The Blue Bedroom

In this point-and-click game, follow Van Gogh's footsteps and creations during his stay in Arles, France.

Read his own words, extracted from his letters to his brother Theo Van Gogh.

Discover his desire to build a community of artists in his Yellow House with his friend Paul Gauguin. From his blissful days and creations to his mental breakdown and instability.

Game based on historical facts, as an interactive visual novel.

Instructions

• WEB VERSION: Play on Chrome or Firefox.
  
• MOBILE: It plays well on Chrome for Android. Does not work on iOS.
• You can use the mouse for everything.
• You reach the end when there's a "The End" screen.
• It’s highly recommended that you fully read the content of all letters to understand everything.
• If you prefer, some shortcuts:
  • Go back: Left arrow
  • Advance: Right arrow
  • Read letter: L
  • Close modals: ESC
• ALT+Enter for fullscreen
• The game has many secrets to be unlocked.

Backstory

Van Gogh wrote constantly to his brother Theo, talking about his paintings, sketches, mental state, books, and more. More than 800 letters survived, which are a look straight into Van Gogh's heart and mind, or better yet, his letters are a gate into his soul.

I've read all of his letters and I always felt "connected" to him. When I read about the theme "Unstable" in a game jam (Ludum Dare), I had a burst of excitement: "THE PERFECT THEME TO MAKE A GAME ABOUT VAN GOGH".

So I chose one of his periods - Arles, France - in which his mood fluctuated on a daily basis, and in a matter of 3 months went from being extremely excited to have a mental breakdown (ear cut). The reasons? This is what you can see in the game.

Notes

• The chronological order of some of the letters was changed, to accommodate the structure of the game, but the content has been unchanged.
• Music from https://www.zapsplat.com/. Sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com/ and https://freesound.org/.
• Made from scratch in 3 days, all by myself, for the game jam Ludum Dare 49.
• Letters from: http://vangoghletters.org/vg.