Discovering the Joys of Childhood in Dordogne: A Review

Few paid attention to Dordogne’s announcement. Another small “indie”, hundreds of which are released every year … But those few who noticed the game, immediately noted its beauty. Everything seems to be simple, but from what he sees it becomes a little warmer. Among those who noticed Dordogne was the author of this article. After the trailer, all that remained was to see who was creating the game: the French studio A je-ne-sais-quoi…

Small European (including Russian!) developers have an important feature – to create games with a soul. Sounds corny, and someone will probably laugh at the choice of words. But these games can both warm and upset at the same time. And ask complex questions, and give simple and understandable answers. Sometimes obvious, sometimes long forgotten. Games are not for everyone, but those who give them a chance will certainly not leave indifferent.

And today on consoles and computers comes out Dordogne. Small. Simple. Bright. Childishly direct and somewhat touching. We were lucky to evaluate the game before the release – and we are happy to share our impressions.

Meet Mimi. A French woman in her early 30s. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents, has trouble with her job, and doesn’t have the happiest life. Moreover, Mimi hardly remembers herself until the age of 13. Except maybe a few months before her thirteenth birthday… And now she wants to swim out of the stream of her gloomy rainy days for a while. And at the same time learn something about yourself. Relive your childhood by returning to the house of your recently deceased grandmother.

Meet Mimi. This young researcher is only 12 years old. And the next summer, her parents brought her to stay with her grandmother near the Dordogne. This is the name of the river and at the same time one of the regions of France, which is closer to Spain than to Paris. And Mimi, only having arrived at her grandmother, begins to miss home and friends. Moreover, her grandfather died recently, and much in this house reminds of him … But the sadness quickly stops, and the girl begins to get sincere pleasure from walks, adventures and communication with her grandmother.

Into the past and again into the past!

The action of Dordogne takes place in two time periods at once: in 2002 and in 1982. And yes, the developers have made a big bet on nostalgia. It is unlikely that many of us remember the 80s (for obvious reasons), but how can you forget the old push-button phones like the 3310, now-seeming rare cars or cassette players (and someone probably still uses them!) … The game will immediately respond somewhere inside, and this feeling will accompany you until the last scenes. However, in fairness, this path is rather short: you don’t have time to get used to the heroes, as it’s already time to say goodbye …

We start the game as an adult Mimi, who goes to the once flourishing house to remember her childhood and her grandmother. Nora, which is the name of a recently deceased elderly French woman, left her granddaughter a farewell letter and a box of memorabilia. Not wanting things so valuable to her to disappear just like that, Mimi set off.

Arriving at the old gate, the heroine does not recognize this place. As if for the first time she sees both the house and the garden with a swing … Of course, Mimi was definitely here. But how could she forget about it? The heroine, wanting to find answers to her questions, goes inside and gradually begins to remember. Some new object can bring back the most vivid memories of that very summer when she was brought to her grandmother at the age of 12. And we are transported back another 20 years to find out what the young adventurer was doing then.

And at the same time, we get to know the locals and find a mischievous friend who prefers mysterious grottoes and stories with dragons to home. We help grandmother with the housework, discover the secrets of the house, learn the history of the family and, of course, go to the beach and swim in the river! And on a kayak you can sail far, far away, enjoying the blue sky, the gentle sun and balloons flying right above us …

The authors of Dordogne do not pursue a cinematic picture. And even if they were chasing, they would obviously finish in one of the last places. But among the developers there are talented artists who still managed to create a very attractive world. Really picturesque. Watercolor. And gradually revealing itself to us as we progress, which is especially noticeable when playing as an adult Mimi. For example, until recently, when looking at the wall, she saw only images of strangers, but then she begins to understand who it is and when it happened.

And little Mimi eventually gets a Funaroid-80 camera (more precisely, her grandmother gives it). And now much of what we saw will forever remain with us! As well as many local sounds that we will record on an old voice recorder. We will remember the ringing of bells, and various animals, and the river, and the sound of a rushing train … Although these are trifles, the Dordogne developers were able to ensure that the gamer enjoys the sound of the game.

The plot of the game is incredibly simple. You can describe what is happening in a little over three hours in two sentences. But in this way we will lose important details and nuances. But it is the latter that give the greatest pleasure. A letter found and read, a cassette listened to, or simply an object with which emotions or memories are associated …

And although this does not have a big role, the words that we use during conversations are also important. Yes, sometimes the game will offer us a choice of what to focus on, and it is up to us to decide what to talk about next or how to respond to the phrases of the interlocutor.

Be that as it may, at the end we will still see this particular scene and experience exactly these emotions, but playing Dordogne just for the sake of the path, exploration and immersion in the nuances of history is still quite interesting.

A person of almost any age can master this adventure and play the game. Like a melody made of seven notes and a rainbow made of seven colors, Dordogne’s gameplay literally consists of pressing seven keys. Okay, actually a little more, but the principle is incredibly simple.

We wander around the locations, and at the right moments we click on the button to interact with the environment. And sometimes we open an additional window, where we twist and turn objects and do something useful with them. And we can also poke on the phone or read letters for an adult Mimi or, for example, listen to cassettes for a twelve-year-old girl. No depth and at the same time no difficulty in terms of mastering.

One of the most enjoyable gameplay mechanics is the search for secret stickers and “words” in locations. Both will come in handy for Mimi when filling out her album. The girl decides to keep the memory of this summer for a long time. To do this, she needs photos and sounds (we find the right places and do shooting and recording). And those same stickers are images that can be anywhere under your feet.

And “words” that can be found in certain places. For example, the words “snack”, “sunbeam” or “glide”.

When we want to make another page in the album, we select the desired word, and Mimi offers us three possible lines with it. The player himself decides which one is best suited. So we write three lines, attach a photo, sound and a sticker. And the page is ready! In this way, we create our own unique album, which will definitely differ from the albums of other players.

This is how Dordogne turned out. Small, cozy and life-affirming. Showing that sunny days are replaced by rainy ones, and each bad weather and cold is again followed by warmth. Of course, many already know everything that the game is about. But even so, why not just remind yourself of something important and good?

And, perhaps, it is worth visiting your grandmother again, if there is such an opportunity?