Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories Reviews
Disaster Report 4 Summer Memories fails both as a survival game and a visual novel. It suffers from many technical issues (sometimes it feels like a PS2 game) and a slow pace.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
But this one, there are just too many things that got on my nerves. Some people will still have a good time, and for sure there were moments where I went from delighted to dumbfounded and back in seconds. But the best I can say is proceed with caution, falling debris ahead.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is an absurd game that is rough around the edges but manages to pull itself together nice enough to tell a survival story unlike any other.
In the end, I enjoyed my overall time with Disaster Report 4. I spent a little over 15 hours with the game and it was a truly interesting experience. I still don’t think it’s worth $60 whatsoever. Nevertheless, if you want to go on a unique journey and you happen to have a PS4 or a decent computer, I’d definitely recommend trying out the game should it go on sale. It’s most definitely an experience worth going on at least once if you’re curious. Disaster Report 4 has its own special sort of charm regardless of not being the highest quality title performance-wise.
Is it a fun game? Not really. Is it intriguing? In a way. Is it worth buying at the full price? Certainly not. I would suggest if the usual gaming tropes aren’t scratching a gaming itch during this Coronavirus world lock-down right now, then you might find some enjoyment against this weird tree.
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.
Overall, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is rather lacking as a whole. While there isn't really anything that makes it unplayable, it certainly doesn't help you out a whole lot either. The concept ins interesting, but it just couldn't take off the way I had hoped it would.
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
At best, Disaster Report 4 recalls the mundane and absurd human dramas seen in Yakuza and Deadly Premonition, though shares more of the latter's rough low-budget execution. Ultimately, it's an acquired taste but might just scrape through on its peculiar charms to be a cult favourite.
While Disaster Report 4 is a very stiff and jerky game, it is at least entertaining. Just don't try to play it twice.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories took a long time to reach us - more than nine years, to be exact. That said, it's undeniable that this game features interesting characters, a degree of freedom that's worth the praise and multiple endings that will get players to return to it over and over again. Unfortunately its technical execution is very far from ideal and the heavy, clunky and unstable way it runs will definitely put many players off, which is a shame because Disaster Report 4 gets a lot of things right.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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 not a good game. Its design is archaic, its presentation is lacking, and its story is nonsensical. But anyone who enjoys janky, weird games will very likely have a good time with it. It might not be quality, but it's often very entertaining.
It's hard to recommend Disaster Report 4 Summer Memories to anyone that's not entirely into disaster movie and japanese culture. Ancient game design, technical issues and limited gameplay sink this game down.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is a perfect example of a beautiful story that falls short on execution. The creators seem to have put more effort into the characters than into the game itself. You also go through the game fairly quickly, if it does not crash. The appearance of the game is somewhat disappointing as well.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is quite a special game. Belonging to a very specific niche in the market, and to a franchise considered cult in that market, it is a fairly continuous part, which also suffers the consequences of having gone through a tortuous development with a change of platform included. Apparently but technically fair, and with a chaotic and irregular narrative that will take us from situations of great harshness to others of continual shame. At least it's entertaining and it has his audience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you can look past the aesthetics of Disaster Report 4, there's a bunch of fun to be had escaping the broken city and helping out the residents as you struggle to survive and hopefully make your way home.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is definitely not worth the $60 retail price but it would be worth picking up in the $20 to $40 range.
Never having witnessed the apparent previous disasters having been reported I can't comment in any way how this edition compares...
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.