The Only Game To Ever Draw A True Emotional Response Out Of Me
Written by Kevin Alexander   
Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:30

We're probably a bit late to the party on this one but I was listening to the new GFW Radio (or The Brodeo) when they immediately jump into a discussion on Braid and other games that might make you think or be considered "art". One of them caught my ear and I looked it up today: Jason Rohrer's Passage. Hopefully some of you have played it already but for those of you who haven't PLEASE go download and play this game right now (it's available for PC, Mac and Unix Source) then come back here and let's get to some discussion in the comments.

What's this emotional response? Hit the jump to find out but please play the game first.

This game broke my heart. It's so real and the ending is so definite and you can do absolutely nothing to stop it. The first time I played it I simply walked to the right the entire time. Though I read the instructions I didn't think to go exploring in my life, I just simply went through it with my spouse and didn't stop to enjoy the scenery. This echoed all too familiar for my comfort and that made me think about all that has happened in the past couple of years. Then about all that's happened before that as well.

When my spouse died I immediately started to walk backwards hoping that there was some Braid-like structure where I could reverse time to bring her back. Only thing that happened is I moved slower and still moved closer to my death, all that was behind me now a blur. It was quite the stunning experience.

The second time I tried to play it I wanted to explore but I couldn't bring myself to complete the five minutes before I just escaped out of the game, not wanting to experience the inevitable again.

I'm not writing this or reacting to this game in a way that I think I'm supposed to just because it's "arty", this is a real response coming from me. I've never had any form of interactive entertainment draw this kind of response out of me. I can see myself thinking about it for days to come now. Passage is special, it's a game that's completely open to any interpretation you'd like and I'd love to hear what you all might think about it.

Read the Creator's Statement.


Digg! Reddit! Facebook! Technorati! StumbleUpon! ShowHype: hype it up!
Comments (8)Add Comment
...
written by Ryan Hewson, August 14, 2008
Here is what I experienced.

***SPOILERZ***

The first time I played it, I immediately started wandering around. Realized that there were obstacles and that I need to move continually from left to right. Also noticed the fades, as the registration point for your guy started moving, also left to right. So I sort of meandered my way through the abstract maze and listened to the music, and just noted the effects. The psychedelic pixelswirl that was initially at the right side (the "future") started making its way to the left side (the "past"). Also noticed the guy getting older, which is no easy task with such a brutally low resolution. I died at something like 260 points.

The second time I played it, I found the wife character, and I ran straight from left to right with no obstacles. I didn't move down the screen. She aged too, and she died before the main character did. Of course I noticed that he immediately became hunched over and moved much more slowly but I made him preservere to the end. With the wife character attached (they move as one), I noticed the score goes up twice as fast.

The third time I played it, I tried mixing my experiences from the first two. I found the wife and then started exploring. This is much harder with the two characters as they control in tandem and are much bigger on-screen; i.e. not as able to negotiate the obstacles. I did find some multicoloured boxes which turned into stars, then disappeared. I'm not sure what those were supposed to be (they added 100 points to the score). In the end, the wife died first as she did the second time, and the main guy found one more star-box on his own before dying himself.

It's a fascinating little experiment, almost like a low-rez haiku about linearity and life, but I was more perplexed than anything.
...
written by Kevin Alexander, August 14, 2008
I was very surprised at how my emotional reaction to the game was so strong which is what compelled me to spread this around.

When you try to explore with your spouse it's like she's in your way, but sometimes you're in her way as well. The slight effects that he's able to pull off in the game are extremely effective, with the whole past/present/future thing. It also mimics your vision and thoughts of the past and future and the clarity with which you see them.

The first time through I was watching the characters and about half way through I started thinking to myself "are they actually getting OLDER?" Then to read his statement about the game and how they're modeled after him and his wife just about killed me. Especially when he said he was waiting for the "right time" to show her.
...
written by Utopaline (ADD BOY), August 14, 2008
WOW, I have to totally agree with your statement. I was getting a bit bored and upset with the game until I noticed that my character started to age..WOW. I guess that the point is your going to "Pass" so you might as well explore every aspect of your life that you can. Like you I just walked to the right, and was surprisingly shocked when my partner died. Second time around, I thought that finding some magical potion or something would keep them alive, and well...nope, still died, but had a bit more fun the second time around. Just remember, we don't get that second chance, and we need to explore every aspect of our lives and potential to make our time here really count. Thank you for giving this game the time and exposure it deserves

OTU
...
written by Kevin Alexander, August 14, 2008
It's funny, not having a second chance in living your life but the game giving you a chance to do that never occurred to me. The outcome is always the same though...
...
written by Utopaline (ADD BOY), August 14, 2008
and all of our outcomes will eventually be the same.....except me, I'm immortal

Forever Live UTO
...
written by Neuromante, August 15, 2008
Got a strange feeling while playing, most for the music. Didn't realize all the past and future thing, but I did realize about "having a girlfriend" blocked most of the paths, so I go straight ahead with her.
Didn't notice much of the scenery, just go right "to see what's there, looks like the scenery it's changing", got shocked when I notice the characters were aging (incredibly fast in my oppinion) and really shocked when the "wife" dies. Then I just go forward, noticing that I was getting older and older, and slower and slower.

Gotta think about it. Thanks for posting the game, really.

(And sorry for my bad english)
...
written by Zack, March 15, 2009
The thing that got me was really when the spouse died. Admittedly I cheated a bit and read some of what you said about so I knew what was coming but even though I knew it was coming it still shocked me. The entire time both of you are aging and in the back of your head you're going "yeah the game's called passage, we're gonna die, whatever" but when it actually happens it's so sudden and there's no real sign besides the passage of time that it's coming.

Pretty much as soon as she died I milled around her grave kind of shocked and wishing there was a way to bring her back but knowing that there wasn't. After that it was pretty much walking forward while staring back at her grave and hoping something would change without really caring what was ahead of me.

It's really quite amazing that this extremely small, basic, and short game can evoke so much thought and emotion. Thanks for showing it to me.
...
written by Daniel Lloyd, March 19, 2009
i like the comment comparing it to a "low res haiku." wonderfully said.

i played this almost 9 months ago for the first time, and it really shocked me. by the time you figure it out the first time, your jaw has already hit the floor.

and i started reading up on it afterwards, and one main thing i took away from it was the chests. you can seek out these chests, and collect the treasure...but in the end, it does not matter. its about the trip, not about the items you carry while on it. ah, genius.

in other news, (i almost brought this up on bitcast) I hated Braid. i'll save you my soapbox, but it was one of the more unpleasant gaming experiences i've had.

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Stalk Us

Staff

Editor-in-Chief - Jim Squires
Managing Editor - Daniel Lloyd
Founding Editor - Daniel Zuccarelli

Contributors
Bryan Wall
Holly Green
Lance Coviello
Marc Deangelis
Mark Peachey
Mike Dodd

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Most-Wanted List

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our  application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!