Dear Me, I Was... Review: A Beautifully Brief Adventure

I'm not afraid to admit when a game makes me emotional, but what's truly incredible is how Dear Me, I Was… achieves this without uttering a single word.

Granted, calling this a “game” is a bit of a stretch. Arc System Works continues making intriguing strides outside its more traditional fighting roots, and Dear Me, I Was… is perhaps the most striking example yet after last year's Another Code: Recollection. I'm personally thrilled to see it trying shorter, more experimental games, and this is one I'd recommend to most Switch 2 owners.

Dear Me, I Was… tells the story of an unnamed woman spanning from her childhood to later years across different chapters. Only needing roughly an hour to complete, its brevity plays to the narrative's strengths gracefully as we witness key moments across our protagonist's life. The artwork expresses itself well by switching between muted tones and brighter colours, suitably conveying each scene's intent while leaving specifics for certain moments up to interpretation.

What's particularly compelling is how this depicts her interest in artistry and how this evolves over time, reminding me of how my own hobbies have come and gone across the decades. This all occurs while respectfully approaching topics such as loss, portraying these subjects with impressive realism that feels grounded in reality. Detailing this further would spoil much of the experience, but it's impactful, often emotional, and hits harder than I often anticipate. Director Maho Taguchi and the studio has put this together well.

Much of that can be credited to art director Taisuke Kanasaki. Having formerly worked on the Hotel Dusk series and the original Another Code games before CING declared bankruptcy in 2010, Dear Me, I Was... channels those prior games through a strong visual presentation. Even with the similarities, what's here is enhanced further by some beautiful watercolours and pencil-style illustrations, backed up by often haunting piano tunes.

However, you'll be disappointed if you come in expecting similarly involved gameplay to those CING classics. This is more of an interactive story; there isn't much here beyond occasionally pressing an item on-screen to advance, like a coffee slowly being drunk or a sketch you can draw with. Even then, you're maybe pressing something once or twice per chapter.

It's a very light point-and-click adventure in that sense, which is fitting then that the game supports Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. That said, moments like this make Dear Me, I Was… more suitable for handheld play than docked mode on Switch 2, thanks to the console's touchscreen controls. Playing Dear Me, I Was... like this, almost feels like you've got a book in hand at times.

Arc System Works has delivered one of those experiences that reaffirms what a powerful art form games can truly be, even if it only just fits into the category of "game". This minimalist storytelling remains impactful without needing text or talk, strongly conveying its tone and narrative through a strong visual identity. You won't need more than an hour to complete it, but much like the similarly emotional yet brief and Roger, Dear Me, I Was... will be on my mind for a long time to come.

8/10

Dear Me, I Was... was reviewed on Switch 2 and bought by Henry. It's out now for £6.73/€7.99.

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