Fine Art: Remember Me Sure Looks Beautiful

Remember Me is one of those rare – and wonderfully so – games that divides opinion. Yeah, it’s got some iffy combat, and the platforming’s not so great. But the world developers Dontnod created for it to exist in… just, wow.

The Neo-Paris of 2084 is a remarkable place, taking design cues from the obvious – like Blade Runner – while managing to preserve a very French feel. It also strives to be as “real” as possible; yes, there are lasers and towering glass skyscrapers, but the city’s inhabitants still wear dirty jeans, and many live in 19th century buildings (or what remains of them).

I remember the first time I saw the game, back in 2011, when it wasn’t really even a game. Huddled in the world’s tiniest meeting room at GamesCom, I met with Remember Me’s creators, though back then, it was a project known as Adrift.

They had no gameplay to show me, and couldn’t even really tell me what the gameplay would be like. What they could tell me, though, was everything about the world of Neo-Paris, from the dystopia caused by trading memories to the distinct look and feel of the city.

That’s something you can really get a feel for when you play the game. Yeah, there’s a “game” to play, but for DontNod, it’s clear the world and the story came first, the game almost an excuse, a vehicle with which to propel your eyeballs through their real labour of love, a social and political exercise rendered through a nightmarish vision of their home city.

In the gallery below, I’ve collected the best pieces of concept and production art released for the game. The artists featured include the game’s two biggest visual forces, Michel Koch and Aleksi Briclot, along with Paul Chadeisson, Gary Jamroz-Palma and Fred Augis.

Most are wallpaper-sized too, so enjoy.

Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios.