Memory is a slippery thing. You think you have it pinned down, tucked away in a neat drawer in your brain, and then suddenly, the drawer is empty. Or maybe the drawer itself has vanished. That is the core of the Before I Forget game, an experience that doesn't just tell you a story about memory loss; it makes you live inside the frustration of it.
Most games want you to feel powerful. They give you a sword, a gun, or a high-speed car. 3-Fold Games did the opposite. They gave us Sunita, a brilliant woman—a medical professional, actually—who is slowly losing the map of her own life to early-onset dementia. It’s short. It’s quiet. It is deeply unsettling in a way that big-budget horror games could only dream of being.
Honestly, playing it feels like a punch to the gut. Not because of jump scares, but because of the mundane tragedy of a lost house key.
What Actually Happens in Before I Forget?
The game is a "walking simulator," though that term feels a bit reductive for what’s happening here. You’re in a house. It’s a nice house. But it’s also a maze of gray, faded shapes that only regain their color and meaning when you interact with them. This isn't just an artistic choice; it’s a mechanical representation of how dementia can strip the significance from the world around you.
You wander from room to room. You find a postcard. Suddenly, a memory floods back—a trip to Italy, a conversation with your husband, Dylan. The color bleeds back into the world. For a second, everything makes sense. Then, you turn a corner, and you’re lost again. You’re in your own hallway, but you don't know where the bathroom is. That specific type of panic—the "I should know this" feeling—is what makes the Before I Forget game stand out from other empathy-driven indies.
The developers worked closely with gaming charity CheckPoint and medical professionals to make sure they weren't just guessing. They wanted to nail the specific cognitive hurdles of the condition. It shows. Sunita’s confusion isn't played for drama; it's played for truth. You see her notes to herself. "Don't forget." "Turn off the stove." These are the life rafts of someone drowning in their own mind.
The Power of the Small Details
We talk a lot about "environmental storytelling" in gaming, usually referring to finding blood-stained journals in Resident Evil or audio logs in BioShock. In this game, the environment is the entire narrative. A stray earring. A dusty piano. These objects are anchors.
What's fascinating is how the game handles Sunita’s career. She wasn't just anyone; she was a woman of science, a woman who understood the human body. There is a cruel irony in a doctor being betrayed by her own biology. The game doesn't scream this at you. It lets you find the certificates. It lets you see the books on her shelf. You piece together her brilliance just as it’s flickering out.
Why the Art Style Isn't Just "Preppy"
If you look at screenshots, you see a lot of white space and watercolor vibes. It looks "indie." But look closer. The way the world "populates" as you touch things mirrors the way our brains retrieve data. It’s a process of reconstruction.
When Sunita forgets, the world literally simplifies. It becomes a sketch. I’ve spoken to people who have cared for relatives with Alzheimer’s, and they often describe this "narrowing" of the world. The world stops being a planet and starts being a single chair, or a single window. Before I Forget captures that narrowing with terrifying precision. It’s beautiful, sure, but it’s a beauty that feels incredibly fragile. Like it might tear if you breathe too hard on it.
The Reality of Early-Onset Dementia in Media
Usually, when we see dementia in movies or games, it’s about the burden on the caregiver. It’s about the daughter crying in the hallway or the husband looking exhausted. Those are valid stories, but they are stories told from the outside looking in.
This game stays inside.
📖 Related: Why You Should Still Download Run 3 Game in 2026
You are the one who is confused. You are the one who feels the irritation when a simple task takes ten minutes of wandering. By shifting the perspective to the person experiencing the cognitive decline, 3-Fold Games forces a level of empathy that a film simply can't reach. You aren't watching Sunita struggle; you are the struggle.
A Short Experience with a Long Shadow
It’s only about an hour long. Some people complained about that when it launched. "Is it worth the price for an hour?" they asked. It’s a fair question if you value games by the "dollar-per-hour" metric. But some of the most impactful experiences in life don't take a long time.
Think about a funeral. Or a first kiss.
The brevity of the Before I Forget game actually serves its theme. Life is short. Clarity is even shorter. If the game were ten hours long, the mechanic of being lost in a hallway would become tedious and annoying. At one hour, it remains poignant. It respects your time, but more importantly, it respects the weight of its subject matter.
Addressing the Misconceptions
People often think this is an "educational game" in the boring sense. Like something you’d be forced to play in a high school health class. It’s not. It’s a mystery. You are trying to solve the mystery of Sunita’s life while the clues are actively being erased.
There’s also this idea that it’s purely a "sad game." I mean, yeah, it’s sad. But it’s also a celebration of who she was. You see her love for Dylan. You see her passion for her work. It’s a portrait of a whole person, not just a diagnosis. That’s a distinction that matters.
- It’s a mystery of the self.
- It uses color as a metaphor for cognitive clarity.
- It focuses on a demographic (South Asian women in STEM) often ignored in gaming.
Moving Forward: How to Approach This Game
If you’re going to play the Before I Forget game, don't go into it looking for a challenge. There are no puzzles that will stump you for hours. There are no "Game Over" screens in the traditional sense.
Go into it like you’re visiting an old friend whose house you haven't been to in years. Take your time. Don't rush to the next objective marker. Look at the labels on the spice jars. Read the notes on the fridge. The game rewards curiosity with context, and context is the only thing keeping Sunita grounded.
Actionable Steps for Players and Advocates
If this game moves you, or if you have someone in your life going through something similar, there are ways to take that digital empathy into the real world.
- Support Research: Organizations like the Alzheimer's Society or Alzheimer's Research UK are constantly looking for funding for early-onset studies. Sunita’s story isn't fiction for millions of people.
- Play With a Loved One: This is a great "bridge" game for people who don't think they like video games. Use it as a conversation starter about end-of-life care or memory. It sounds heavy, but it’s easier to talk about through the lens of a character like Sunita.
- Check the "Extra" Content: The developers included links and information within the game’s menus and official site regarding dementia care. Use them. They didn't just make a product; they made a resource.
- Observe Your Own Environment: After playing, try to navigate your own home while thinking about what objects define you. If your memories were wiped today, what would your bookshelf say about your soul?
The Before I Forget game remains a vital piece of the "games as art" conversation. It doesn't need a sequel. It doesn't need DLC. It just needs to be experienced. It’s a reminder that even when the colors fade and the names slip away, the life that was lived still has inherent, undeniable value.
Go play it. Put on headphones. Turn off your phone. Just be with Sunita for an hour. You won't regret the time spent, even if she can't remember you were there.