Join Chris on an outstanding artistic journey through the beautiful world of Dordogne!
Back when I didn't have to worry about bills, kids, and shelter, Lucas Arts and Sierra reigned supreme in my gaming interests. Point-and-click adventure games are near and dear to my heart (in fact, I wrote about one here!) and these folks made some of the best of the time! What I loved about them was the amazing worlds you were able to escape into that were so artfully crafted. While you had the Marios, Sonics, and such, I enjoyed the slower pace and breathing room the artists had in these adventure games.
To be honest, these games just looked prettier at the time. Nowadays, the tech has caught up with the "other games" and gave them the graphical fidelity that Point and Click Adventure games (ok I'm calling them PACAs from now on) have long had. These other games, though, gave us players more to do than combine a couple of items in our inventory - shoot, jump, run, punch, slide, you name it! While this was exciting to experience, it was sad for me to see PACAs take a back seat. Recently though, I happened to find a game that brought the joy of PACAs back to me. A hidden gem some might call it!
Dordogne was developed by Un Je Ne Sais Quoi and Umanimation and tells the story of Mimi as she travels back through her seemingly lost memories of the summer with her grandma when she was a young child. The game's title gets its name from the quaint region of France where you do most of your exploring both as a kid and adult Mimi. First and foremost, this game is unbelievable to look at. The watercolor backgrounds and the character designs were bright and fun and evoked so much emotion with each stroke. The character designs elicit a Studio Ghibli flare to them and it's absolutely a joy to see in motion.
Like the PACAs of old, you discover the world by finding and highlighting objects hidden in the environment. Unlike its ancestors, you don't really have to manage an inventory system. Instead, you have a binder that you use to collect pieces of Mimi's memories with her grandma Nora. You take pictures, collect stickers, and discover words that become lines of poetry that you fill into this bundle of thoughts. It's simple but fits well in this experience.
I really didn't think I'd be as invested with the story as I was but the designers sure did a fantastic job. You try to unravel this mystery of why Mimi had become estranged from her grandma and this place. The game takes you through some seemingly dark thoughts in this vibrant world. I don't want to spoil anything here; I feel you should check this out. And the cherry on top of it all, this game is only a few hours! At just over the length of a big-budget superhero movie, you get to experience this deeply touching and personal story. I can't recommend this game enough. It was such a joy to experience. The game is available on most platforms and if you have Xbox Game Pass, it's available there too!
If you want to learn more about my thoughts about this game and other games on Xbox Game Pass, check out my show with my buddy Tom!
About the author:
Chris is a connoisseur of all things Xbox, especially Game Pass. He loves it so much, in fact, that he created the 1 Hour 1 Decision podcast with his buddy Tom to randomly play and review Game Pass titles!
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