Families are complicated. Even the most calm, banal families have secrets buried in the attic. Dordogne is a new narrative-focused game that explores themes of family secrets, grief, parental relations, and childhood adventure. Its aesthetic is beautiful, though as a ‘video game’ it drops the ball in the ‘game’ department.
You’ll play as Mimi, a woman in her early thirties who just lost her job and her grandmother, Nora, in a short span of time. She’s traveling back to her grandmother’s home to sort out the property all while receiving passive-aggressive texts from her father who ended his relationship with his mother 20 years ago after Mimi spent a summer living with her — only to never see her again.
Adult Mimi stalks through the house in search of answers and secrets – why did her father end his relationship with his mother? Why can’t Mimi remember the end of that summer? She’ll often find a memento or uncover a part of the house that prompts a flashback to when she was twelve and experiencing the anxieties and joys of spending a summer away from her parents.
Mimi’s relationships with her friend Renaud and grandmother Nora make up the backbone of Dordogne.
Dordogne’s story is beautiful and extremely well told. Emotional and relatable character arcs abound in Dordogne; you may not always agree with a character’s view or action, but you will understand where they’re coming from.
Clues in the form of letters and tape recordings are scattered about Nora’s home. They let the player piece together what happened in 1982 until all questions are answered during the ending. However, Dordogne does end abruptly and I wouldn’t have minded a few more scenes at the end to better wrap up the game’s story.
The game’s story has you exploring the French countryside of Dordogne, and it’s a thing of beauty. Nearly 200 hand-painted watercolors make up the world of Dordogne. They’re awash with lush greens and hazy oranges, and each location visited is like a gorgeous spread from a child’s picture book.
For much of the game, the world in Mimi’s childhood is vibrant; full of colors and life. For adult Mimi, the colors of Nora’s house and the land around it are muted and sometimes almost gray. Is this because Mimi views the past through rose-colored glasses? Or are adult Mimi’s circumstances – the loss of her grandmother and job – sapping the hues from her world? Perhaps both are true.
A melancholic view of Nora’s home in the French countryside.
Graphics have come such a long way that at this point, life-like visuals aren’t always what makes a game stand out visually. Unique and vibrant art direction can make some games distinct from others without the need to dip into the uncanny valley. Dordogne definitely stands out in this way; it has some of the most beautiful and original art I’ve seen among recent releases, although sometimes I wish it prioritized being an engaging game more than being a work of art.
Dordogne is filled with plenty of tedious gameplay elements. It’s the type of game where instead of pressing A to collect a key and open a door, you’ll have to go through a drawn-out process of extracting a key from a metal mailbox. With the key in your possession, you’ll press A to select it, move the thumbstick to the left to insert it into the lock, and rotate the stick to finally unlock the door. Moments like these persist throughout the game and make it dull and a bit boring at times, no matter how pretty it is to look at. They often feel like padding to stretch the game out.
The lighting, colors, composition — *chef’s kiss*.
Movement is clunky and slow, rowing the kayak is janky, and platforming is so barebones I don’t even know if I can really call it platforming. You’ll certainly find yourself wishing you could skip some of the gameplay to get to the next conversation or cutscene.
The most engaging gameplay element of Dordogne is filling up child Mimi’s binder. She’ll collect stickers, take photographs, and record sounds on her adventures around Dordogne. At the end of each day she can decorate a page of the binder with these elements and even write a poem for the page. I always looked forward to customizing a binder page, though I wish I had more freedom when creating it. You’re limited to one sticker, photograph, sound, and poem for each, handicapping your creativity.
Ultimately you’re not going to be drawn to Dordogne to decorate a binder or play its meager gameplay offerings. Dordogne will catch your eye with its beautiful watercolors and make you stay to enjoy its thoughtful and emotional story.
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