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Passage
By Cameron Sorden | November 30, 2008
I read about Jason Rohrer’s game Passage in the latest issue of Esquire and headed over to his site to check it out. The premise is like lots of other arcade games: move around the map and collect as much treasure as you can in five minutes. However, Passage is actually a metaphor for life that’s guaranteed to have you at least a little choked up (if not outright crying) when you finish it. I won’t ruin the surprise for you if you haven’t played it.
It’s especially interesting to me because while games have certainly touched me emotionally before, at certain moments, Passage just hits you so personally. Precisely because the characters are blocky and pixellated, they’re easy to view as representative stand-ins for you and your loved one instead of some external “other” out there in game land.
If games as art is a topic you’ve ever been interested in, you definitely want to go check this out. It’s a small download and doesn’t make you install anything. Just don’t try to play it in a public place, because you might be surprised at how moving it is.
Topics: Casual Games, Game Design, Videogame Industry |
November 30th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I read about this game some time ago, but I think the article I read spoiled the ending. I don’t remember now what it was, so I’ll check this out when I get home.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Simple and powerful. It’s pretty obvious how it’s going to end about 4 seconds in. But even knowing in advance, the game succeeds in tapping some powerful images and emotions.