When you’ve been reviewing games for a long time, there are times when you come across a specific section of games. I’m talking short ones that you can complete in less than 5 hours, but even so, every single one of those hours is filled with joy and serves as a way for you to sit on the couch and enjoy the experience.
Now, while I certainly can only associate Arc System Works with fighting games such as the Guilty Gear franchise, I was very curious when I saw Dear me, I was… on the Steam page. The game promises players a short but plentiful experience full of joys and sorrows as the protagonist’s life is woven by those around her. But can they make good on those promises?
The Life of a Nameless Girl
Dear me, I was… has players follow the life of a nameless protagonist. As the official page states, this is a game where there are no words that are spoken. Everything is conveyed to the player through pictures, which were drawn by Taisuke Kanasaki, the same artist who brought Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Another Code: Two Memories, and animated through rotoscoping.
From time to time, the game will ask the player for some input, but it’s generally very simple and doesn’t require much in the way of thinking. And this, in fact, ties into how short Dear me, I was… is. You can get through the entire story in just shy of an hour, maybe in a single sitting. You watch the protagonist from her time as a small child all the way to her old age. And a lot happens in those forty minutes, I can tell you that, but for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I will not be touching upon the events specifically.
An Emotional Connection
I don’t usually tell this to people, but as someone who is on the autistic spectrum, I found the narrative of Dear me, I was… a bit difficult to get invested. Though it does have some interesting twists, a lot of the story is left to your interpretation on how these events are unfolding. This means that the moment you don’t see yourself or perhaps relate yourself to the events that happen around this nameless protagonist, the entire thing just falls apart, in my opinion. I also would’ve loved more than just simple interactions with the story, because your actions don’t really affect it that much, and it’s not like the game features multiple endings for you to chase down.
The game’s ending does take a very unexpected turn, so it does have a surprise factor going for it. But even though I keep looking for a deeper meaning to it, I conclude that perhaps there is just not supposed to be one. And even though the game does have me personally do something, I feel just unable to have an emotional connection, especially with someone whose name I don’t know. However, I do acknowledge that different people will experience this game differently from me.
A Beautiful Looking Game That Sadly Isn’t for Everyone
I’ll get to the point: Dear me, I was… is a decent short experience that can be experienced for the price that it would take you to a trip to the movies. But it is also one that heavily relies on one key factor: the ability to connect emotionally with the protagonist. And sadly, while that wasn’t really the case for me, I do acknowledge how impactful this story can be, especially for those who can feel empathy towards her.
What this game does really well, though, is its storytelling. In these forty minutes or so, it managed to bring out a very rich story, and all without a single word or voice. That, to me, feels quite magical. It’s hard to describe in words just how you will feel after playing Dear me, I was…, but I can certainly say that Arc System Works and the game’s staff have truly done a great job in their portrayal of the long life of a girl who went through a lot in her life. It’s just sadly, not a game I would personally get invested in.
Disclaimer: Arc System Works provided a PC (Steam) copy of Dear me, I was… for review purposes.
