Dordogne (Xbox Series X)
Dordogne is the name of a small river in southern France, the kind you might not ever hear of unless you live in the region that shares its name. For those who are nearby though, that river can end up being the cornerstone of many beloved memories, and for Mimi, it should hold cherished memories and yet she finds a hole in her ability to remember them. With her grandma passing away, Mimi returns to the house along the Dordogne looking to remember what she’s forgotten, the game Dordogne ultimately a wholesome and nostalgic narrative adventure about appreciating little things.
When the story begins, we see Mimi as an adult and not exactly a happy one. An incredibly strained relationship with her father means she hadn’t seen her grandmother since she was 12 years old, and Mimi can’t remember what could have lead to this isolation from someone she used to see for so long. Mimi’s grandmother, Nora, sent her a letter before her passing though, Mimi now able to head to the empty home along the Dordogne to try and reconnect with her past while escaping some of her unfortunate present. The adventure in Dordogne is portrayed through a watercolor style that suits both some gorgeous vivid backgrounds and the 3D characters well, many of the designs of objects slipping seamlessly into the world so they don’t take away from the sometimes breath-taking visuals that look like they could very well be paintings themselves. When things get wet in Dordogne, the colors even almost seem to run, and taking the time to appreciate how lovely everything looks is not just encouraged through some mechanics, but it seems to tie into some of the game’s themes.
Dordogne is indeed a nostalgic reflection on youth, the game often splitting up the adventure between Mimi exploring Nora’s home and suddenly having her memory jogged on an event that happened during the last summer with her grandmother. At first a bit tense since it is their first summer after Mimi’s grandfather passed away, the young Mimi starts to open up as she does things together with Nora like kayaking or heading to market together. While there is some adventurousness in Mimi that leads to a few moments you explore the countryside or a cave, most of your activities in Dordogne don’t really exist as gameplay challenges. Certain elements could be called minigames or brief forms of new interaction, but diving to search the riverbed is more about being a unique task that is meant to pique fascination rather than test your abilities. Seeing what new activity crops up during your summer is approached with the child-like enthusiasm Mimi herself would be experiencing, Nora trying to make your days playful and varied. Kaycie Chase does some impressive work portraying Mimi at both ages, sounding like a convincing child with believable deliveries whether it comes to excitement or grouchiness, and with the expressive characters, it’s not hard to be pulled in and find the summer fun just as interesting as Mimi does.
There are some recurring mechanics and concepts, mainly, at the end of most chapters as the young Mimi, you’ll be invited to open your binder and do a little scrapbooking to sum up the day’s events. The pages are filled with things inspired by what you did that day and can include little things you found by poking around off the beaten path or took into your own hands to capture. Over the course of the summer you get a camera and a recording device, meaning you can start to take pictures of the lovely rural area or try to capture a sound with the device’s microphone. During both halves of the game you will find notes that hint at the sometimes tumultuous home life of Mimi’s family, mainly tied to her father’s anger or stubbornness, but between the context needed to better understand why Mimi grew apart from her grandmother despite the lovely time you’ll be experiencing with her, you also get sweeter and more human moments. You’ll find recordings left by her grandfather and grandmother of simple things like a car’s motor or a fire crackling, their fascination with what was new technology to them leading to them wanting to share these small but meaningful things with others. In turn, your camera and recorder aren’t usually required to use, but there are points you can stop and take in the scenery, appreciate the moment, and later add it to a binder page alongside things like a poem.
One thing you do in Dordogne is collect “keywords”, these giving you a few verses each that can be used in your binder poems. Sometimes the verses are so direct and topical it’s hard to use them for something beyond direct reflection on a certain event, but others can be poignant and broad, more about the emotions one would feel after something occurred. It makes the poem construction a more interesting element to have a good range like that though, the player able to decide if they want to capture the event itself or the sensations surrounding it. There is no judging or gameplay purpose behind the binder, but it does work well as a nice way to reflect on what you had done during a chapter, a wind-down period before you return to the game’s present and Mimi continues to try and find out why she had forgotten so many important and beautiful days despite working so hard to try and hold them dear.
This nostalgic trip to 1980s France isn’t too long even when it encourages moving at a leisurely pace, and for the most part, the little extras it hides are usually not too far away from where you’re meant to be to avoid you needing to constantly scour the house each chapter if you do wish to search out those bonuses. There is a melancholy hanging over certain moments since this is an introspective reflection after the passing of Mimi’s grandmother, but the occasional incursion of more serious subjects, whether it’s Mimi in the present remembering them or the younger version sometimes not comprehending them, also helps to make the game feel wistful rather than depressing. The then-recent passing of the grandfather leads to some subjects being discussed in the past that help Mimi with losing Nora in the present, and there are some interesting sentiments shared like the idea that it’s not a shame that objects can continue on after us, it’s beautiful that they can have multiple lives and mean so much to so many different people. Dordogne itself feels like will resonate with so many people beyond those who created it, its purpose not confined to just one experience and interpretation. It is often a game of sentiment, Dordogne wanting you to breathe in what it offers and enjoy those little moments where you do something novel even if the task itself isn’t demanding and might not even qualify as a puzzle.
THE VERDICT: The beautiful watercolor aesthetic and evocative writing of Dordogne place you into the idyllic nostalgia of youth quite well, contrasting it with the concerns of the present to better put you in the mindset it’s aiming to present. Dordogne is about appreciating little things, whether that be the sights and sounds you find lovely or fascinating little activities that are done not because they are difficult, but because they are unique. Dordogne is about creating memories, the game able to provide a comforting warmth while also being melancholic. The narrative and play experience could be more robust, but for immersing you in its themes, Dordogne provides the sensations and situations to inspire some sentimental feelings.
And so, I give Dordogne for Xbox Series X…
A GOOD rating. To call the game too small, to say the actions you take in it aren’t too involved, would pretty much be missing the point the game is trying to make. It is not trying to say something as basic as things are better in the past or that the future holds no place for child-like wonder. Instead, it uses the flashbacks to restore a frame of mind that comes easier in youth, when swimming is fun for its own sake, or a small task can still feel valuable rather than a distraction from work. Dordogne doesn’t brush aside the problems Mimi has in her life, but it also shows that a certain mindset can be fulfilling. To appreciate the simple crackling of a fire or something you made just for yourself, to not let reality get in your way of appreciating something while you can. The binder is a lovely little way to get you thinking that way, the three line poems especially about taking some time to commit your own thoughts with a little guidance from the provided verses. The watercolor world is no doubt playing its part too, many areas already making you want to stop and marvel at how they look while the camera gives you a way to preserve them too. Reality can be harsh but it can also be wondrous even during its small moments. This is all, ultimately, discussing the broader messages though, there are definitely moments here or there where an interaction maybe tries to be more game-like to its detriment, and leaning into some more freedom to explore or forge your own memories could help some themes feel even more palpable. The story also could use some more breathing room, but the overall adventure being just a few hours long probably also helps it avoid losing the player since it runs so strongly on the emotions it aims to cultivate.
Dordogne won’t be Game of the Year, it might not even be a game you return to despite making that binder of memories, but it does work as the type of memory it encourages. It’s a pleasant gaming memory to reflect on, one that was meaningful not because you got achievements or high scores or faced some daunting challenge. It evoked something pleasant in you, something with some texture. It’s a small experience you can appreciate after, a lovely artistic journey that doesn’t demand you to take large leaps in interpreting it while encouraging a cozy and quick playthrough to see something sweet and sentimental.