Buy Dear me, I was… Steam Key

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. Rather than relying on dialogue, the game tells its story through mesmerizing visuals—layering watercolor-style art by Taisuke Kanasaki. Through a mixture of rotoscoping and the beautiful watercolour artwork of Taisuke Kanasaki, this short animated film is brought to life and conveyed without any dialogue.

Gameplay is minimalistic but meaningful: you interact through simple point‑and‑click tasks—like dragging to draw, choosing breakfast order, or tapping to embrace a loved one—each small action deepening your emotional connection to the character's journey. The game charts the life of a woman, encompassing both her struggles and triumphs, in what's roughly a 40-minute-long experience. The game's runtime is exactly 45 minutes.

Art director Taisuke Kanasaki is most well-known for his work on Nintendo's Another Code and Hotel Dusk series of adventure games. It brings back the rotoscoped, hand-drawn style of Hotel Dusk, but with a very different philosophical approach compared to that game's text-heavy, puzzle-driven detective work: interactivity is stripped right back, and the game is almost devoid of dialogue. The way colours are used throughout to contrast the emotions of each person is astounding, paired brilliantly with the core themes of expression through art and what happens when our own colours stop shining through.

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 experience suits players who value artistic presentation and emotional storytelling over traditional gameplay mechanics, and those seeking a brief but profound meditation on life, growth, and human connection.