Dordogne Reviews
]Dordogne's beautiful scenery, comforting gameplay, and heartfelt story make it just as much a piece of summer art as it is a game. There are the occasional technical issues that affect visuals, but it's nothing that will impact the best parts of the gameplay for most players.
On its trip down the river, some of Dordogne's design ideas feel stodgy, performance is sometimes flaky, and it leans into its clunkiest gameplay elements as it nears the end. But to get hung up on these points is to miss a truly touching story bringing a beautiful world to life in sound and images. There's a lot to reward you here if you can navigate the obstacles and just go with the flow.
Dordogne is a special experience that will affect you in different ways.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dordogne captivates us not only with its beauty, but also with its delicate narrative. It's another indie that deserves to be highlighted for being able to transport us to rural France while telling a story that brings a feeling of comfort and familiarity. In addition, we have a gameplay that fulfills its purpose, stunning scenarios and a soundtrack that gives the final touch.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dordogne is as close to perfect as a game can be. There is a little jank, and a little weirdness in the UI, but the beauty and depth of the game make that absolutely forgivable. I don’t think I will be playing Dordogne again any time soon; I think I need to recover emotionally from the story. But I do want to try it again from the beginning and see what other hidden wonders might be around the corners of Dordogne.
With Dordogne, the trend of games that explore the past through memories, objects, and nostalgia continues to expand. The game is crafted with rare elegance and takes time to immerse us fully as we navigate between the adult presence of Mimi and the memories of a summer spent in Dordogne. While there could have been better utilization of the medium by enhancing the gameplay interactions, Dordogne offers a beautiful, bittersweet experience. Highly recommended, especially if you have your own cherished objects that transport you back to your childhood.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dordogne, the first game of Un Je Ne Sais Quoi, invites players to connect with their inner child in a colorful world that looks like something out of the best of tales.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dordogne is a good-looking narrative adventure that tells and extraordinarily ordinary familiar story, making you wonder about of all the time we waste far from our beloved ones.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Though bittersweet, Dordogne offers a thoughtful, well-paced narrative that is accompanied by beautiful visuals and sounds. It’s a pleasant adventure title through-and-through. One that I recommend to just about anyone.
Dordogne is an intimate adventure that reminds us how important the small moments in life can be.
Intense, detailed and capable of telling a story that goes far beyond expectations, Dordogne is a story that strikes the soul, thanks to an excellent play system. Must have absolutely.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A video game four years the making, the care put into each and every watercolor landscape and minute aspect of the game is quite notable. Discovering new things and getting out of your comfort zone can be a frightful thing. But Dordogne, by way of its carefully structured narrative, reminds us that it is worth it to live life to the fullest.
On the surface, Dordogne is a bittersweet story about a woman rediscovering her memories of childhood joy and adventure. However, there are also other threads exploring complicated familial relationships and struggles. While I feel the main story had a satisfactory conclusion, some of the other plot lines could use some more clarity or closure. In terms of gameplay, the exploration and light puzzle elements are a fantastic complement to the narrative and are engaging and fun. I imagine this game will be playable by a wide audience, as intended by the developers. If you enjoy narrative games, Dordogne is for you. If you do play and enjoy it, be on the lookout for future projects that will explore the story further, including a short film called Les Ricochets, and comic books.
Dordogne is a work of art in more ways than one. From its striking pastel art style, to the soundtrack, storytelling and even the way it blends its gameplay mechanics, this is one of 2023’s best surprises and outside of text accessibility, some minor texture clipping and heavy-handed controls, this is an unforgettable adventure that will put you through a rollercoaster of emotions.
Dordogne is a half-successful experiment. The excellent artistic direction is accompanied by a simple but functional gameplay, which also finds some inspired solutions in the completion of Mimi's diary.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dordogne is a beautiful and artistic game that takes me on a journey through the picturesque countryside of France with its unique art style. However, it leaves me with some regrets due to its mishandling of storytelling.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
It’s tempting to call it a shame—a waste, even—that a game that looks so unlike any other doesn’t have much going for it in the way of dialogue or character study. But, then, stories aren’t just limited to the things people say. And, of course, a story centered on the tenuous nature of human memory would be messier than that—rendered in imprecise arrays, interrupted by blank space, and framed in rough edges. Which is to say, a bit like watercolor.
Despite being essentially an interactive narrative experience, I feel Dordogne had to embrace the game format to meet its goal of having us inhabit the countryside region, [feeling] the childhood nostalgia, the characters and their relationships. A movie, comic book or some other visual art medium would not represent Mimi walking through an expressive watercolor [environment] made up of colors, lights and memories in such an immersive manner, even if the gameplay interactions here are shallow.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It’s a beautiful story about a girl who seems lost in her life who eventually finds there really is meaning, and it’s stuff a realization we can easily appreciate today.
A simple, but sweet natured story about a young girl finding her feet and trying to do what's right to fix the rifts in her family. Dordogne doesn't demand much of you, but it luxuriates in the details that make life so special.