White Memories

White Memories is a short free adventure game that puts me in the role of a postman who has already died but still refuses to stop delivering letters. I am flying through the world of the forgotten, carrying messages to ghosts who are unable to move on, while trying to hold onto the last memory I have of my own past. I really like the basic idea because it gives the game a quiet and unusual atmosphere. It is not a normal delivery game at all, and the combination of death, memories and delivering letters gives the whole thing a more emotional feeling.

The flying is the main part of the gameplay for me. I have to move through the streets of Lunhac and use the strange gravity of the dead world to fly between buildings, rise into the air or sink down into lower areas. I have to watch out for enemies and obstacles while keeping the letters safe, so simply getting from one place to another is part of the challenge. I like the movement because it makes the world feel different from a normal walking based adventure, although it does take some time for me to get comfortable with how the flight works.

I also enjoy the contrast between the two sides of the world. The forgotten world can feel dark and frightening, while Lunhac and its surroundings are much calmer and more poetic. That change gives me a reason to pay attention to the environments instead of treating them as nothing more than places I have to fly through. Between deliveries I can explore the village, speak to its inhabitants and learn about the problems they are dealing with. Some of their stories can also change depending on the choices I make, which gives the simple delivery idea a little more depth.

The biggest weakness for me is that White Memories feels like a student project in a lot of ways. The game was made by a team of 14 fourth year students from the Interactive Art and Design 3D school in Montpellier, and I can see the ambition behind it, but some parts are clearly less polished than a larger commercial game. The flying system can feel awkward at times and the interaction with the world is fairly limited. I would have liked more things to discover during the deliveries because the central idea is strong enough to support a much larger adventure.

I also think the game is held back by how little there is to actually do once I understand the main loop. I deliver letters, fly around, avoid dangers, talk to characters and make choices, but there is not a huge amount of progression beyond that. That is not necessarily a problem for a short atmospheric game, and I actually think the simplicity helps the mood, but it does mean I finish wanting more. The story and setting are interesting enough that I would have liked to see more characters, more memories and more areas to explore.

What saves it for me is the atmosphere. White Memories has a very specific feeling that I do not get from most small free games. The idea of a dead postman continuing his job because it is the last thing connecting him to his past is simple, but it gives the whole experience a reason to exist. I also like that the game is completely free, so I can appreciate what it is trying to accomplish without expecting the amount of content or polish I would normally want from a paid adventure.

Overall, White Memories is a charming and unusual little adventure that I think does a lot with a fairly simple idea. I like the flying, the contrast between the frightening world of the dead and the peaceful village, the ghost stories and the emotional idea behind the main character. The limited gameplay, awkward moments and short amount of content stop it from reaching the higher ratings I give to more complete games, but I still think there is something genuinely memorable here. For me, it works best as a short atmospheric experience rather than a full length adventure, and being free makes it easy to recommend if I want something different.

Rating: 7.3/10

Physically nauseating to play. Some cool atmosphere and ideas but the most obtuse controls i've ever felt and visuals/framerate that gave me a headache

I couldn't get past the very first area, but according to my friend who did that was a blessing.