When the Nintendo DS was first announced, a lot of fans were eager to check out the new touch screen technology, and see what developers could do with the use of two screens. This lead to a lot of creative games during the early years of the DS's life cycle, and one of these titles was a little game called Trace Memory.
Trace Memory was an adventure game, similar to the classic point and click titles that were popular on PC. It followed the story of a young girl named Ashley as she searched for clues about her missing father, which ultimately leads her to a creepy old mansion that is in fact haunted. Although the game came out close to a year after the DS first released, it was one of the earliest games to show what a touch screen could be used for, especially when it came to puzzle solving, and interacting with a world like you would on PC with a mouse.
This game would go on to be a lot of player's first introduction to the universe created by the developers of the game, Cing, and many still to this day do not realize it is a part of a series. The reality is, Trace Memory, also known as Another Code, is the first entry in a four part universe, and is also not the first game to be released by Cing. Now with the Another Code collection being out on the Nintendo Switch, I thought it would be the perfect time to take a quick step back and go over the complete history of Cing, and the games they have produced. Unfortunately Cing is no longer with us, but their games do live on within Nintendo, so we may still see more from them in the future!
Founding Cing
Cing was founded in April of 1999 by Takuya Miyagawa, Rika Suzuki, Toshihiko Ichimaru, and Maho Jouchi after the company they worked for, Riverhill Soft, closed. While other members of Riverhill went on to found Level-5, this group of individuals teamed up to continue their vision of writing and telling stories under their new brand of Cing instead. Many of them had previously been involved with adventure games like Manhattan Requiem, and Cing would be a way to continue on their previous legacy.
Rika Suzuki would go on to become Cing's lead writer, and would be responsible for the vast majority of their games; especially those that shared a connected universe. Each of her stories centered around a mystery, with each game covering different topics and ideas. Some stories were supernatural, while others were much more grounded, yet still a part of the same super natural world. Her stories were the heart of each game, and without her they wouldn't have been the compelling tales fans know and love.
Glass Rose
The first title to be released by Cing was Glass Rose on the PlayStation 2. The game was released in 2003 and was published by Capcom, with quite a few Capcom staff members being involved as well. Even Kôji Nakajima, who previously was involved with Cock Tower 3 and would go on to produce Haunting Ground, served as producer on the title. Even so, Glass Rose was actually seen as a failure with poor sales, and it was only ever localized in the EU region. That being said, the game was still interesting.
The story followed a man by the name of Takashi Kagetani who begins investigating the murder of Denemon Yoshinodou back in 1929. The case was never solved, but when Kagetani starts looking into things, his entire world is flipped upside down. Kagetani wakes up in 1929 shortly after Yoshinodou was murdered, and finds everyone in the mansion is referring to him as Yoshinodou's son. Of course he objects to this, but he eventually accepts his fate and plays it off as simply not remembering. Now with a front row seat, he truly begins investigating the murders, all while also trying to locate his friend Emi Katagiri who went missing yet randomly appears in a ghost like state.
Overall, the game was an interesting one, with a real time clock system. Rather than directly controlling the characters, it played like a classic point and click adventure game, where clicking on the screen would tell the main character where to go or what to investigate. If you failed to achieve a goal in time, or missed an event because you were in the wrong location, then time resets back and you get to try again. This means progressing through the game becomes trial and error, with different events leading to possible different outcomes.
The true unique aspect of the game however, was none other than how the dialogue worked. During conversations, the full readout of what the other characters have to say becomes available. At this point players could highlight key words or phrases to ask questions, or to focus in on different subjects that were brought up. Sometimes this involves highlighting a name to ask who someone is, or maybe selecting the description of what they did to either comment on it, or find out how or why it happened. This too dictates what the main character knows in the story, and can impact the actions of the other characters. Choosing the wrong things, or missing something important will lead to failure, so this too can be a bit of trial and error.
But again, despite the interesting story and unique gameplay elements, Glass Rose wasn't the success Cing had hoped for, and it was quick to fade away into obscurity.
Trace Memory / Another Code
Trace Memory released in the US in September of 2005, a few months after the release of Another Code in the EU. While Another Code was the original Japanese title for the game, as well as the name other regions of the world retained, it was renamed to Trace Memory in the US along with some other changes.
As previously stated above, the game followed the story of Ashley who receives a package from her father she thought was dead. Within the package is a device called the DAS (Dual Another System), which looks like a Nintendo DS, and a message asking her to come to Blood Edward Island. So Ashley packs up, gets on a boat, and arrives at the mysterious island hoping to finally learn why her father disappeared years before.
What first starts as a simple investigation into her father's disappearance, soon turns into a story of uncovering the past in general. Shortly after arriving on the island, Ashley has a ghostly encounter with a boy named "D," who has little to no memories of who he used to be. D has been roaming the island alone for years since his death, and Ashley decides to help him. Of course her actions aren't entirely selfless, as she too wants to get to the bottom of her family's past, and find out what happened to her missing father.
Another Code wasn’t a very long game, but it did succeed at what it set out to do. It showed the world how the DS touch screen could be used for adventure games, and brought a PC like experience to the world of handhelds. Over the coming years many visual novels and adventure games would grace the console, and Another Code was one of the first to lead the charge.
There was one thing a bit strange with this release however…
Although Another Code and Trace Memory are the same game, they were handled by two different translation teams, and have differences because of that. Dialogue was altered or translated differently between the two, which results in some inconsistencies. The DAS is referred to as a DTS (Dual Trace System) in the US version for example, but even some of the character's personalities come off as being a little different. Both games do follow the same story overall, but these small changes add up throughout the entire experience.
Putting aside the differences between the two English releases, Another Code/Trace Memory became the "start" of the main Cing timeline, and it would set the stage for what was to come.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Hotel Dusk was the 2007 follow up to Another Code, and once again was a different take on the adventure game genre. Rather than being held normally, Hotel Dusk asked that players would turn their DS sideways like a book, and control it using a left and right screen. The left screen contained a 3D view of the game world, while the right screen allowed players to touch and direct which way their character moved by clicking on a mini map. Dialogue scenes were also split between characters being on the left or right, and puzzles and menus were also navigated using the touch screen. While physical buttons could be used for specific actions, the game was clearly meant to be a touch only experience.
The game stars Kyle Hyde, and takes place on December 28th of 1979. Kyle is a retired police officer who is now a door to door salesmen, who finds himself spending the night at a dusty old hotel. The hotel has a rumor stating that whoever stays in Room 215 will have their dreams come true, and Kyle finds himself in that very room. Of course he doesn't expect anything of it, he has been searching for his missing partner who vanished years ago, and unknown to him tonight is when he will finally get some answers.
While the main focus is on Kyle and his past, it isn't simply as black and white (unlike the graphics which go for a stylized hand drawn art for the characters). Kyle's stay at the hotel leads him to encounter the many different guests staying there, and get involved with their lives. Each has their own problem to overcome, and many connect in different ways. All these seemingly unrelated people end up being much more to Kyle in his search for his own truth, and by the end of it all... Everything has changed.
Hotel Dusk takes place prior to Another Code, but still takes place within the same universe. The call backs are not much more than eastereggs however, which means those who play Hotel Dusk do not need to play Another Code first. The biggest reference of all is the fact that the maid Rosa is the wife to the captain who takes Ashley to the island, but there are a few other details of the world brought up as well.
Outside of the connections, Hotel Dusk did enough to make it stand out on its own, and because of that not everyone may have realized it was connected. The more mature story, the unique art style, the way the game was played, and just about everything else featured in the game, was a shift from how Another Code presented itself. This meant fans of Another Code might not necessarily like Hotel Dusk, and the same could be said for the other way around too. It really came down to the type of story players were looking for, with both being mystery based, but going about their mysteries in completely different ways.
Overall, Hotel Dusk: Room 215 was a success for Cing; however, it would be the last game in the Another Code timeline to be published in North America for quite some time.
Monster Rancher DS
Taking a break from their own titles, the next game to be developed by Cing was Monster Rancher DS. The game was the next entry in Tecmo's "monster catching life simulator" series which had been going on since 1997, and was Cing's only entry within the series. It released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, and was a stepping stone between Hotel Dusk, and their next major project.
To learn more about Monster Rancher, you can head on over to our A Brief History of the Monster Rancher Series written by Jeremy Schepper.
Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories
Cing returned to their Another Code timeline with the release of Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories.
The game was a Nintendo Wii exclusive released in 2009, and was only localized in the EU region. Since the Nintendo Wii was region locked, only EU region Wii consoles had the ability to play the game, meaning the rest of the world couldn't simply import it to play it.
Story wise, Another Code: R begins a few years after the events of the original Another Code, and once again follows the story of Ashley. Now as a 16 year old, she visits Lake Juliet upon request from her father. After arriving he reveals to her that he is investigating what her mother was doing there years ago, and is looking for her help. He provides her with a True Another System (TAS) remote device, and once again it becomes key to solving puzzles and navigating the world.
As a Wii game, Another Code: R makes extensive use of the Wii Remote to search the world, and solve puzzles. Graphically, as a Wii game there was a major upgrade over the original DS release, with an entire town for Ashley to explore.
The "overworld" part of the game sees Ashley moving left/right, similar to the classic Japanese adventure game Twilight Syndrome (which was referenced in the English released Danganronpa 2), but key areas allow you use the Wii Remote to point and click on objects to further explore similar to the first game. The game also featured a wide variety of characters to interact with, which is something the original Another Code didn't have; mainly due to taking place in a haunted mansion. Overall it was a major improvement over the original DS title, and finally provided some closure to the story.
Just as Cing’s DS games before hand, Another Code: R showed that the Wii was a perfect console for this type of game, and it was a worthy successor to the original.
Sadly this would be the last game in the series timeline wise, but it wouldn't be the last entry within it.
Little King's Story
After finishing Another Code: R, Cing decided to release yet another Wii game also in 2009. This time in the form of the real time strategy game Little King's Story.
Little King's Story was a unique game where players take on the role of the "king," and recruit towns people and helpers to build your kingdom. The king would go out with his army following behind him, and players would be able to command them to overcome different challenges, and build up the kingdom. It was a lot like the Nintendo series Pikmin, with the little creatures being replaced by people of different jobs and classes.
Although the game never received a sequel, it was rebuilt into New Little King's Story on the PlayStation Vita a in 2012 (and on PC in 2016), but Cing themselves were sadly already gone at this point.
Again
The year 2009 was pretty busy for Cing. Not only did Another Code: R release on the Wii, with Little King's Story not too far behind it; a third game titled Again also came out on the Nintendo DS.
Again returned to their Hotel Dusk style of games, where the DS was held sideways like a book. Borrowing elements from their initial release of Glass Rose, Again told the story of a murder that happened nearly 20 years ago, and a detective who had the ability to see into the past. Using this power, players could view old events, and use them to solve puzzles and gain insight into what truly happened back then.
While the game wasn't quite as polished as Hotel Dusk, it was unique in the fact that it used FMV cutscenes to tell parts of its story, and it featured a Sanity Meter that would result in having to restart a chapter if it was used up. These elements were also very similar to what was previously seen in Glass Rose, but the games themselves were not directly connected.
Unlike the other adventure games released since Glass Rose, Again was a part of its own timeline, and had no connections to Another Code or Hotel Dusk. It was a stand alone title building off of Cing's previous projects, but sadly ended up becoming a part of their downfall.
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West
Last Window was a sad game. Not because of what the game was about, or how it played, but because this was the final project Cing would ever work on as a company.
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West was the direct sequel to Hotel Dusk, and released in 2010 in the EU region only. Thankfully as a DS game any English speaker could easily import it and play it (the DS wasn't region locked outside of DSi Enhanced games), but also not a lot of people actually knew it existed outside of those in the EU. Even then, the title Last Window didn't make it completely clear that it was a Hotel Dusk sequel, and that may have helped contribute to it being overlooked. Which is honestly a shame.
Taking place right before Christmas, the story follows Kyle Hyde as he gets ready to say goodbye to his home. The Cape West Apartments are closing, but there are still some secrets that have yet to be answered. Similar to Hotel Dusk before it, Kyle investigates the apartments as he prepares to move on, and along the way gets involved with the lives of his neighbors. A lot happened in Cape West, and this is Kyle's last shot at getting to the bottom of things. Each resident living there has their own story to uncover, and Kyle himself has his own skeletons to uncover.
While the game plays similar to Hotel Dusk, new features such as the ability to ignore lines of dialogue were introduced, and other mechanics were greatly refined for this send off title. There is also a full "novel mode" that becomes unlocked as players advance through the game, which turns the game into a standard novel to read, with additional pieces of story information.
In the end, Last Window may possibly be the best game Cing released during their short time, but unfortunately it didn't save them.
March of 2010 is when Cing officially filed for bankruptcy. Just two months after Last Window's Japanese release, and six months before the English release. By the time Last Window was playable in the West, it was already too late.
Nintendo Steps In
After Cing's closure, Nintendo absorbed many of it's IPs, including Another Code and Hotel Dusk. This allowed characters like Kyle Hyde to appear in Super Smash Bros Ultimate as a collectible spirit, but other wise the series themselves went unused. Nintendo holding the rights gave fans some hope, but for many years it appeared as if Cing would be completely forgotten.
But things would change.
Chase: Unsolved Cases Investigation Division
Although Cing was officially gone, in 2016 Arc System Works gave many of the ex-team members a second chance. Chase: Unsolved Cases Investigation Division - Distant Memories was a short 3DS exclusive adventure game made in the style of Hotel Dusk. It followed the story of a team investigating a cold case after they receive a tip that changes everything.
Despite being similar to Hotel Dusk, it had no connection to it story wise, nor was it anywhere near as long. This was a short few hour long experience, and sadly a follow up was never produced. What did happen however, was unexpected.
Another Code: Recollection
In 2024 Arc System Works collaborated with Nintendo to create Another Code: Recollection. Bringing on board many of the original team members, as was the case with Chase, they got to work on rebuilding the Another Code series from scratch. The result of this was Recollection, which was a complete remake of both Another Code, and Another Code: R.
The game released as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, and featured a completely 3D world for the original DS game, updated graphics and models for both entries, refined gameplay to make use of the Nintendo Switch controls, and story updates and modifications throughout each title. Filler was cut, character's roles were slightly adjusted, and some extra content was added as well. In short, the collection was the definitive edition of both titles, complete in one package, and was released world wide. It finally gave everyone outside of EU a chance to experience Another Code: R, and offered a slightly new game for the long time fans.
In short, the game was everything fans of Cing could have ever hoped for, and it has paved the way for a possibly brighter future.
The Future
While nothing is set in stone, the original team continues to be a part of Arc System Works, and the success of Another Code: Recollection means there could be more to come. Nothing is off the table now with the team once again working with their original, now Nintendo owned, IPs.
Could we get another Hotel Dusk or see a collection of the two? Possibly. Could Another Code continue on from here? It really could! Nothing is official, but we here at Netto's Game Room will continue following the developers, and we will update this article as time goes on.
It honestly is a great time to be a Cing fan.
Want to learn more about the video games that helped shape the industry? Then we've got you covered! You can check out our Video Game History section for more.
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