Dordogneis an upcoming indie game that centers around Mimi, who travels to her late grandmother’s old home and finds all sorts of puzzles for her to solve. This takes Mimi on a trip down memory lane, spurring her to revisit old memories and rediscover her younger self.
One prominent feature inindie gameDordogneis the photography mechanic, which allows the player to take gorgeous photos of the stylized French countryside. The photography mechanic is by no means new, butDordogne’svisual style goes to show how a game’s aesthetic can breathe new life into the subgenre.
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The Range of Photography-based Games
The photography subgenre has been around for a long time now. One of its earliest known titles isPokemon Snap, which came out in 1999. And the franchise is still thriving today, as evidenced by therelease ofNew Pokemon Snapin 2021. Even games from theFatal Framefranchise could be considered titles under the photography subgenre given its reliance on the camera mechanic. If anything, it goes to show the feature’s flexibility and how it can reinvent itself depending on the game’s primary genre.
Recently, however, more indie games have been experimenting with the camera mechanic, incorporating it into beautiful worlds with quirky characters. In these games, there’s a greater focus on exploration and letting the player take photographs at their own pace. Such games have also developed their own unique art styles that elevate the experience.Indie gameTOEM, for example, has a game world that is entirely in black and white (plus grays).Pupperazzi, on the other hand, doubles down on the bright colors. These titles look and play very differently, but both are photography-focused indie games that are well worth playing.
Indie Game Dordogne’s Watercolor World
Now, there’s a newgame coming out under the photography subgenre:Dordogne. From the first frame of the game’s official trailer, it’s clear thatDordognealso has its own, unique art style. Its backgrounds look like hand-painted watercolor pieces, each depicting the scenic French countryside. And as the player explores the game world, solving different puzzles, they’re prompted to take photographs of the environment. There’s even the option to arrange these photographs in Mimi’s journal.
Compared toTOEM’s calm, low key vibe and the oftenoutrageous cuteness ofPupperazzi,Dordogneseems like it’ll be a more emotional experience. Its way of using photography to recapture the protagonist’s childhood is something many players can relate to. Moreover, the wholesome family story about Mimi and her grandmother sets up the game to be more dramatic and personal. This is further supported by the journal mechanic, as it allows the player to put together photographs and stickers on each page of Mimi’s diary. Overall, it’s even more proof of the photography subgenre’s flexibility.
But more than that,Dordognegoes to show how a distinct visual style can breathe new life into a well-used mechanic. The seemingly hand-painted game world is gorgeous, and its uniqueness gives players a novel experience – one unlike what they’ve experienced inother photography-based games. Arguably, that’s the beauty of it. The photography subgenre continues to push its boundaries, and this supplies fans of the subgenre with something new every time.
Dordognewas unveiled during therecent Nintendo Indie World Showcase 2022. It’s set for release sometime in Spring 2023, though the exact date has yet to be announced. Notably,Dordogneis also the second game to be released by studio Un Je Ne Sais Quoi. The first was the gameMr Tic Toc & the Endless City, which also featured a similar, painted art style.
Dordogneis slated for release in Spring 2023 for PC and Nintendo Switch.
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