The Time of Wholesome Games Celebration!

The Wholesome Games Celebration returned to Steam this past week. The annual event is full of cozy games, slice of life, and demos aplenty, with the goal of making you feel at home and safe. So, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow seeing Dear Van Gogh, a DLC for Sky: Children of the Light, developed and published by thatgamecompany, as a part of the lineup. If you know anything about artist Vincent Van Gogh, then you’re likely well aware that his story isn’t exactly a happy one.

Be that as it may, I have always liked learning more about historical figures in any form possible. Of course I chose to give it a try; and boy do I not regret it.

A Game Within a Game

In order to play Dear Van Gogh one must first download its parent game Sky: Children of the Light. Thankfully they’re both free-to-play on PC, consoles and mobile!

How Sky: Children of the Light handles the game within a game aspect is through visually appealing portals. Each represents a different story for the player to experience. The best part? If one only wants to play say Dear Van Gogh, it’s made distinct from the other portals, as the artwork on the portal is clearly resembling that of the famous artist.

What does it cover? 

The game, as one might assume, is about Van Gogh, covering his life from the beginning of his work as an artist to his untimely and tragic end. The player experiences this by going through different paintings made throughout his life, sadly stuck observing the downfall of a brilliant man.

The Hug of Artistry 

Despite knowing how his story is doomed to end, the setting almost forces one into a state of bliss, with the often-bright greens, browns, and yellows making it feel almost dream-like. The visuals sell the experience of living inside of a painting.

The color palettes also serves as a way to almost understand how Van Gogh saw the world. The same vibrancy often seen in his paintings match the beauty he saw in the most mundane of things. If only the people in his time could have seen the world the same.

Being a Part of the Art

Now, let’s talk about the minigame portions of the game. The premise is simple: one walks around and paints the landscape in the sections where it sparkles. This is where my one gripe comes in: the painting mechanic feels too simplistic. It doesn’t require any aspect of thought or any actual placing of brush strokes, missing out on the possibility of making one truly feel like Van Gogh.

Beautiful Symbolism

Given that both the DLC and its parent game are free, and rated for ages 9 and up, the developers handle the darker content with care. Additionally, when dealing with historical characters, one must balance that care with historical accuracy. A lot of media tends to drop the ball in this regard.

But Dear Van Gogh tackles its darker story with the care of a tightrope. Lighter themes- the player read about it through letters and infrequent dialogue. The heavier themes, such as Van Gogh’s worsening depression, are symbolized by crows that grow more in number as the story progresses. Until they overcome him symbolizing his tragic end, making it a perfect way to teach a younger audiance about an important figure in arts history.

Final Thoughts

This game within a game gives light to a character most won’t be acquainted with until they either take an art class or watch a certain Doctor Who episode. It portrays the historical character in a more engaging way than any art class I ever took, fully immersing players, for the most part, in the world of the artist.

So, if you like learning more about historical characters or simply want to teach others about the amazing artist, then this is the game for you.