Take a dip into other people's memories in Obra Dinn-inspired puzzle game Mind Diver

Megan Bidmead, 18 August 2025

Mind Diver jumps straight into the action. Your job is to delve into people's minds to find missing moments as a professional memory-explorer for a mysterious agency. The backstory of this organisation is not immediately relevant. We have an urgent case on our hands, and we need to get started.

In this case, you're diving deep into Lina's memories. Lina is a young woman whose partner, Sebastian, has gone missing. She's woken up with blurry memories of a party, some strange objects, and quite a bit of confusion. Chunks of her memory have gone missing, and you need to fill the gaps, make connections, and help figure out where Sebastian went. You'll dive (literally), swimming through her mind in a slightly eerie world; in one section, for example, a giant version of Lina, doubled over, emerges in the gloom. The blurry edges and the way the memories are constructed (almost as half-ruins, each in its own giant bubble for the player to explore) remind me of waking up and trying to reach back into my mind for a dream. Everything feels a bit strange and nebulous, a bit out of reach.

That is, until you start making connections. When you arrive at a memory (in which everyone is still, a bit like a photograph - it reminds me strongly of the sci-fi narrative game Tacoma, which has very similar vibes), your job is to carefully listen to little snapshots of that moment, and then fill memory holes with objects using a special tool. For example, in an alley outside a party, placing headphones into a memory hole creates new echoes for you to listen to. The more correct connections you make, the more memories open up, and the clearer the picture becomes.

This is a game that requires paying close attention. The puzzles seem simple (place object in memory hole, unlock new memory), but they become more complicated when you're dealing with multiple memories at once, carrying items between them in the hopes that they might fit the memory holes.

Listening closely is the key; you should be able to pick up on sounds or keywords in memory holes, which will help you find the correct object for it. A dry crinkling sound and a conversation, for example, will point you towards a strange crown Lina was given at the party. I found myself rushing, before realising that this isn't the kind of game that allows this. It's important to slow down and pay very close attention. Completing each memory is important, but you also need to think about how they link together. Swimming out and pausing to think is important.

Talking about swimming: I enjoyed the literal take on mind diving. Swimming through the depths gives a bit of physicality to something as conceptual as the mind of another human. It makes each individual memory feel like a place, which makes it easier to separate and explore them without losing track. Plus, it gives the player a little break from exploring memories by allowing for a bit of movement, and it's quite fun to use the boost button to dive deeper and faster towards the stranger memories hiding in the depths.

If you need it, you can hit tab to see an overview of the case, including items you've found and profiles of key people involved. This is a useful tool that helps to bring all the individual threads you've uncovered into one clear space.

There's a bigger underlying story here. I have gleaned from the demo that Sebastian is in over his head, in some way, and that he's been keeping secrets from Lina, which she now has to figure out after his disappearance. Mind diving itself becomes more than just the mechanic of the story, but weaves into the narrative itself. There are other characters who come into play later in the demo, strange devices that don't make sense to Lina, and a lot more questions that need to be answered.

I'm quite a big fan of 'find the missing memory' games. I like the puzzle mechanics that require you to have both close listening skills and a bit of emotional intelligence (and apparently, so are the devs - one memory pays homage to some excellent puzzle games, so that's worth looking out for). I love games like A Space for the Unbound, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Dordogne; all with quite different mechanics and styles, but with the same underlying goal. Find the memories. Help the main characters come to some sort of resolution. And slowly unveil the mystery in your own mind, too.

Having played the demo, I'm keen to get stuck into the full game and find out exactly what happened to Lina and Sebastian on that strange night. The release date is sometime in 2025, and I've put it straight on my 'keep an eye on this' list. If you love a thinky-memory game, it's one to watch.