A Memoir Blue Review

Despite the boldness in A Memoir Blue’s speechless storytelling, a narrative told through visuals alone is not new to videogames. Cast your mind back to Variable State’s wordless 2016 adventure Virginia, a game where words are absent and where what’s going on is obscured, making the story mystical and strange. Unlike Virginia though, A Memoir Blue can be read through its eloquent imagery, capturing reminiscences of Giant Squids’ ABZU with its bent towards oceanic scenery. The art style echoes StudioCanal’s animated feature Song of the Sea as well for yet another meticulous stroke of inspiration

While it is loaded with the fluttered ribbons of ingenuity from other sources, A Memoir Blue’s heartfelt, sweet and endearing narrative about an Olympic swimmer named Miriam and her young daughter is something unusual and at least a little moving. Such experiences when they come around are delightful and A Memoir Blue is certainly a commendable effort that tries to pull you beneath the waves and into its deep blue majesty, but it pulls you out too soon.

‘Point and clicker’ is an adequate descriptor for what’s on offer here. You manipulate objects using a small white dot on the screen to solve light environmental puzzles which are more relaxing than taxing on the grey matter. Pulling objects around is limited as the game is designed in a linear way so you can only interact with what’s necessary for narrative completion most of the time, though if you fancy chasing achievements there’s a bit of messing around you can do as well. Getting a handle on the white dotted cursor can be finnicky at time though as you will find out if you attempt to fling ice cubes from a glass early on.

Nothing surprising happens in A Memoir Blue which sours its sweetness somewhat. Miriam’s underwater exploits are held back by a lack of interaction, and you will feel pedestrian through most of the experience because you’re funnelled through the story without meaningful interactions. It’s a case of moving objects that need to be moved then accessing something in the environment to move on to the next area. There is so much potential squandered here as the game concerns itself too much with prodding players emotionally than giving them anything meaningful to do. If A Memoir Blue paid just as much attention to the act of playing as it does through telling a meaningful tale, then it’d be a richer and more memorable offering.

The rigidity of its framework aside, A Memoir Blue serenades with its personal touch. Miriam and her daughter are wonderfully presented with a painterly hand-drawn aesthetic and the small handful of settings brings this harmonious bond to life.

Much like learning the quirks of a child, you will happen upon A Memoir Blue’s quirk of providing players with its love of music and imagery. Tampering with a radio frequency so you can see different pictures pop up and drowning objects in water to move the story forward are coherent and novel ideas that aren’t given enough backing thanks the game’s puny length.

The music is gentle and soothing but evokes the mother/daughter bond in a graceful way that mirrors the story’s pure-hearted tendencies. There is a modesty to the music that doesn’t try to snatch your attention, it evokes a simplicity and an accessible nature that much like the game itself is imbued with a synchronicity which is welcoming to behold. At around an hour to complete, A Memoir Blue is brief but it will leave an impression. You will likely forget about it as quickly as the entire time it takes to complete, but the story can help you remember the tale longer than its minimal length.

Conclusion

Like a sweet dream A Memoir Blue is short but memorable. The lovely music, visuals and touching story are resonating to behold, but the game underpinning it is shallow. It’s ironic that despite the depths of water Miriam dives into, it isn’t matched by the gameplay and meagre length. The general impression you’re left with after completion is only that its head of hair is wet, yet the body is still bone dry. You will be satisfied there’s enough water here to fill a paddling pool but not the depth nor the engagement necessary to convince you it’s a swimming pool.

This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox One console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.