Bury me, my Love

About

"Bury me, my Love" is a text messaging adventure game that tells the story of Syrian refugee Nour and her husband Majd. As Majd, you communicate with Nour through a messaging app, advising her as she travels through dangerous conditions to reach Europe. The game’s emotional narrative is inspired by real-life stories of refugees and highlights the importance of communication and support in the face of adversity.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

story13 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Engaging and thought-provoking storytelling that immerses players in the refugee experience through the dynamic relationship between Majd and Nour.
Multiple decision-making moments lead to various endings, allowing players to explore different story trajectories and outcomes.
The game effectively raises awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis, providing an educational experience that encourages empathy and understanding.

The pacing is slow, with no option to speed up text messages, which can lead to frustration during multiple playthroughs.
The portrayal of the refugee experience is criticized for being unrealistic and overly simplistic, failing to capture the true hardships faced by refugees.
Technical limitations from its mobile origins, such as lack of resolution options and a simplistic interface, detract from the overall gaming experience.

story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
7%
The game's story is highly praised for its compelling and emotional narrative, centered on the journey of a Syrian refugee, Nour, as she communicates with her husband through text messages. Players appreciate the branching paths and decision-making moments that evoke deep reflections on the ramifications of their choices, although some find the pacing slow and repetitive upon replaying for different endings. While the storytelling is impactful and educational, some critiques highlight a lack of depth in exploring multiple perspectives and the potential trivialization of serious themes through its gameplay mechanics.
- “Highly recommended to anyone who loves an interactive story and has a social conscience.”
- “The storytelling is such a unique premise, and the gameplay (format/UI via text messages) is a distinct gameplay style.”
- “The story in this game is breathtaking and heartbreaking at times.”
- “There's an argument to be made about how its invitation to restart the journey to get yet another of the 19 endings of the game trivializes the validity and the urgency of the story it's trying to tell —as if the game doesn't trust its fundamental power enough to distance itself from the mechanical limitations of the medium—.”
- “When you know you've got to sit through a few hours of the same story just to pick up additional stories, it becomes tedious and very annoying that there's no way to skip through content you've already experienced.”
- “The game would have been a big hit if the gaming team did their homework and research into the flight of the refugees -- perhaps visiting and talking directly to those who are alive today to tell their story.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its beautiful and touching portrayal of the struggles faced by a Syrian refugee, with some endings described as heartbreaking. While some players felt it fell short of its emotional goals, many found the story to be breathtaking and engaging, fostering strong emotional connections with the characters. Overall, it is recognized as an impactful and educational experience, despite occasional pacing issues.
- “✔️ Beautiful and touching experience about the horror of becoming a war refugee.”
- “Excellent and touching visual novel about Nour, a Syrian refugee who tries to leave her home country (which is torn apart by civil war) and find a better life in Europe.”
- “The story in this game is breathtaking and heartbreaking at times.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay features a unique text message format that enhances the storytelling experience, allowing players to explore different pathways that last 1-3 hours each. However, some users find the pacing slow and feel that the option to restart for multiple endings undermines the story's urgency, leading to a perception of diminished value in terms of gameplay time. Overall, it has received a mixed reception, with a score of 7/10.
- “The storytelling is such a unique premise and the gameplay (format/UI via text messages) is such a distinct gameplay style.”
- “Each pathway is maybe 1-3 hours of gameplay depending on how quickly you direct your in-game girlfriend with the choices presented to you.”
- “That makes it about $1.70/hr of gameplay if you only play through once.”
- “However, the gameplay is really slow.”
- “There's an argument to be made about how its invitation to restart the journey to get yet another of the 19 endings of the game trivializes the validity and the urgency of the story it's trying to tell —as if the game doesn't trust its fundamental power enough to distance itself from the mechanical limitations of the medium—.”
- “That makes it about $1.70/hr of gameplay if you only playthrough once.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics of the game are criticized for lacking resolution options and meaningful tweaks, resulting in a presentation that feels outdated and simplistic, akin to a slideshow. While some appreciate the art style, describing it as nice albeit bland, overall, the visuals are considered mediocre and underwhelming compared to classic games.
- “The art style is nice, if very beige feeling.”
- “[h1]Graphics & Sound: 9/10[/h1]”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “While the artwork itself might be considered passable, the visual presentation here is negligible; it might as well be a slideshow or a YouTube video.”
- “Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids had more advanced animation and visuals than this mobile app does.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game generally complements the story's mood, with some users appreciating the nice tracks present. However, many feel that the background music is lacking, particularly during key emotional moments, and that the overall sound design could benefit from more variety, especially given the game's length.
- “The music also suits the story mood.”
- “+ nice music.”
- “- could be more music during emotive moments.”
- “There's almost no sound in this game other than text pings and occasional suspense music.”
- “Could be more music during emotive moments.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the replayability and enjoy the challenge of achieving 100%, others find the repetitive nature of revisiting content tedious and frustrating, especially due to the lack of options to skip previously experienced story segments.
- “When you know you've got to sit through a few hours of the same story just to pick up additional stories, it becomes tedious and very annoying that there's no way to skip through content you've already experienced.”
- “Getting 100% achievements was a bit tedious, to be honest, but casually I absolutely recommend the game.”
- “The replayability is amazing; usually perfecting a game is tedious, but I truly enjoyed getting every achievement.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of "Bury Me, My Love" has been criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disdain for its transition from a mobile app to a PC game, viewing it as exploitative, particularly in its portrayal of the Syrian refugee crisis for profit.
- “Bury Me, My Love is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is particularly distasteful as the developers seek to profit financially from the suffering and bloodshed in the Syrian refugee crisis.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by lighthearted and sweet interactions between characters, such as Majd and Nour sharing encouraging and funny photos, which adds a charming and relatable touch to the overall experience.
- “I also thought it was sweet that Majd and Nour text each other encouraging and funny photos of each other.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users highlight the game's exceptional replayability, noting that the pursuit of achievements is enjoyable rather than tedious, making the experience rewarding and engaging.
- “The replayability is amazing; usually perfecting a game is tedious, but I truly enjoyed getting every achievement.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making me want to dive back in time and time again.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps the game fresh, encouraging multiple runs to explore every possibility.”