Disaster Report 4 – Summer Memories Review: Worth The Wait?

By JT

Player(s): 1
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch

From developer Granzella, and with thanks to NIS America for publishing this game world-wide, we are graced with the eventual release of Disaster Report 4 – Summer Memories. It was originally in development for the PS3 by Irem, but had been pushed back, only to become officially cancelled later that year. Rebranded as Granzella, the studio has since revived the project, and here we are to talk about it. Was it worth the time and effort to revitalize? Let's take a look!

My love for niche types of games spans across all platforms. Anything interesting catches my eye. Anything that has huge potential to be different and "not just another game" will always find its way into my library. Even with that, my expectations were never set so high that the game would always be terrible if it failed to deliver. That being said, this is still a huge disappointment. The game starts off to a strong start, setting you on a bus, either going to a meeting, or hanging with friends, etc. As the main character, you offer a sweet old lady your seat. Shortly afterwards, you get a warning on your phone and have the option of either shrugging it off or bracing for possible impact (no matter the option you choose, it ends the same). An earthquake hits, and with that the bus is turned over. From there, you must crawl out of the wreckage and get to safety.

As the story progresses, so does your understanding of the world around you. You can make someone's life better by helping with their problems, only to have that same building collapse the moment you leave. The game in trying to convey emotion does a good job in some parts, taking risks that is seen not as often anymore. Every day in the game felt like another segment. One segment, you're basically a detective, in another you're a part of some rival company. With so many interactions that play out more like a drama, rather than a tragedy, it was difficult to be invested. There are even some "twists" that might make sense, but they just aren't interesting and follow the same tropes seen in most films. It's basically the end of the world, you don't need to play detective for no reason. People are trapped inside buildings and need to be rescued. In fact, for trying to rescue so many lives, there is very little rescuing in this game. Half the time, you're just trying to escape to somewhere, or attempting to settle disputes. You can't progress through any part of the story without settling every single step beforehand, including any random dialog between you and a stranger.

With little to no direction half the time, the game can get frustrating fast. This can lead to checking everything and talking to everyone. Things also feel very limited from the beginning. Obstacles that a normal person could likely climb through or over may not be accessible. Various invisible walls and cars block most pathways, with some not opening up until a section of the story has been completed, in which case it's only open to advance the story. Numerous fetch quests also plague the game, feeling more like an errand boy throughout many segments. If you miss something, you may have to backtrack and waste a lot of time looking for someone because the correct dialog options weren't chosen for them. This leads to a lot of tedious running back and forth, even if you're able to find everything needed in one go. I had to set my controller down numerous times during these fetch quests. I wanted to start saving some people from burning or collapsed buildings! There was some saving being done, but not really a lot. One area, which are a bunch of apartments, had me climb a building to get cold medicine for a child. Never mind attempting to save the two from certain death, being inside the sinking building and all.

What good can be said about the various elements within the world is the people. There are many people with different backgrounds, talking with them to get some insight into their lives. They're often short-lived, but memorable. This game also allows for the deaths of others around the main character. They aren't particularly well-done, but you can see various buildings collapse on to people. A bridge collapses, and there is nothing you can do. It just falls, and then you can walk under it to see the various bodies underneath. That's strong. It sends a good message to other developers, telling them to take more risks. Show the tragedy of life in its entirety.

Shops have been mostly stripped bare, leaving only items in the shopkeeper's possession. Some street merchants also sell various goods, but for surprisingly affordable prices. First Aid kits were a little pricey, but they're always handy to have. There are various amounts of food and drinks to keep your stomach satisfied throughout your journey. Too many restrooms in order to do your business, which had very little need for. Every section has a save point, so at no point were the stakes ever high, as it also allows for rest. There are also various different outfits to either purchase or find along the journey. The collectibles that have almost no value are different compasses you're able to collect, which are often found as items just lying on the ground.

​There are many choices along the way that either allows you to be a complete saint, or a complete jerk. I tried both routes, but nothing seemed to change except maybe a dialog box or two. People were still set with the same dialog tree directly after that. Almost every amount of dialog tailored to going the route of being kind. No choice picked amounts to anything substantial, at least from what I could tell. Even later down the road, everything feels one-note. Some things are brought up later in passing, but is it really because of your choices? Perhaps, or perhaps not.

Graphical glitches and frame rate drops are present in the first couple minutes of the opening. Noticed people popping in and out of frame at random, with someone on the bus having their face morph for a split second. I couldn't replicate the tiny glitch while going through a second playthrough, but it was still something I had noticed the first time. The character models look almost like they were developed for the PS2, while the disaster mechanics look really good otherwise. The texture of water, the debris as buildings collapse, they look pretty good to decent. During one building collapse, I had one fall directly on top of me, giving me instant game over. When prompted to continue, I found myself inside that same building that had fallen on me. If that hadn't happened, I might have been scrambling to figure out what to do.

The soundtrack isn't terrible, and even has the charm of being on a budget. There are times where it works, but then the same exact song will pop up and it feels weird. Like the song was somehow out of place. With a lot more polish, maybe the music would have been better handled. As with the various sounds, some were certainly out of place. The transition from walking over glass to concrete debris sounded almost the exact same. Crumbling buildings didn't sound right, and I couldn't understand why. When the earthquakes and tremors happened, it sounded fine, same could be said about the weather elements.

Overall, the game was a little boring. There are too many fetch quests, and a majority of the time you will be just running from one place to the next. My investment of the multiple storylines was almost non-existant. The whole time I felt as if nothing I did made much of a difference. The natural disaster portion was pretty cool, when it was utilized as such. With things collapsing around you, on top of you, and fires blazing across the city, it sounds wonderful on paper. It just wasn;t executed as well with this game. Maybe another 6 months to a year could have yielded much better results than to what we got. For a full-priced game, I expected more. It's a moderate game to check out. For fans of the series, it might be perfect. As for myself, at the very least it has potential. I really hope they make a sequel, because with more time this game could have easily been among my top ten PS4 games.

Disaster Report 4 – Summer Memories is also set up for PS VR, but not required. So be mindful of that if you are planning to purchase this game.

For more information on Disaster Report 4 – Summer Memories, please visit:
https://nisamerica.com/disaster-report/

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Story: C
Gameplay: C+
Graphics: C
Music/Sound Quality: B
Value: C-

Overall: C+

Pros:
+Environmental destruction looks real good.
+Weather elements look great!
+Interaction between characters is good.
+When tragedy finally strikes, it hits home.

Cons:
-Character models and faces look bad and outdated.
-Every choice leads to the same run-in dialog.
-Not as much rescuing as expected.
-Too many storylines.

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A review copy of this game was provided to us by the publisher. This in no way reflects on the above review or our final rating.