Those who know me will attest I could be described as quite a minimalist. I prefer to work on one laptop screen, keep my desk free of clutter and my home understated and tidy. These choices are a personal taste, one that aims to keep me focused, frugal and thankful for the things in my possession.
It’s no surprise then that I find myself neatly tidying away, organising and sorting the items that greet me in Momento, the upcoming game from Fat Alien Cat and Nomo Studio. At first glance, Momento presents itself as a room decorator game — a newer genre that has grown rapidly in recent years since the popularity of Animal Crossing and similar ‘cozy’ games, such as Unpacking and A Little To The Left — but Momento promises something a little more.
As you decorate the rooms that stage your life, the items you select have further significance, actually moulding the path of the future before you. At a basic level, selecting one childhood toy such as a dinosaur might indicate an interest in nature, adventure or even science. Further items are generated into your environment based on your choices, and how you decide to arrange the space is completely at your liberty. No wrong answers.
One player may see vastly different rooms throughout their playthrough, and be accompanied by varying different items. The choices that players make will set them off through wildly different paths, careers and life choices. Other players may sway between directions, perhaps clearly demonstrating an interest in plants to begin with. But are they destined to be a botanist? Or a painter? And on the road to one future, what if that path just isn’t for them? Momento accounts for the variety that life throws at us, allowing us to switch through life paths, based on further interaction with our items.
We all have individual pieces that hold a place in our hearts. Having moved from the UK to Australia, and through multiple different homes in recent years, I find myself relying on my minimalistic tendencies to get by. We’re not defined by our things, but our things clearly can shape who we are. Of course, despite my reluctance to hoard too much, certain items always remain dear to me; my plushies, my favourite watch, my cooking things. These are the items that define us, and as we hold on to them, they shape our futures too.
Acorn is assisting the Momento team with social media and community development now and through launch. Confirmed for PC, Momento is described as is a cozy room decorator with a twist: the choices you make play out over the course of a lifetime! Decorate your room, choose which items are important to you, and discover how the objects you choose will alter the course of the story, in a winding ode to the power of everyday things. Follow along with our content on Bluesky and TikTok.