Developer: UMANIMATION, UN JE NE SAIS QUOI
Publisher: UN JE NE SAIS QUOI, Focus Home Interactive
Platform: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Mac
Tested on: PS5
Dordogne – Review
At a certain point in our lives, we’ve all revisited memories of a more carefree time when we were children without many responsibilities. This is the feeling that Dordogne wants to capture in a beautiful and wholesome point-and-click adventure, offering players a laidback experience to take a break from all the fast-paced games focused on fighting and action these days.
Story
Dordogne tells the story of Mimi, a thirty-something woman who just lost her job. On top of that, she also got a letter her grandmother passed away and she has to go to her house to empty it out before it gets sold. As soon as she enters the house, which she believes she never visited before, some lost memories return of a summer she spent here with her grandmother. Now she goes on a journey to rediscover the past she didn’t know she lost, experiencing flashbacks while exploring more and more parts of the house in Dordogne.
This is how the story of the game is structured: you play as modern-day Mimi who explores the house and you’ll find items and locations that bring back memories. When you trigger specific things you get thrown back in time to when Mimi was eleven and you’ll play a section where you spend a day with her grandmother before returning to the present. This is where the heart of the story lies, exploring the relationship between Mimi and her grandmother. Each chapter offers more sweet moments between the two and you see the relationship growing. It also helps a great deal that the dialogue is well-written and the characters are loveable. The main focus is on the two main characters, but there is also a cast of side characters who fit well in the story.
The story itself isn’t too deep or extremely emotional. The game mostly focuses on a wholesome experience that makes you feel warm on the inside. Some events, however, pull at the heartstrings and some darker mysteries are built up, but players shouldn’t expect a rollercoaster like The Wolf Among Us or Life is Strange.
Graphics
Dordogne’s art style is what stands out most about the game. The world looks like a beautiful watercolor painting. This helps to add a feeling of wonder and playfulness that the story delivers when you are exploring the world as young Mimi. It is a joy to look at, especially because the game visits many different locations in its short runtime. It’s understandable that the game has a gameplay mechanic where you take pictures because that is exactly what you would do when visiting such a magnificent-looking location. The game even plays with colors when you go to different places and time periods.
Sound
With such a laidback experience, it is to be expected to have a fitting soundtrack, and Dordogne definitely delivers. The game is accompanied by beautiful songs that perfectly fit the atmosphere. From the energetic instruments when running through a market to the sinister sounds of exploring a dark cave, the soundtrack is perfect for a laid-back afternoon. There is a bit of voice acting during the more important scenes, properly bringing the characters to life.
Gameplay
Dordogne is a point-and-click adventure game with some light puzzle elements. The biggest focus of the game is on the story and characters, but there is a lot of fun to be had in exploring the beautiful countryside of Dordogne.
The main gameplay portion of Dordogne is what a lot of people would consider a walking simulator. You go around Mimi’s grandmother’s house interacting with stuff and learning small things about the characters. Once you interact with something that triggers a memory, you’ll be sent back in time and have an adventure with young Mimi and her grandmother. These flashbacks consist of mostly the same gameplay but you’ll visit more locations, which is a joy thanks to the game’s amazing art style.
To break up the exploration, the game features some small puzzles to progress the story. In these sections, you’ll go in a first-person view and have to interact with items like repairing a boat or making tea. These interactions are sometimes hard to call puzzles since they are pretty easy and obvious, but they’re a fun change of pace and feel really creative.
Another big part of the exploration of each location is the inclusion of collectibles. These take different forms like stickers, photos you can take, or sounds you can record. All of these aren’t hard to find but they are fun every time you encounter one. At the end of the day, you can use these items to decorate a page in Mimi’s scrapbook, giving you a bit more motivation to go and search for them.
Conclusion
Dordogne is the definition of a cozy game. The laid-back point-and-click gameplay is accompanied by a sweet story about the wonders of youth and the struggles of family. It is an overall feel-good experience that has a handful of more emotional moments. All of this is delivered with a great presentation and a beautiful art style. The game will give you a few hours of warm feelings, but people looking for a deep story or challenging gameplay will not find it here.
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