Dear me, I was...

Dear Me, I was… is quite an emotional experience, and I absolutely adored it from start to finish. A few control issues hold it back when playing docked, but I give it my highest possible recommendation if you enjoy moving narratives and want something short to experience on Nintendo Switch 2. My only real annoyance right now is that I can’t buy an artbook or listen to the Dear Me, I was… soundtrack outside the game.

Dear Me, I Was is a masterpiece that transcends the traditional limitations of a video game to become pure art. Arc System Works and Maho Taguchi have created something extraordinary: an experience that uses interactivity not as a game, but as a means for direct emotional connection.

Take a moment to sit down, put on a headset, drink a cup of tea and get lost in this artwork. It’s something you’ll remember.

Dear Me, I Was is a short, intimate, and visually captivating experience that reaffirms how video games can move players without relying on action. Arc System Works and Taisuke Kanasaki invite players on an introspective journey where storytelling, music, and art intertwine to remind us that the ordinary can also be profoundly human.

Dear Me, I Was… has launched at a very low price point ($11), which feels appropriate for what is, essentially, a lightly interactive short film. It’s a gorgeous piece of work, and, right now, maybe the most visually gorgeous Switch 2 exclusive, even if it’s not pushing the hardware particularly hard.

Dear Me, I Was… is a great showcase for how to present narrative games in a hand-drawn watercolour style. After letting the emotions felt from its story settle down, the immediate thought is that it is hoped that there will be an actual video game in this style from Arc System Works in the future (a Hotel Dusk remake perhaps). Dear Me, I Was… is a story that can be enjoyed in bed like a book, or watched during a lunch break instead of a YouTube video essay or Netflix TV episode. It’s not a video game, it’s a beautiful short story, and if that sounds like a great time then put some headphones on and give it a watch.

Dear Me, I Was offers reflection on a life accompanied by eye-catching art and gentle piano music. There's very limited interactivity though, and while the story is relatable at some points, it's not particularly unique. It is worth picking up if you're looking for something that will make you sit back and reflect, but it feels as though Dear Me, I Was will only appeal to a very specific audience.

This one of the only video games to have made me cry. A simple game with an emotional story told beautifully through watercolor illustration and considerate use of colors. Dear me, I was…toes the line between being interactive art and a video game. It’s a wonderful short narrative that needs to be enjoyed by all.

I didn't expect the direction the story took; the artwork is beautiful and all, but what a drama and some of the decisions were quite questionable.

I give this a poor score because I think the product is falsely advertised, but as long as you read the reviews and know what you are getting this shouldn’t stop you. I would not normally be the primary audience for this, I picked it up on a whim because I loved the art-style and wanted to support something different than the usual. I checked up beforehand and saw that it was described as a game in the media and as a ”interactive adventure” on both the developer’s site and in the eshop. It is however not - there is no exploration, no meaningful choices or anything, it isn’t even a visual novel. It is more like a movie of a sequence of cutscenes where occasionally you must press ’A’ to continue, even though the actual form of the ’A’ can be different from scene to scene. But there is never a choice, I can’t do ’A’ or ’B’, it is only just ’A’ and the story will not change due to anything that you do. But having said all of this - Dear me I was is incredibly beautiful and very emotional, and there were times when I cried, right until the end when it changes visual style and come crashing down. But until then it was a 7, maybe even an 8… shame about the advertising, because in and by itself it is a perfectly valid experience. I am left with hope for something more interesting from this developer in the future though.

I get it, it's an "interactive" experience, not a game-game (though, calling it interactive is a bit of a stretch), but give me good music, give me some direction. There is nothing interesting and captivating, other than the lovely art.

Other then the art style, the game is meh. Confused why it's exclusive on the Nintendo Switch 2 when the Nintendo Switch 1 could easily handle it. It isn't on PC either thus the developers don't want a bigger audience & want it exclusively on a trash system.