A Memoir Blue Reviews
A Memoir Blue is a memorable narrative adventure that takes players on a very personal journey through time. Its combination of 3D models, with hand-drawn animations, creates a fascinating world rich with dense atmosphere and touching moments. The lack of gameplay variety is disappointing, but enough interactivity keeps you engaged through its short runtime. Miriam’s relationship with her child-self, and mother is explored beautifully without any need for dialogue or exposition.
Like a calm ocean wave on a foggy day, A Memoir Blue is a tranquil experience clouded by a mundane narrative. Treading a fine line between being an interactive point-and-click game and an animated short film, Cloisters Interactive has created a title that is short, sweet, and will only leave those expecting more sour.
A Memoir Blue blends contrasting visuals in dazzling fashion while supporting an emotionally impactful narrative with purpose. While the gameplay fails to deliver on that same notion, Cloisters Interactive’s debut is an aesthetically creative showstopper.
Ultimately, A Memoir Blue isn’t necessarily going to revolutionize video game storytelling. It is a fairly simple story of mother-daughter reconciliation, after all. However, it tells that story with an extremely thoughtful blend of 3D and 2D visuals that are densely packed with additional meaning. A Memoir Blue is in every sense a finely crafted piece of art, and that’s a pretty good way to start a new game studio.
I’ve been impressed so far this year that story-driven games on the Switch have continued to show up in force, but most of all that we’ve had a few that have been so touching without the need for any dialogue at all...
A Memoir Blue is an interesting, emotional journey with a great atmosphere to go alongside it. Even though the story demands a little more time, the journey is worth it.
A Memoir Blue gave me time to think and reconnect with something I thought maybe I’d forgotten how to engage with. It also gave me the chance to reassess what I think of when I think of poetry. It’s also incredibly short. If this review reaches you on a quiet night in, this is the perfect way to spend a handful of pensive hours.
A Memoir Blue is a strange video game. A story closely linked to the aquatic element that wants to tell the memory of a unique relationship as it can be what there is between mother and daughter, deep as the sea and stormy as the stormy ocean.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Like most art, A Memoir Blue has its fair share of flaws. However, like art, it has you thinking about its strengths and intentions instead of its mechanics. A Memoir Blue succeeds more than it falters, and everyone needs to give this game their time.
A Memoir Blue is over before you know it, so it doesn't quite earn a gold medal. However, for a debut effort, this is a solid outing for Cloisters Interactive, one worth dipping your toes in.
Overall, even with these limitations A Memoir Blue excels at its core purpose. Its poetic story choices and at times beautiful combination of visual and sound design elements make it an intoxicating blend for players who want something a little more cerebral. It's not the most taxing game for those after an interactive experience, and its short run time may leave some players a little disappointed that it's over so fast, but it successfully completes the goals that it aims for.
A Memoir Blue has a beautiful, varied visual style, emotionally resonant music, and a sincere — if not terribly deep — narrative. The changing and mysterious relationship of parents and children is relatable. It’s a wonderful story to experience, told via haunting, surreal images. Where A Memoir Blue collapses is in its arbitrary and often unnecessary game mechanics. I get that the main character is trying to make sense of her puzzle-like memories. Pixel hunting and awkward object manipulation don’t make me feel invested or immersed. I’d argue they work against it. A Memoir Blue could and should have been a touching short animated film.
However, while A Memoir Blue has all the characteristics of a low-key hit–and certainly offers enough for a lot of players who like interaction-light experiences–the sum of its parts doesn’t quite match its intriguing concept, and you may leave it feeling a little empty, with few memories of the memoir.
Don't call it a walking simulator: A Memoir Blue is a poetical tale of a mother and her daughter. Through it's not a perfect game, A Memoir Blue is a simple and intense adventure that makes you overcome all its flaws. Although we've seen such its type tale one million times, A Memoir Blue retells it in a sincere and autobiographical manner, which makes the game worth playing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There’s a lot to praise about A Memoir Blue. It looks and sounds beautiful, and feels almost experimental in its design – it’s always a joy to see small developers trying something new. But it does leave a little to be desired; its short narrative fails to deliver any real punch, and when the credits roll you may be left thinking “…is that it?”. But considering its small asking price, we can’t really complain. If you enjoy narrative-led journeys, particularly those that deal in human emotion, A Memoir Blue is worth picking up.
There’s plenty of space for engaging narratives that don’t rely on traditional gameplay and opportunities to craft smaller tales. A Memoir Blue manages both very well in the process of pulling at the heart strings in just the right way.
If we lose our memory, we are left adrift from a foreign world, and games like A Memoir Blue reveal the mental capacity to which we resort the most, and to which we demand the greatest effort, through a videoludic work in which we recover images and scenarios from the past, preserving our experiences and emotions, and elaborating a personal story.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A short and personal story, wrapped in the form of an interactive poem - touching, graceful and emotional.
Review in Russian | Read full review
This will probably be held up as anti-intellectual in some way, or part of the crowd who scream every time they see a "walking simulator" (a grossly reductive label), but really, this just isn't good art. Of course that's subjective and sure, maybe you'll be profoundly moved in a way that we didn't experience, but we'd wager it's unlikely. It's a game that seems to coast along and then just... fizzle out with no major revelation or real hook. What's a generous word for that? Meditative. It's meditative. Really meditative. Sort of like... sleeping
If you love Florance, you'll definitely like A Memoir Blue. It's a pleasant, very personal story that may not pull you out of your shoes, but it will definitely enrich your day.
Review in Polish | Read full review