Dear Me, I was… is easily one of the most interesting experiences of the year. When it was announced, I knew it was a game that was very much in my wheelhouse, and even after playing it, I have so many questions in and out of what the gameplay itself accomplished.
If you enjoy short narrative experiences, Dear Me, I Was… should very much be up your alley. The game follows a girl’s life from her adolescence to old age as she goes through the twists and turns that is life. Love, grief, confusion, inspiration—it’s all here in 10 chapters that won’t take more than an hour to get through.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone if this is a game you haven’t heard about. Outside of it being announced at the Arc System Works Showcase a few months ago, I haven’t seen much discussion about it after. The main reason this review is so late is because the release date came and went, and we didn’t know about it. I was only reminded of its existence because I was hitting up ArcSys to ask about Double Dragon Revive.
Little girl painting with daddy? Now this is my idea of a cozy game.
Getting back to the game, as mentioned, it’s less than an hour. I went through the whole thing during a plane ride and I turned off my Switch 2 nodding with my lips pursed. I wasn’t blown away, but I was satisfied.
To talk about the gameplay a little bit, there isn’t much. There’s a little cursor if you wanted to play the game in docked mode, but you’re better off playing in handheld mode because of touch screen controls. Even with that, there isn’t much to do aside from tapping and light sliding. The only time I really felt like I was “playing” anything was during this chapter where the protagonist exchanges letters with an old friend, where all you had to do was drag a letter back and forth along the screen. If you’ve played Florence before, it’s like that, with less to do somehow.
This makes me question why the game is a Switch 2 exclusive. It can come out on anything. It’s suited for mobile, and if Arc System Works really wanted to, they can put it out as a DVD game. That’s how barren the gameplay is. I’m not saying that because it’s a bad thing; I’m just trying to make sense of the game’s existence. At the top of the review, I mentioned I had a lot of questions, so let me raise them.
I wish I was interviewing a developer, or anybody at ArcSys for that matter, about the game. Director Maho Taguchi (Another Code: Recollection) said that he designed the game for adult women (and I’ll definitely try to have my girlfriend give it a shot), but the ending is a little weird. I’m not going to spoil anything, but the ending is done in a much different… style. Plot-wise, it makes sense entirely, but I’m wondering what the purpose of doing it in that style was. Speaking of style, though, the water color visuals were fantastic. The animation is definitely low budget, but the style just works.
Tap to eat.
When you think of Arc System Works, what do you think of? Surely not games like this. Again, not a bad thing. Should we expect more games like this from them in the future? Beats me.
Lastly, I brought it up earlier–this game can literally be put on anything, so why is it a Switch 2 exclusive? With the Switch 2 still new at the time of the Arc System Works Showcase, I won’t lie–the exclusivity was the biggest reason why I cared, but for an $8 game like this, you wonder what the intention actually is. On that note, if this game were to come out on PlayStation, and it had trophies, best believe I’m double dipping.
Me asking questions definitely made this review longer than it had to be, so before I stop, let’s get through with the questions you most care about. Do I recommend the Dear Me, I was…? Absolutely. Do I think the game is worth it at $7.99? I’m going to say no here. If there was just a little bit more to do in the game from a gameplay perspective, like Florence? I would. I’d say $5 is the sweet spot here, so I’d definitely hop on it if I saw it on sale.
Dear Me, I was… is easily one of the most interesting experiences of the year. When it was announced, I knew it was a game that was very much in my wheelhouse, and even after playing it, I have so…
Dear Me, I was… is easily one of the most interesting experiences of the year. When it was announced, I knew it was a game that was very much in my wheelhouse, and even after playing it, I have so many questions in and out of what the gameplay itself accomplished.
If you enjoy short narrative experiences, Dear Me, I Was… should very much be up your alley. The game follows a girl’s life from her adolescence to old age as she goes through the twists and turns that is life. Love, grief, confusion, inspiration—it’s all here in 10 chapters that won’t take more than an hour to get through.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone if this is a game you haven’t heard about. Outside of it being announced at the Arc System Works Showcase a few months ago, I haven’t seen much discussion about it after. The main reason this review is so late is because the release date came and went, and we didn’t know about it. I was only reminded of its existence because I was hitting up ArcSys to ask about Double Dragon Revive.
Little girl painting with daddy? Now this is my idea of a cozy game.
Getting back to the game, as mentioned, it’s less than an hour. I went through the whole thing during a plane ride and I turned off my Switch 2 nodding with my lips pursed. I wasn’t blown away, but I was satisfied.
To talk about the gameplay a little bit, there isn’t much. There’s a little cursor if you wanted to play the game in docked mode, but you’re better off playing in handheld mode because of touch screen controls. Even with that, there isn’t much to do aside from tapping and light sliding. The only time I really felt like I was “playing” anything was during this chapter where the protagonist exchanges letters with an old friend, where all you had to do was drag a letter back and forth along the screen. If you’ve played Florence before, it’s like that, with less to do somehow.
This makes me question why the game is a Switch 2 exclusive. It can come out on anything. It’s suited for mobile, and if Arc System Works really wanted to, they can put it out as a DVD game. That’s how barren the gameplay is. I’m not saying that because it’s a bad thing; I’m just trying to make sense of the game’s existence. At the top of the review, I mentioned I had a lot of questions, so let me raise them.
I wish I was interviewing a developer, or anybody at ArcSys for that matter, about the game. Director Maho Taguchi (Another Code: Recollection) said that he designed the game for adult women (and I’ll definitely try to have my girlfriend give it a shot), but the ending is a little weird. I’m not going to spoil anything, but the ending is done in a much different… style. Plot-wise, it makes sense entirely, but I’m wondering what the purpose of doing it in that style was. Speaking of style, though, the water color visuals were fantastic. The animation is definitely low budget, but the style just works.
Tap to eat.
When you think of Arc System Works, what do you think of? Surely not games like this. Again, not a bad thing. Should we expect more games like this from them in the future? Beats me.
Lastly, I brought it up earlier–this game can literally be put on anything, so why is it a Switch 2 exclusive? With the Switch 2 still new at the time of the Arc System Works Showcase, I won’t lie–the exclusivity was the biggest reason why I cared, but for an $8 game like this, you wonder what the intention actually is. On that note, if this game were to come out on PlayStation, and it had trophies, best believe I’m double dipping.
Me asking questions definitely made this review longer than it had to be, so before I stop, let’s get through with the questions you most care about. Do I recommend the Dear Me, I was…? Absolutely. Do I think the game is worth it at $7.99? I’m going to say no here. If there was just a little bit more to do in the game from a gameplay perspective, like Florence? I would. I’d say $5 is the sweet spot here, so I’d definitely hop on it if I saw it on sale.
by Danreb Victorio
