“She decides to leave for Europe, with hopes of a better life.”

January 18, 2019 1:03 PM

Bury Me, My Love [YouTube][Game Trailer] “A powerful interactive tale of one woman’s migration from Syria to France. The game takes place via a WhatsApp-style cellphone conversation between Nour and her anxious husband, Majd, who remains in war-torn Homs, caring for elderly relatives. I play as Majd, responding to my wife’s text messages, offering support and advice through a series of dialogue choices. Nour is a middle-class professional who works in the medical field. She wants to escape the war that has destroyed her life and the lives of everyone she knows. Nour’s journey takes her through many countries, across stiffly guarded borders as well as perilous mountains and seas. She falls in with a variety of fellow refugees and migrants. Some aid her. Others seek her help. Others exploit her.” [Play the Game's Prologue for Free Here]

• Real-Time Syrian Refugee Game Bury Me, My Love Is Now On Switch [and Mobile Devices] And You Should Play It [Kotaku]

“ Originally released at the end of 2017, Bury Me, My Love is based on true stories—most prominently the story of Dana, featured in a piece by Le Monde journalist Lucie Soullier, “The journey of a Syrian migrant through her Whatsapp thread.” The title, Bury Me, My Love, is an Arabic expression. “[It] means ‘Take care,’ ” the developer website reads. “ ‘Don’t even think about dying before I do.’. You might say it to a loved one, before going separate ways.” Throughout the game, you play as Majd, the husband of refugee Nour. Notifications will appear on your phone in “pseudo real-time,” and most of them will task you with helping Nour make decisions. Should she stay and wait? Should she leave and risk being discovered? Should she take the boat? The truck? Should she walk across the borders that threaten to send her back?”

• Bury Me, My Love review - strength, spirit, and life as a Syrian refugee [Eurogamer]

“It's a curious thing, though. On one hand, Bury Me expertly retells the harrowing plight real refugees face every day, unravelling this story via warm, relatable characters so that it truly - if only briefly - puts us in the shoes of those directly affected by conflict. On the other, it gamifies this heartbreaking experience, wrapping it up in a game with 19 different endings, tempting you to undertake multiple replays. I don't know why this troubles me so. While refugee experience has been undoubtedly been hijacked by some politicians to demonise desperate people in devastating need, Bury Me, My Love reminds us that each one of the faces our 24-hour news channel pans over is someone's child. Someone loved. A real person. They sacrificed so much to get here; made tough decisions, and left loved ones behind. I know delivering a one-time-only gaming experience with no chance to replay or explore alternate routes is itself problematic - not to mention grossly anti-consumer - but to offer multiple endings (which each require a full replay, incidentally, as there's no opportunity to save-scum)... it makes me uneasy, I guess. After all; the real-life Nours that sit at the heart of this story don't get the chance for a do-over. Why should we? ”

• A Powerful Story Of War-Torn Lovers [Game Informer]

“Choice and consequence are some of Bury Me, My Love's strongest points. With 19 different endings, Nour's fate can be impacted in many ways. Advising her to act on a dubious decision like trusting a smuggler could be dangerous, bringing a true-to-life intensity to decision making. However, Nour can be stubborn and she doesn't always listen to your advice. When you caution her not to approach a bomb site, she does so anyway to help the injured. She's determined and has a mind of her own; sometimes she consults you beforehand, and other times you're left with dire circumstances. Luckily, you can often mend potentially disastrous situations such as urging her to return a stolen passport. These small complexities to choice bring a wide variety of consequences and introduce another layer of realism to Nour's well thought out personality. Although it's a grim story, I enjoyed the little moments, like when an inside joke forms between the couple about auto-correct. Seeing how these small instances evolve and getting to know the characters on a deeper level is extremely captivating, even during mundane conversations such as what kind of life jacket to buy.”

• Experiencing the Other Side of the World Through Text [Dual Shockers]

“Thankfully, Bury me, my Love and its dialogue feels natural and engaging, especially when it has players deciding what they want to say next to Nour, whether that is to encourage her when she is feeling down, or trying to help make a key decision of where she should head to next. With the game relying so heavily on dialogue to drive the action, there is an especially immersive sense of tension that comes from having to rely on Nour’s messages to hear and see from what is happening on her journey. While there are moments of levity and comedy that arise between Nour and Majd on her trip, such as her explaining the joy of finding a Starbucks or sharing her interactions with locals that she meets along the way, there are equally tense situations where the physical separation between the two adds to the sense of unease with Nour being on her own in a foreign place. In the situations where she was crossing country borders, I couldn’t help but be on edge waiting for her next response, along with an especially tense scene where Nour believes she is being followed by some street thugs, waiting for her next message with baited breath.”

posted by Fizz (3 comments total)

Sort of reminds me of the episode in the recent Dogs miniseries, "Bravo, Zeus." I was moved while watching it, but also afraid that they would end the story as if the transport of the dog (out of Syria) was the only meaningful narrative, while the dog's temporary caregiver was stuck and in danger. Very relieved when they told the full story.
posted by praemunire at 3:23 PM on January 18, 2019

You forgot to remind me not to read the comments on that youtube trailer. Let this be a note for the next person.
posted by Glinn at 7:10 PM on January 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

There's a very Papers, Please quality to this game, only this time it switches places, you're the traveler. And the emphasis on how Nour relies on her phone is also significant, how WhatsApp plays a huge role in connecting so many people around the world.
posted by Fizz at 4:59 AM on January 19, 2019