A Memoir Blue

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. WellPlayed
    Apr 1, 2022
    90
    There’s plenty of space for engaging narratives that don’t rely on traditional gameplay and opportunities to craft smaller tales. A Memoir Blue manages both very well in the process of pulling at the heart strings in just the right way.
  2. BaziCenter
    Apr 18, 2022
    80
    While paying 8 dollars for only an hour of gameplay experience might not be for everybody, if you appreciate top notch story telling then A Memoir Blue could very well worth your money.
  3. Guardian
    Apr 9, 2022
    80
    There is hope and reconciliation here, but A Memoir Blue is primarily a tragic depiction of a person who has convinced themselves – or who has been convinced – that attainment is necessary for love. The story is fragile and a little simple but, like publisher Annapurna Interactive’s 2018 game Florence, it succeeds in creating a mood of compelling melancholy, heightened by Joel Corelitz’s exquisite soundtrack. And while A Memoir Blue feels deeply personal, it achieves that miraculous narrative trick of making the specific universally approachable.
  5. Siliconera
    Apr 4, 2022
    80
    A Memoir Blue is a peek into someone else’s life. We don’t know Miriam. We don’t speak her language. But by the end of the game, the player will know exactly what she went through. It is touching and accomplishes a lot, in part thanks to its visual direction and soundtrack. Just know going in that it is more of an experience than anything else, and a brief one at that.
  6. COGconnected
    Mar 30, 2022
    75
    A Memoir Blue has a beautiful, varied visual style, emotionally resonant music, and a sincere — if not terribly deep — narrative. The changing and mysterious relationship of parents and children is relatable. It’s a wonderful story to experience, told via haunting, surreal images. Where A Memoir Blue collapses is in its arbitrary and often unnecessary game mechanics. I get that the main character is trying to make sense of her puzzle-like memories. Pixel hunting and awkward object manipulation don’t make me feel invested or immersed. I’d argue they work against it. A Memoir Blue could and should have been a touching short animated film.
  7. Player 2
    Mar 29, 2022
    75
    You can’t help but think that A Memoir Blue is on the wrong platform, being best suited for mobile devices, but I’m glad it’s here - it’s a story worth engaging with.
  8. PlayStation Universe
    Mar 28, 2022
    75
    Like most art, A Memoir Blue has its fair share of flaws. However, like art, it has you thinking about its strengths and intentions instead of its mechanics. A Memoir Blue succeeds more than it falters, and everyone needs to give this game their time.
  9. Dexerto
    Mar 23, 2022
    75
    Cloisters Interactive’s first outing isn’t necessarily a mind-blowing indie hit that everyone will connect with right away. But it is a tremendous debut from a small dev team experimenting within the medium. Its unique structure, gorgeous presentation, and approachable game design are well worth the price of admission alone, but its touching story is what will stick with you long after the credits roll.
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  1. 3DJuegos
    Apr 11, 2022
    A Memoir Blue is interactive fiction at its purest: touching story, great soundtrack and beautiful art design, but too short and simple in terms of gameplay. While not the best in the genre, it's a great debut for Cloisters. [Recommended].

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7
  1. Mastereed
    Mar 27, 2023
    6
    AN INTERACTIVE IMMERSION

    BEFORE WE BEGIN: A Memoir Blue is a game developed by Cloisters Interactive in 2022. It has been called an    AN INTERACTIVE IMMERSION

    BEFORE WE BEGIN:
    A Memoir Blue is a game developed by Cloisters Interactive in 2022. It has been called an interactive poem by the developers themselves, being a point-and-click puzzle. The game has been completed and the platinum trophy has been achieved on Xbox Series X.

    DIVING IN:
    In typical style of the games advertised by Annapurna, A Memoir Blue starts immediately with a game menu absent of any explanation, making the player understand the game style from the very first moments. In fact, the menu reports exactly the game mechanics that we will later find again. The plot is very simple and unfolds in its entirety, chronicling the relationship between mother and daughter of a young champion swimmer.

    FIRST SWIM:
    The gameplay is based for most of the game on dragging objects, rotating them or placing them in different places so as to complete puzzles, often easily understood and not at all puzzling. The game is much more plot-based than gameplay-based, providing much less complex puzzles than other typical Annapurna games.

    VIEW IS DISTORTED BY WATER:
    Aesthetically, A Memoir Blue turns out to be one of those untouchable titles with its own style. Passing over this seal, however, the graphics often do not come across as extremely distinctive or interesting, and some of the 3D models are rather unpleasant and lacking in detail. The animations and physics of some interacting objects, on the other hand, turn out to be very accurate and smooth.

    ROARING WAVES:
    Since there is no voice acting, this title relies almost purely on the soundtrack, which can transform some scenes, making them very touching.

    BUT WHY 6?

    CONS:
    While being an extremely fast-paced and enjoyable game, A Memoir Blue lowers the standard of typical Annapurna games with far too simple gameplay, relying on extremely self-explanatory puzzles. Most of them can be completed in seconds, simply moving a few objects to obvious places or by dragging objects off the screen. The plot itself, though touching, touches on a subject already seen and revised in a thousand facets, adding nothing exceptional other than the relationship with the sea.

    PROS:
    Obviously the authorial touch of the way the story is told is always enjoyable. In addition, the speed and fluidity of the game still makes it a pleasant and interesting One Shot adventure.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 6
    Music: 7
    Story: 7
    _    … Full Review »
  2. ichmarich
    Aug 21, 2023
    2
    good graphic, lovely music, but worst gameplay and the story not having points at all.. shallow plot..
  3. AlexSantoss
    Jan 29, 2023
    10
    Whoever decided to give this AMAZING GEM a low score… you have no heart!
    Such an emotional journey, short but left me in tears at the end. No    Whoever decided to give this AMAZING GEM a low score… you have no heart!
    Such an emotional journey, short but left me in tears at the end. No game has ever touched my heart and soul as much as this one did, finished it in 1,5 hours but well worth it! I can’t imagine how it would be for me to lose my mother. Thank you for reminding me how much I love my mom!     … Full Review »
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