A young man, Eike Kusch, strolls around the peaceful patriarchal German hamlet of Lebensbaum. Suddenly, a massive blow darkens his vision, and the next thing he sees is a weird room filled with unusual artifacts and a voice speaking to him from nowhere. Homunculus, a mystery creature, informs Eike that he has been stabbed to death. Homunculus offers Eike a time-traveling gadget and resurrects him shortly before his murder. From then on, Eike’s magically obtained second chance becomes a continual race against time as he seeks to escape his fate. To change the course of events and prevent the unknown person from carrying out his murder, Eike must journey back to the 16th century, encountering people intimately tied to his existence and altering the fabric of reality.
Shadow of Memories is an adventure game (Shadow of Destiny in North America). The game contains no active components, and the protagonist has no health meter. Each chapter includes a time restriction within which Eike must discover a solution to avoid being killed by the murderer. This is accomplished mainly through going through time to various hours, days, years, and even centuries. Obtaining a critical item, conversing with a specific character, or taking another action in the past will keep Eike alive. Time travel necessitates using energy units, which can be obtained by exploring the town. If Eike fails to complete the task and avert his murder within the time limit, the chapter must be redone.
Throughout the game, the player will have multiple options and possibilities to alter the future in various ways. Many tasks can be completed in non-linear ways thanks to the time-traveling element, branching the storyline and eventually resulting in eight possible endings, six of which can be attained during the first gameplay and two others unlocked after completing the other six.
