'Dordogne' - game gets the full watercolor treatment

Video Games these days are a lot like paintings you can interact with, telling their own stories and experiences. Games with enough atmosphere also can generate their own experiences and sense of escape. You could even say: that experiences real and virtual (in general) are becoming blurred and indistinguishable. Perhaps not yet...

Dordogne - a game set for release sometime next year 2022 - is both a way back to childhood, and a way forwards for the young woman at its narrative center. Set in a 1980s childhood, it re-creates the warmth and adventure of summers spent in this beautiful South West (Dordogne) region of France. It’s known by many British ex-pats who escape here temporarily in the summer, along with Parisians, or else as full-time retired, they enjoy a balmy climate where the Dordogne river meanders off towards (finally) the city of Bordeaux.

And this gem of a game will give them something more to play with during their stay-cations....

Instead of flat, 2D renditions of countryside with an animated character under your control, instead there seems to be much more of an immersive feel. Environments drenched in artwork come alive or can be interacted with, like a truly responsive painting. Watercolor scenes are no doubt a big appeal of the game, but they’d mean little without a strong dose of story and interactivity for Mimi. 

We’ve all felt strong emotions looking at old photographs. Memories don’t always hold the full truth of such captured, former realities, and they can leave out a lot of the more harmful content. An album or scrapbook certainly exemplifies this, where what you’re left with is really just the good or innocent bits.

What we really like about this little indie game Dordogne is the potential for re-capturing some deep heartwarming charm. The scrap-booking device looks like it will work really well, for re-living that sense of excitement or joie de vivre about childhood adventure, down to its details. Hopefully this will rub off on the player and present-day character by the end of the game. We love the way the animation for the character blends the shadows she creates with the landscape. It creates a heightened, summery atmosphere.

While we wait for release, maybe get out your watercolor painting set. There's still plenty of time. Who knows, maybe one day your experiments will become responsive or interactive!

It will arrive on Nintendo Switch and on PC in 2022, but you can visit the developer site, to stay tuned.

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