I know I’ve had controversial statements about art games in the past, but I don’t dislike all of them. What I don’t like about this particular niche of game is when you can ooze the pretentiousness coming out of my screen, with a “game” being made with the sole intention of appeasing to a specific subsection of media coverage, and made with the same intentions as Oscar bait movies. Dear Me I Was, shockingly made by the same company behind the balls-to-the-wall Guilty Gear franchise, is not one of those cases. A tremendous tear-jerker, absolutely, but also one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. Even if the term “game” is just loosely applied in this case.

Telling a meaningful story via watercolors.

I’ll keep this review short because Dear Me I Was is almost entirely all about its story, and I don’t want to spoil any of it. Let’s just say that it is a beautiful and relatable story about one’s entire life, told entirely through art. The protagonist has lived and breathed art throughout her entire life, so there’s no better way to tell her story than by using gorgeous watercolors (by the same artist behind Another Code, mind you), with different color pallettes expressing different emotions one will eventually experience in today’s world. Furthermore, there’s the very occasional usage of rotoscope, the same technique seen in a-Ha’s “Take on Me” music video. The results are absolutely fantastic, at least from a visual standpoint.

This game loves to throw “interactive meal” sections at you. For no apparent reason.

Equally as impactful is the soundtrack. Even if it felt like the cheapest of cheap shots. The reason is simple: it’s a collection of piano and violin compositions, carefully crafted to make the coldest and most heartless of golems shed a tear for the first time in their lives. I can’t say it didn’t work exactly as intended. The combination of the gut punch that is the story (with the exception of one or two chapters in which the twists felt like actual Oscar bait drama) with the visuals and this soundtrack… that’s some utterly beautiful stuff.

A boring 9-to-5. That’s some pure millennial dread.

There’s just the (big) problem that, well, this is barely a game. For as much as Dear Me I Was‘ story is a monstrous gut punch to anyone with a pulse, there’s just the bare minimum of interactivity included for it to be literally considered a video game in the most literal sense of the word. Every now and then, you are presented with a meal to eat, a letter to open, or a box to unpack. You can do that either by touching the Switch 2’s screen, using normal buttons, or by using the joycon in mouse mode. I was somewhat curious about how the latter would be implemented, but it’s actually very faulty.

A friendly reminder for everyone to turn off their damn phones when at the movies.

Dear Me I Was is a marvelous visual novel that manages to tell a lot without ever uttering a single line of dialogue. When it comes to its presentation and storytelling, I have no qualms, this is gold. But if the damn thing was released in a gaming storefront, I have to review it as a game, even if it barely qualifies as one. As such, it’s a one-and-done experience with the bare minimum of interactivity, often relegated to a handful of cutscenes. That being said, let me reiterate: it’s a beautiful little gem, one that will make the most cynical of human beings feel something for the first time in forever. Considering its minuscule pricetag, I can still recommend it to those who appreciate an art game every now and then.

Dear Me I Was is available now on Switch 2.

Reviewed on Switch 2.