I'm working on an adventure game idea I've had tumbling around my brain for a long time, and my question is this: is it ever okay to give the protagonist amnesia? I know that it is a well-worn cliche in games, and many people will be against it because of this, but are there exceptions to the rule? Amnesia in my game is not really because of laziness, rather it plays a crucial role in the gameplay design and story structuring... One of my inspirations for this game was in fact Memento, a film where the hero cannot remember more than a few minutes at a time. Another inspiration was The Bourne Identity. Certain plot twists in my story rely on the hero having no memory of his life before the game starts, and the gameplay experience itself is based around collecting memories to understand the past. What are everyone's thoughts on the amnesiac protagonist?

sounds very interesting, i'd say just do it. you must protect your dreams!

regards,
j

One of my favorite series, the Chronicles of Amber, started out with an amnesiac protagonist. The reader got to learn about his remarkable existence as he learned about it, which made the story incredibly engaging.

I say go for it.

As long as you don't have people who don't seem to notice and involve you like you've been best friends friends forever its fine. I hate it when I have no idea who I am and everybody else seems to know and thinks I do to.