"You can't help but feel scared when moving into a new apartment, but it's a fresh beginning! However, I can't shake the feeling of being watched..." ― A quote found in A Distant Memory
A Distant Memory is a narrative of Dean_Lied and hardships with his deteriorating mental health while living alone in his new apartment. The game mainly centers on mental health & self-care and encourages players to seek help under certain circumstances, so they do not end up in the same position as Dean once was.
Overview[]
A Distant Memory is a game created by Dean_Lied. As an essentially puzzle-based story game, the player plays as Dean_Lied, having the prospect of experiencing his day-to-day life. The developer unifies both heavy suspense and paranoia for the player--who is in the position of Dean--creating such an atmosphere to truthfully be able to consider it a horror game.
As the player transpires throughout the game and its chapters, their main objective is to find clues and decipher codes to be able to proceed. The player's primary focus is to think outside of the box to be able to uncover its mysteries thoroughly, as well as to provide an estimable message to those going through an adequately dark time in their life.
Walkthrough[]
Once joining A Distant Memory, the player should be acquainted with a dim, dreary hallway. Should the player then turn around (depending on their spawn point), they shall click the first door on their right-hand side, entering Dean_Lied's forthcoming apartment. After examining the general area, the player then must enter Dean's bedroom. There is a sticky note posted on the side of a filing cabinet on his desk which says the following:
"Paintings
Vases
Lights"
Each object is placed a certain amount of times in the hallway the player spawned. They intend the player to tally each item in their respective order. After counting each object, they should then end up with six paintings, three vases, and ten lights, ensuring to keep the numbers separate from one another. The player may then exit the apartment and walk to the end of the hallway into the fading darkness, which will then teleport to a place named "Office Hours." If the player clicks Dean_Lied in his apartment, a speech bubble prompts with "Hey, thank you again for helping me move in!" Dean's computer is accessible at this point. If the player chooses to unlock it, there is nothing out of the ordinary. However, if they click on the Notepad, a short memo is written: "You can't help but feel scared when moving into a new apartment, but it's a fresh beginning! However, I can't shake the feeling of being watched..."
Upon being teleported, the player is in the position of Dean_Lied, being seated in a small office cubicle. Momentarily after, "me"--the player--will then begin to speak in the chat box, proclaiming to be perfectly content with their working conditions. As time goes on, the office will become progressively eerier; frightening almost. The lights flicker, and the wind storms until finally, the chat box is nothing but the word "work." Instantaneously, there will be a drastic difference in the player's surroundings as narrow, white eyes begin to appear at the space on top of the cubicle as well as the option to "GO HOME?". If the player then chooses to click this option, they will then skip the sequence and be teleported to Chapter 2, although it is optional. Should the player decide to wait out the rest of the cutscene, the suspense would abruptly stop with the sound of a ringing telephone--"I think it's time to go home."
Subsequently, a distorted radio will begin to play at some point of time. If the player chooses to listen closely, the player will be able to discern a string of numbers in the midst of the static; the correct interpretation being 204863. This said order of numbers is a code for the preceding chapter. Whether or not the player catches this code does not affect how the game progresses.
Spawning in, the player should be in Dean's bedroom. Although the space is very narrow, the player should then accompany themselves to their surroundings, finding lightswitch placements and clicking on doors to open them. Although not being able to exit the apartment, the player should then return to Dean's bedroom and open the closet, as there is a safe there. Clicking on the safe will then prompt them with a number pad. The code the player had calculated at the beginning of A Distant Memory prior should go in this margin. Given that the safe is successfully unlocked, they shall receive a cipher to encrypt a message. Despite the accessibility of the cipher then, however, the player will be unable to access it once it is closed out.
Shortly after opening the safe, the player should then hear a knock at the door, a line of dialogue appearing at the bottom of the screen, "Who is knocking so early in the morning?" As an uncanny ambiance begins to arise, the player should then exit the bedroom and approach the entrance to the apartment, opening the door. Slowly, the screen will then start to shake as the lights in the hallway burn out one after another until "the player" is knocked unconscious. Conclusively after another line of dialogue is shown across the screen, the player is then teleported to Chapter 3.
Using the shortcode the player found in Office Hours, the player can access a folder on Dean's computer titled Memory. By entering the code, the folder will then be unlocked, presenting the player with what seems like the still-recording of a security camera. As well as the Memory file, there are contents in the notepad too. Upon opening the window, presenting the player with the following memoir:
"I've been hearing things lately...I also have been spacing out at work a lot, my boss caught me yesterday and said I was acting weird and told me to leave early, I keep having terrible nightmares that make me stay up.. I need more sleep but I can't sleep."
Dean's room, desk specifically, could be described now as an unorganized mess, the desk and wall in front, covered sloppily in loose papers as well as several new orange sticky notes placed on the filing cabinet. The player may then accommodate themselves once more to their surroundings, being unable to exit the bedroom, but they must oversee themselves to Dean's computer. At this point in the game, to proceed, the player is required to unlock and use the laptop. To do so, they must know Dean's favorite animal, which the player can find by looking at Dean's current apparel, which put straightforwardly is FOX.
Once successfully unlocking the computer, the player should then open the Camera folder. Using the cipher the player retrieved opening the safe prior, they should then encode the phrase "DEANLIED." After unlocking the folder, the player's screen will fade out and appear once more, seemingly getting out of bed, claiming to have had a nightmare. They should then make their way to the apartment door and exit to the hallway, this time, being paralyzed as the lights burn out again, passing out. Much like previously, shown on the screen will be another line of dialogue, alarmingly telling the player to "never leave", and the next time is the "last time", as the player is teleported once more.
After being teleported, the player's surroundings possess a significant difference, as there are multiples of the same palm tree taped around the apartment, appearing in what seems like masses. Regardless of the circumstances, the player should then go to and unlock Dean's computer. After successfully opening the laptop, plastered on the main screen will be the same image of a palm tree, all being named "LIED." If clicked, presented will be a higher resolution of the photo. The notepad is accessible as well, although it is filled only with the word "work." Afterward, the player should click the file named "YOU." They subsequently will be shown what seems to be a slideshow of Dean_Lied moving boxes into his apartment. However, soon after, the player will be abruptly kicked off of the computer, a red aura surrounding them, seemingly needing to hide. Following the "instructions" provided to them at the bottom of the screen, the player should then shelter themselves in the closet. As the sound of a telephone begins to ring out, the player's vision will then fade to black as the sound starts to get louder. The player will then teleport to Chapter 5, the final. If the player fails to successfully enter the closet within its intended time frame, which is about ten seconds, they will be kicked and provided with the reason of “YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU."
As Chapter 5 is merely a cutscene, the player cannot interact with and move around their surroundings, although it is noteworthy to pay attention and absorb the leading atmosphere. When the player loads in, they will seemingly be taking the place of a fallen security camera. A moment after someone, presumably Dean, claims to have "found the cameras”, a loud, sudden noise will be heard; much like a gunshot. And then for a brief moment, you will see three bodies covered with trash bags on their head.
Not long after, what seems to be a flashback in the same position will be shown, specifically Dean walking into his new apartment with a box in his hands, the same line of text from earlier appearing at the bottom of the screen. Furthermore, the player's vision will then fade out as a telephone begins to ring, a message following not soon after:
"People don't know how important their mental health is and I plead with all those who have played this game, who are not in a good mindset, to please seek help. You are important. Nothing can change that. THIS IS THE END."
History[]
A Distant Memory was created on 4/6/2020, and was last updated 7/23/2020. On 4/9/2020, Flamingo made a video on Dean_Lied as well as his game, causing an uproar in popularity.
Trivia[]
- The password "FOX" symbolizes a warning not to trust everyone because there's false friends/acquaintances around you. The fox is also a symbol of loneliness and being alone, as well as trickery.
- Palm trees, as seen multiple times throughout the game, are commonly used to symbolize victory and peace, as well as eternal life. Although, it could also be seen as the manifestation of Dean and his constant burdening of work.
Theories[]
- The "Narration"
- At the end of nearly every chapter, a voice will tell the player to never step foot out of the apartment. This more or likely is the only sane part of Dean telling himself to break from all the work and take a moment to care for himself.
- Dean was a Serial Murderer
- Referring to "Office Hours," the player will hear a disturbing broadcast about a man murdering his family, and not long after, killing himself. The perpetrator of this crime is often portrayed as Dean.
Gallery[]
