[PREVIEW] Am I Nima – Memories, palindromes, and a game of pantomime

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A game about combining words? Okay, I’ve seen that before. A psychological horror about combining words? That sounds fascinating. A psychological horror about combining words and using them as tools to gain the trust of others? I have to admit that the demo for Am I Nima showed me a unique combination of genres and mechanics that I haven’t seen before, all without revealing too many details from its complex story.

Addictive blend of word choice and on-the-spot thinking

In Am I Nima, you control Nima’s fragmented mind. Trapped in a basement, you have to navigate once-familiar rooms, unlock hidden memories, and piece together the truth about your captivity. You must combine words in your mind and use them in conversation to convince your mother that you are truly her daughter. You also have to get her to trust you.

When the game starts, we’re practically in the dark – both literally and figuratively. After waking up in a dimly lit basement, we quickly discover that to fill our completely empty mind with past memories, we have to talk to our mother and react to somehow familiar objects. However, the word system isn’t as simple as it seems.

First, we learn new concepts as we explore our bedroom and examine objects around us, and we also get some keywords from conversations with our mother. Second, we have to mix old and new words to create concepts related to our past and identity. There are so many possible combinations that I’m sure you’ll find something new in every playthrough, not to mention how satisfying it is to do so.

Time to Get Mom on Your Side

The third part seems to be the most crucial for the plot. After we collect words, we have to use them to answer questions. What’s the catch? Our goal is to convince our mother and earn her trust, but we have no idea how she’ll react to our answers. At the end of the demo, we could see the consequences of disappointing her, but since the game’s description says it will be a game where “choices matter” with multiple endings, I assume our word choices will lead to quite different outcomes in the future.

Let’s not forget the rather extravagant style of this game—everything, from the color palette and cutscenes to the ambiance and sound effects, is skillfully put together to make you feel like you’re missing something. The same can be said for the plot; although we can come up with some theories based on the concepts we learn, it’s still uncertain what happened to our character and what our role is in all of this.

For now, I encourage you to try the demo and see for yourself, but remember that every answer you give will have serious consequences.