A Memoir Blue

An Olympic swimmer explores the roots of her compulsion to succeed in this dreamlike 'interactive poem'

This will probably be held up as anti-intellectual in some way, or part of the crowd who scream every time they see a "walking simulator" (a grossly reductive label), but really, this just isn't good art. Of course that's subjective and sure, maybe you'll be profoundly moved in a way that we didn't experience, but we'd wager it's unlikely. It's a game that seems to coast along and then just... fizzle out with no major revelation or real hook. What's a generous word for that? Meditative. It's meditative. Really meditative. Sort of like... sleeping

A Memoir Blue is over before you know it, so it doesn't quite earn a gold medal. However, for a debut effort, this is a solid outing for Cloisters Interactive, one worth dipping your toes in.

In A Memoir Blue, you play a dream and that's what stays: It's a very short experience, telling a good story with a very important topic. But it's over so fast it might not stick in your memory as well as it should.

A Memoir Blue is artistically beautiful, technically comprehensible, and story-wise truly admirable.

A Memoir Blue is an interesting case study for where the future of indie games may be heading within the next 5 years. While both visually striking with a seemingly simple narrative core, A Memoir Blue is able to deliver an experience that evokes emotional sympathy and combines its game concepts directly with its themes of family and estrangement. Despite being a short experience with limited opportunities for interesting gameplay scenarios, I sense this is only the beginning of an exciting style of video games.

A Memoir Blue’s aspirations as an interactive poem feel undone by shallow execution.

An attractive title with the combination of surreal 3D scene and beautiful 2D artwork. The story created by Shelly Chen is somewhat unclear. And this vague story makes it easier for players to resonate their own experience. However, the game can leave much to be desired for those who would like to enjoy a completed story.

All a bit of everything, but nothing really noteworthy. That could outline my conclusion on A Memoir Blue in one sentence, because unfortunately the game couldn't convince me. The gameplay and narrative do work, but they only scratch the surface of respectively possible potential.

Video games have the power to create an affecting emotional experience by making their audience active participants in the world. In A Memoir Blue, the interactive elements aren’t impactful, while the narrative is too metaphorical. Aesthetics aren’t enough to make up for that.