult. This was due to the fact I couldn’t understand some of the logic behind why this triggers that, or that triggers this. I thoroughly have enjoyed the time I have spent on this game and I will definitely be continuing until I finish it! And then, perhaps, play again and see what I missed or could do differently this time!
BAD - No. Just…. No. Find something else to play. Terrible controls on top of poor writing on top of confusing and boring gameplay makes Disaster Report 4 a game I wouldn’t pick up in the bargain bin where they give you 99% off.
If you can fight past the technical shortcomings – which, it's worth stating, are pretty considerable – then you'll find an experience that's totally unique on Switch, and that's no mean feat when you consider the depth of the console's library.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is a unique experience that allows players to create their own story of surviving an earthquake.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is an absolute mess from start to finish. The puzzles that stand in the way of your progress are almost universally illogical leading to an experience that frustrates throughout. This would perhaps – at a push – be worth persevering with if the story were engaging enough, but the tale told here is so silly that it could have been generated by pulling plot twists out of a hat. Throw in a creepy vibe, crummy production values, and dodgy controls, and you're left with an unmitigated disasterpiece that you should avoid like it's got the coronavirus.
I see great potential in Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories! I do think that there will be patches to fix the frame rate, and maybe even DLC chapters continuing the story.
There are a few highlights, but Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories has so many rough edges, broken mechanics and frustrating, counter-intuitive elements that it’s anything but memorable.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories was so much bigger and more in-depth than I originally thought it would be. Try and find your way home as you abuse desperate people or try to help those in need, the way you react and deal with the various situations all comes down to your own personality. Although the core narrative is set in stone, only deviating at set waypoints, the comedic and down-right silly interactions you can have are all rather unique and special. I’m very grateful that we were able to experience this fantastic game, easily one of my favourite games of the year so far.
Pity. I was really looking forward to the release of 'Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories'. The title lured me by the exciting premise of not being a hero who defies a supernatural threat, but simply a man who faces a devastating natural disaster. Basically, 'Disaster Report 4' delivers exactly that and in its best moments, the title knows how to make your pulse race. Unfortunately, these moments are rare, or they are undermined by the poor technique and presentation. Far too often I found myself thinking that a sequence could have been potentially outstanding if the antiquated game mechanics hadn't gotten in the way. All great approaches are thus nipped in the bud, which I regretted painfully when testing. Not only the playful rays of hope suffer from this deficient technical framework - the entire game ailments from dusty mechanics. In all regularity we wander aimlessly through the shattered areas of the city, with no clue as to how to proceed. This helplessness also runs through various other game principles, which often leads to frustration. Nevertheless, especially sensitive scenes drew me to the controller again and again and made me sigh, how unfortunate it is, that such promising potential remained untapped.
Review in German | Read full review
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is a unique, sometimes earth-shattering experience. It doesn’t get everything right but it’s the nearest you’ll ever want to get to an earthquake and that works for me.
With the game finally completed and released to the world after nine long years, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories marks the return of Granzella's cult classic series about surviving natural disasters. This time around, the team has traded action set pieces in for a more personal look at the human toll of horrific events—but they've done so without injecting enough humanity into that new direction to make it truly work.
Initially meant to be released in 2011, Disaster Report 4 was not worth the wait. The Switch version of the game is a complete mess (old-timey textures, frequent FPS drops...) and the experience is not very captivating overall, gameplay-wise. The only appeal of the game is in its atmosphere, paradoxally slow-moving and contemplative.
Review in French | Read full review