Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 25
  3. Negative: 11 out of 25
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  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Apr 1, 2020
    100
    For all its technical issues, Disaster Report 4 is a truly astounding bit of video game art and a true reflection on something that is important to understand about the Japanese culture and mindset. It is nothing like the disaster stories and games that come from western creatives, and the more melancholic, sympathetic, and people-focused themes of the game might confuse those that expect a disaster experience at first. Embrace it for what it is, however, and the game is so much better than any of that blockbuster trash. There is something very subtle, but very powerful at the core of Disaster Report 4, and, even as I've had the likes of Animal Crossing and Resident Evil 3 to play this past two weeks, I've found myself coming back to this one, and reflecting on it to a far greater degree. It's not necessarily fun, in a traditional sense, but it's culturally insightful and intelligent, and that makes it valuable.
  2. TheGamer
    Apr 8, 2020
    80
    There are rough parts to Summer Memories, to be sure. Its visuals aren't the prettiest, its translation is awkward in places, and that crouching mechanic really does suck. Yet the experience of this game, the raw, primal thrill of being swept up in a whirlwind of danger and given the choice to either work with people or piss them off is unlike anything else on the market. It's a game that lives and dies on its interactions with the world and its inhabitants alone, and those interactions alone are worth the price of admission.
  3. Malditos Nerds
    Apr 2, 2020
    80
    Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is a fascinating and charming game. While it looks like a game from the past generation in technical terms, it's still a rather unique adventure. Combining a situation not often seen in video games with a cast of characters with memorable stories, this game really offers an experience that, once you get hooked, is very difficult to drop. The wait may have been too long, but Disaster Report 4 is totally worth it.
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  1. GameSpace
    Apr 3, 2020
    Just like the tonal balance between a businessman in a maid outfit trying to escape an earthquake while making a life or death decision, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memoires can feel like an odd tightrope walk. Despite its problems, I was hooked. 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.
  2. The Verge
    May 15, 2020
    There’s a good chance you’ll play Disaster Report 4 and write it off as a mess that shouldn’t have been put out in 2020. But there’s also a chance it’ll connect with you on a personal level and reinforce why Irem was one of the most beloved developers of the PS2 era. Granzella’s next game, the paradoxically titled R-Type Final 2, will be one to watch.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 35
  3. Negative: 12 out of 35
  1. THUnder222
    Apr 8, 2020
    10
    A beautiful, if a bit primitive (from a technical viewpoint) game with strong narration. Main focus of the story is perseverance, how peopleA beautiful, if a bit primitive (from a technical viewpoint) game with strong narration. Main focus of the story is perseverance, how people should resist and keep moving forward even during the times of natural disaster. Don't listen to "professional critics" who gave this game a low score. They were probably expecting a muscular, bald military veteran to lead survivors to safety and roll over explosions like a generic fps . They wouldn't know a good game if it bit them in the a##.

    Highly recommended!    … Full Review »
  2. RuriGokou
    Jan 3, 2021
    3
    Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories reminds me of a time when Japan released a lot of quirky games regardless if it would sell or not. NowadaysDisaster Report 4: Summer Memories reminds me of a time when Japan released a lot of quirky games regardless if it would sell or not. Nowadays you don't see many games like that because it's all about what works and what will sell. When I read this game was about survival during an earthquake, I thought, "Oh, I'll need to find help. Maybe help other people, and gather supplies. Or I could just be a jerk to everyone!"

    Sadly what I got is only sort of that. You do help other people and you're given tons of dialogue prompts to do so in conversations. But at the end of the day, a lot of the actions you do in the game don't really effect the overall direction of the story. I was hoping to be a total jerk to everyone else only to help myself get to safety. You're not given this option. There will be people in your path that you will have to save to push the story forward.

    This annoyed me because I wanted to roleplay as a young businesswoman that was mean to everyone she met. But, how can I do that when the game won't let me progress if a woman is shouting for help under some rubble? The humor here and there in some scenes from your choices and what not did case me to laugh. Although ridiculous given the circumstances. Maybe that is what makes them funny? It just sort of clashes with the times the story get serious. But towards the end there are just too many of these kinds of "humorous" scenes, and it is really jarring. There is also a scene with a female character and you can do nothing to change the outcome. And if you get a certain ending and that character joins you for it, the whole situation feels very awkward.

    The survival mechanic is half-baked. I was expecting there to be a sort of hunger and thirst meter. There is one sort of, but I went through the whole game without eating, drinking or pooping. No repercussions AT ALL. You can buy food and drink, but they only serve as ways to regain lost health from when you get hurt by an aftershock or other objects. The tremors and destruction it brings are actually really cool. The first time I died was from a building just falling on top of me during one.

    The graphics are blurry most of the time and controls are very clunky. The camera is all over the place sometimes. They really bring the immersion and enjoyment level down. Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories tries to be interesting but it just wasn't the sort of game I was expecting. I was expecting more freedom and less of an on rails sort of experience.    … Full Review »
  3. rickdonnie
    Jun 26, 2020
    7
    I must say, I'm a fan of the Disaster Report's games. Loved the second one. This one is great, but still have the usual bad parts of thoseI must say, I'm a fan of the Disaster Report's games. Loved the second one. This one is great, but still have the usual bad parts of those games. Technically, it's far from great, sometimes not even good. But on PS4, the framerate is at least constant. The camera sometimes becomes crazy in small corridors, and maybe the second part of the game is less impressive, with less disasters and a more human's side to the story. But it felt good to play this game again, to have those heavy moments, to survive earthquake and stuff. Worth playing if you like those games, and want to play something different.… Full Review »
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