Bienvenue en Dordogne, where the sun shines and life is good… Revisit your favorite childhood memories in this hand-painted watercolor narrative adventure.

Dordogne is a narrative adventure game in which you play as Mimi, a 32-year-old woman visiting the house of her recently deceased grandmother. As a souvenir of the childhood summers Mimi spent with her in Dordogne, her grandmother left her letters and puzzles to solve, to remind her to make the most out of life.

In this colorful region, full of wonderful scents and feelings, Mimi will immerse herself back into her childhood memories, and see once again through the eyes of the little girl who marveled at everything.

Dordogne is set both in the present and the past. In the present timeline, Mimi explores the rooms in her grandmother’s home. In the past timeline, you’ll help a 10-year-old Mimi explore Dordogne and complete her quests, affecting the present.

Along with the puzzles that both versions of Mimi will solve, you’ll collect photos, sounds, objects and words to create Mimi’s journal – keeping young Mimi’s memories of summers spent with her grandmother in Dordogne.

The video presents Cédric Babouche, the visual artist behind the game, in an intimate account of his personal history with the South-of-France setting of the game and the hand-painted watercolor artistic direction used to give life to it.

In today’s “A Colorful Palette of Emotions" Trailer, he shares his emotional connection to the game, an immersive adventure where you’ll explore the breath-taking landscapes of Dordogne, in the South of France. This region is as dear to Cédric Babouche as the hand-painted aesthetic of the game. All of its mesmerizing sceneries were made using the watercolor style and technique he has been honing for thirty years, since he was a child. 

"When we started the project, our starting point was to create a family story. The southwest region, where I spent many a Summer holiday as a child, came up a lot in our initial drafts and sketches so it emerged as a natural choice for the setting of our story. This link to my roots allows us to tell a truly heartfelt story in a way that perfectly matches the family theme. "

"As the rest of the team did not share that history and familiarity with the region, we traveled there together for everyone to get a feel of it. We visited the famous sites that make up a lot of Dordogne’s identity, but we also spent time away from the obvious spots to get a distance from traditional postcard material and get closer to the experience of daily life there: meeting people in the market, feeling the presence of the river."

"As a result, you will get to visit some real-world locations, such as Sarlat, La Roque-Gageac, Castelnau-la-Chapelle, and, of course, the Dordogne River. These weren’t locations that we initially planned to include – the story came first and the real-world locations that you get to visit were picked based on our story’s needs. So, we would first think: ‘Let’s go to the market,’ and then, ‘Let’s make it Sarlat’s market, because it’s so iconic.’ Similarly, we would add a sequence on a kayak, and then decided to go by La-Roque-Gageac, because the magical experience of discovering its sight from the River is so emblematic."

So, Dordogne does provide you with that sense of visiting the region and the sites that shape its identity. At the same time, it feels like a peaceful stay, taking in the quiet atmosphere of its nature and villages. The hand-painted watercolor rendition of that idyllic environment helps convey that sense of quietness. We drew thumbnail sketches facing the actual sceneries to catch a spontaneous feel of the places and give them that enchanting presence. The sound and music will also truly immerse you, with recordings of natural sounds as well as a beautiful ambient score from French band Supernaive. Dordogne has that warm and melancholic Ghibli vibe, but musically, it completely stands out from the orchestral score you might expect.

Enjoy the second track of the unique music composed by Supernaive, these introspective sounds support the nostalgic and heart-warming journey to Dordogne. This exclusive single is part of Dordogne’s OST that will be released along with the launch of the game.

Key Features:

• A wholesome family story: Discover the close relationship between Mimi and her grandmother through touching and fun gameplay moments. We hope that these slices of life, from the most trivial to the most symbolic, can make you remember your own positive childhood memories.
• Explore the beautiful Dordogne region: Through the quests of young Mimi, discover the beautiful environments of Dordogne. Faithfully adapted into watercolor, they’ll immerse you in this charming French region, so dear to Mimi. Forest walks, climbing, kayaking, cave explorations… Discover these typical activities of the region.
• Puzzles and mysteries to progress in the story: While playing as Mimi in the present (as an adult) and in the past (as a child), you’ll need to be resourceful and patient to solve puzzles and mysteries left by her grandmother. 
• Craft Mimi’s journal: With pictures, sounds, objects and words that Mimi collects, let your creativity flow and create Mimi’s journal, unique to each playthrough. A truly symbolic object of a high sentimental value, it reflects Mimi’s adventures and memories of Dordogne, and the connection she shares with her grandmother.

Dordogne is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam) in June 13, 2023.