The upcoming adventure Dordogne has a new trailer, showcasing its painterly visuals, French setting, and big sun hats.
There are good-looking games, really good-looking games, and then there’s Dordogne, which is so pretty that it almost doesn’t look like a game at all.
The work of French developer Un Je Ne Sais Quoi, a studio headed up by director and artist Cedric Babouche, Dordogne is an indie point-and-click adventure that resembles an interactive watercolour painting.
It follows the story of Mimi, a young woman whose recent loss of a family member causes her to reminisce about her childhood summers spent in the south of France. The narrative then flicks back and forth between the protagonist in the present and her youthful adventures in the idyllic countryside.
As you can see in the new trailer below, Dordogne seamlessly mixes 2D artwork and 3D models to create the illusion of a painting with depth – it’s a technique we’ve seen before in video games, but rarely with such care and artistry as its creators have achieved here.
Indeed, it’s worth comparing Dordogne’s progress with an earlier promo, released in late 2020. Unless it’s just us imagining things, the visuals appear to have improved hugely in those intervening years, with subtle lighting and water effects really bringing each scene to life.
Note : "Dordogne" game will be available on Nintendo Switch & Steam (2021).https://t.co/hue27C7ni2 pic.twitter.com/4QWzA7C1de
— Catsuka 💙 (@catsuka) April 21, 2020
Dordogne’s adventuring will take in exploration, some light puzzle solving, and items to collect, with certain objects triggering memories from Mimi’s past. The developers’ aim is to create a “vibrant journey that will awaken your senses and evoke warm memories.”
Just watching the trailer makes us want to put on a big floppy sun hat and climb a hill. Preferably in southern France.
Dordogne is due for release this spring for PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
