Memoria Wake Preview from PAX East 2026

With the Soulslike genre becoming a dime a dozen today, it's important for these games to find a way to stand out.

Memoria Wake is up to the task, putting a larger emphasis on storytelling while placing players in an isometric environment. The result is less of a Dark Souls clone (the developers actually say the game was heavily inspired by Tunic) and more of doing its own thing. As someone who loved every second of Tunic, I was sold from the start.

Before long, I had spent 30 minutes playing and forced myself to stop so that someone else waiting in line could have a chance. It was a common theme in the booth, too; People were so hooked on playing Memoria Wake that they had to be politely asked to leave the demo.

Memoria Wake Uses Your Past Memories Against You

The Latin term "Memoria" is translated as "memory," "remembrance," or "recollection." Therefore, it's not exactly subtle that the theme throughout Memoria Wake is the constant battle against the nightmares of your past.

Early on, you'll see enemies that would give any baby possible nightmares: a Jack in the Box, a feral cat; You know, standard stuff. As the game progresses further, though, expect things to take a deeper turn. Eventually, the story will take you to University, and it's time to tap into the deep recesses of your mind that you were hoping to keep locked away.

"For example, [the main character] is a little bit lost; he doesn't know what he wants to do in life. So, the final boss of the area is his college advisor," explains Daniel Stankiewicz, co-founder of developer Team Crescendo. This is how Memoria Wake shows that you're not just fighting enemies on screen, but you're also fighting yourself.

As someone who spent four years in college to get my Associate's Degree, changing my major three times in the process, it's something that hits home. I mean, I was 18 years old, two years removed from a major move across the country and leaving all of my friends behind. I was lost and confused, and I would have 100% fought my college advisor as well.

Team Crescendo Used Their Own Experiences as Inspiration for Memoria Wake's Story

Like any good story, Memoria Wake takes the truth and does a little bit of exaggeration. Are the dreams and memories unfolding in the game 100% true? No, but they are based in reality, and it's something that I'd argue helps make the game more relatable.

We've all dealt with things that scared us throughout our lives. Memoria Wake is successfully able to weaponize our bigger fears, physical or mental, and dare us to fight back against them.

I asked Stankiewicz about how he believes Memoria Wake stands out in a crowded genre. "It's our story and how we present it," he explains. "This dream world is a little bit different than a lot of what other people do." It's a narrative hook that reminds me of Tunic's approach to storytelling. The difference here, though, is that you're not looking to unlock and reveal parts of the environment. You're looking to unlock parts of your past and help shape your future.

"We tried to take a little bit of pieces of ourselves and combine all the team members," Stankiewicz adds. He mentions, too, that several other members of the team were far more introverted than others, so some may have missed out on some "core past experiences." Still, those experiences together help shape one of the more intriguing and promising premises I've seen in a Soulslike.

Gameplay that's Familiar and Unique

It's honestly such a natural fit to throw in these traumatic nightmares and accompany them with challenging combat.

One thing that helps Memoria Wake shine through is the fact that this was always the plan: the gameplay was always going to be a challenging experience, and the story was always going to incorporate these past events from everyone's personal lives. It's an excellent way for the story and gameplay to work hand in hand in delivering a cohesive experience.

Because of this, the decision to make the game look and feel more like Tunic or Sekiro compared to something like Dark Souls is a natural fit. It's an action-adventure game first and foremost, and it's something that works as a benefit to Memoria's Wake. It feels familiar, comforting, and at times makes me feel at ease to deal with the past trauma I'm about to encounter.

At the same time, Sekiro's style of combat means I have to be quick and ready to go. No slow, methodical combat where I can bide my time. It's now or never, and the spotlight is shining directly on me. As someone who used to be incredibly introverted, this is my worst nightmare. But you know what, at some point, you gotta trudge on. You gotta make it happen. You gotta face those fears.

Memoria Wake is a Soulslike to Keep Your Eye On

Browsing the aisles of talented indie developers is always one of my favorite things to do at PAX East. It's very encouraging to see the creativity and imagination on display in what's, at times, a stale industry.

I joked at the start of my preview that it feels like the Soulslike genre is becoming oversaturated, but that's nothing like the amount of live service games or extraction shooters that seem to be coming and going at a rapid pace.

With that being said, Memoria Wake is doing something new and exciting in the genre. Narrative-driven experiences aren't exactly commonplace in Soulslike, though they do, for the most part, successfully utilize environmental storytelling. Memoria Wake does the same, but it also taps into our past insecurities, asking the one question that every Soulslike game asks: "Are you good enough?"

When Memoria Wake eventually releases, I hope the answer to that question is a resounding yes.