FC12 Alt: Passage

[Parish]

If you haven't played this, download it here. Go on, it's a quick download and a quick play.

Did you play yet? You need to play before you read any further. Experience it fresh, please.

Now, talk.

[Shadax]

I am absolutely incapable of playing through without a spouse, unlimited treasure be damned

[poetfox]

I... didn't realize there was any other choice besides what I picked. I wonder if that says something about me... I didn't see anything else to do, really, besides walk. It still had a little emotional thing to it, especially near the end when my partner died... but I dunno, knowing I could do something more might have made that decision mean even more, you know? If I had realized I was sacrificing everything for love... but oh well. It was an interesting little art thing.

[SlimJimm]

I didnt like it. I walked, I died. I walked again moving down and around, then died. 866 was the highest number (score?) that I got. Cant say I was moved in any way.

I suppose this is a prime example of "Games as Art", but then again Im not fan of modern art.

[Sprite]

Man, the grief of a partner's death really ages a guy.

How long until Passage 2: WITH KIDS!

[Parish]

I get the impression what you take away from this game correlates to your age.

I also found that I needed to play it more than once, with no preconceptions, before I really "got" it. My first playthrough was simply me walking in a straight line to the right, which wasn't especially interesting beyond the visual effects and the music. The second time, I discovered after a while that you can move down, which completely changed the game. The third time, I realized you can move down at the start and complete bypass the woman, which changes it even more.

Not much point in another "are games art?" discussion here, though -- that would be a digression at best. Besides, I found Passage moving and quietly profound, but not everyone will agree. If that isn't the epitome of art I really don't know what is.

[Shadax]

I guess playing through without a spouse is actually a lot easier, as you don't have to deal with the emotional blow of them dying, but there was something extremely unsatisfying, especially when you get more than halfway across the screen, none of the treasure chests are yielding anything of note, and you realize you'd die before you got back to your loved one.

[locit]

I played it once with a spouse and couldn't get a bunch of the treasure chests. Then I played it alone and got a bunch of treasure chests. Then I played it with a spouse again and just walked right. I was sad when my spouse died, though. I'm curious as to whether or not you can go around her and meet her so that you die first, but I'm not really in the mood for a fourth playthrough. A neat little art-game, though better when viewed as art than as a game, methinks.

The message I took away was that life is ultimately futile and you will die, all your accomplishments amounting to nothing.

Wheeeeeee.

[Sprite]

Alright, I like it.

The first time, when playing with the spouse, I just marched forward, only got about 700 points. Once I realized my characters were dying I got a bit sad, but just kept marching forward. I wasn't all that affected by the deaths at the end, since it was just what I expected.

The second time I bypassed the wife and decided to look for treasure. This changes the effect entirely. All of a sudden I'm really worried about how much time I have left, and dashing around looking for as many chests as I can. I wanted a high score. In the last few seconds of my life I caught a glimpse of two chests and started a mad dash to get them before the death. No use, I was too late. I got 1200 points but felt disappointed because I wasn't able to get those last two chests.

[Tomm Guycot]

The first game I just walked right. I tried pressing up and I could swear I tried down as well, but as best I could tell, I kept walking. I got 750 points.

Then, remembering I saw CJ Awesome mention skipping the wife, that I tried down at the start.

I collected chests and decided this wasn't worth playing again and tried to exit. None of the buttons worked and I couldn't exit.

I eventually walked back to the woman, and tried to get treasure with her.

The few chests I could get didn't even emit stars anymore. I found myself thinking you should get more treasure, since you are sharing it with her. I tried to exit again and couldn't.

Then I walked around until we died, still in the "brick" area.

Then I had to reset my machine.

I welcome your psychoanalysis.

[Sprite]

Hint to Tomm: Hit 'Q.' Q for Quicide.

[Mewd]

Haunting. Also seemingly one of those things without much discernible meaning beyond what you infer yourself.

[Eusis]

Gave the game a shot, got the spouse. When I discovered I could go up and down, I did that and explored for awhile at around the... Grey tiled point? Anyway, I got some treasure there, then when I noticed they were getting older went out more, went back to the beginning, then made a mad rush to go as far right as possible. Spouse died, I explored a bit and got one last treasure chest (which shot black spark-thing rather than treasure) and shortly after died. I think I only got around 300 points, I wasn't paying the most attention to that. The whole thing's left a bit, well, depressed and feeling like I could've accomplished more but ultimately didn't have enough time.

[DrSenbei]

I bypassed the women right from the get go,she looked like bad news with her pubes hanging out and all.
So I started going south and opening chests, then went right for a while and opened more. Started to get old around the blue section and thought it was the end of the map because there was no more blur in front of me so I died chasing treasure at 850~

Second game I just walked right but the scenery was totally different! I wonder if it changes every time. Maybe I should try playing with the girl.

[Jakanden]

I got 980 on the first try, but I had read the directions so I knew about up and down. It took me a bit to understand what the hell I was playing, but I dig it. It is definitely something to try a few times as an interesting discussion topic.

[MoltenBoron]

I've only played once, got the companion right away before I knew exactly what I was doing, but figured out up and down pretty shortly after that. I was about half-way through life before I discovered there was treasure to be had and I started trying to get it. Wasted about a quarter of the time I had left trying to get a treasure that turned out to be impossible to reach. Then just walked right until both the wife and I died.

I don't know if I can play this game again, but I say that in a good way. For something done so simply, I found it deeply affecting and emotional. I also think it might have a sort of Rorschach Test quality; I'm drawing parallels to my own life and experience now as I'm typing this. I feel as though the ability to affect different viewers in different ways, based on what the viewer brings to the experience, is a crucial element in what makes a work art, and this game absolutely qualifies.

And just to back up Tomm, I couldn't figure out how to quit, either, and ended up using Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the task manager and close the game that way.

[Jakanden]

Originally Posted by MoltenBoron

And just to back up Tomm, I couldn't figure out how to quit, either, and ended up using Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the task manager and close the game that way.

RTFM! It is all there!

Yeah I had the same problem at first as well. I also had to look to figure out how to get out of full screen.

[Brickroad]

I just played a game where I didn't move right at all, only up and down. By the end of my 0-point life I had nothing to look back on except a blurry expanse of green, signifying my lazy existence mooching off of family and crashing on friends' couches.

It did sting a bit when I saw the love of my life finally scroll off the screen, forever out of my reach.

[Mewd]

It's interesting, there doesn't seem to be any wrong way to play this. There are no objectives besides what you impose yourself. You can try to get to the far right of the screen, or gather treasure for points.

Gathering points really doesn't have any sort of impact beyond gratifying you for getting them. There's no incentive beyond your personal enjoyment.

From a practical standpoint, the wife is a liability. It makes it harder to pass through tight corridors and the emotional hit of her dying us probably the most significant thing to happen in the game. On the other hand, however, simply having her there enriching simply by having them with you.

I don't find the game depressing. As a metaphor for life, I'd interpret that the game is ultimately what you make of it. Struggling to pass through that corridor, or struggling to obtain as many points as possible is enough to give you purpose enough to enjoy the ride through an otherwise shallow world.

It's arguable that it's demonstrating futility instead, since there is really no point to reach in it beyond the end. Even if you aren't trying to pass through the 'corridor,' I have to wonder if this is more about the passage of time than reaching the end of this pass.

[reibeatall]

So, it's pretty, umm, touching, that at the begining of your game (life), you have this great expanse ahead of you. You can kinda see what the future may hold, but you can change that (by going up or down). But as you near the end of your game life, then everything is behind you, and you know your end is coming.

I also didn't know there was a woman my first playthrough. I walked down and skipped that part. I'll try again.

[reibeatall]

Originally Posted by Mewd

It's arguable that it's demonstrating futility instead, since there is really no point to reach in it beyond the end. Even if you aren't trying to pass through the 'corridor,' I have to wonder if this is more about the passage of time than reaching the end of this pass.

My thesis is "Life is a journey, not a destination."

[Mewd]

Right. That attitude puts this game in a much more positive light. Kudos.

[MCBanjoMike]

Originally Posted by reibeatall

So, it's pretty, umm, touching, that at the begining of your game (life), you have this great expanse ahead of you. You can kinda see what the future may hold, but you can change that (by going up or down). But as you near the end of your game life, then everything is behind you, and you know your end is coming .

That was a part that I found pretty interesting, too. Also, I found myself being somewhat shocked when my wife died. Somehow I'd just assumed we were in it together until the very end and then...all alone again. Just like real life, I thought, things you had taken for granted suddenly disappear and you find yourself destabilized.

I found the whole game to be quite surreal, never really catching on to the fact that treasure chests were worth a whole lot. I mostly just wanted to explore and see what was coming up. I suppose that's also a lot like life, too, at least in my case.

I guess the whole point of this game is to sit around analyzing it afterwards, then? It was a vaguely depressing experience and I'm not sure I want to play it again.

[reibeatall]

Originally Posted by MCBanjoMike

I found the whole game to be quite surreal, never really catching on to the fact that treasure chests were worth a whole lot. I mostly just wanted to explore and see what was coming up. I suppose that's also a lot like life, too, at least in my case.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't seem to care about the treasure. If it was in my path, I'd get it, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

[Ben1842]

I didn't like it.

I gave it more of a chance then I normal would because Jeremy recommended it.

In the end I think it was more art than game.

I can appreciate what it was going for, but it just didn't touch me.

It felt very sterile and lonely, even if you choose to go with the "wife" person.

It's an interesting concept, but I don't think it was totally successful (for me).

Thanks for pointing out an interesting art thing though.

[SamuelMarston]

Originally Posted by MCBanjoMike

That was a part that I found pretty interesting, too. Also, I found myself being somewhat shocked when my wife died. Somehow I'd just assumed we were in it together until the very end and then...all alone again. Just like real life, I thought, things you had taken for granted suddenly disappear and you find yourself destabilized.

I found the whole game to be quite surreal, never really catching on to the fact that treasure chests were worth a whole lot. I mostly just wanted to explore and see what was coming up. I suppose that's also a lot like life, too, at least in my case.

I guess the whole point of this game is to sit around analyzing it afterwards, then? It was a vaguely depressing experience and I'm not sure I want to play it again.

This was my viewpoint too, except I felt that the whole thing was really uplifting. The fact that something so simple is able to inspire some to strong emotions strikes me as a compliment to the human race, both that we can create something that moves others, and that we can be moved.

I can't wait to make my girlfriend play it. As a Film/Rhetoric double major, she'll probably eat it up.

[djSyndrome]

I skipped the partner my first playthrough and just wandered around.

You get double points for walking with your partner.

If you let the game run and do nothing, it automatically advances time (and moves you towards the right edge of the screen). During these times the 'future' portion of the display on the right disappears.

There is so much symbolism in this game. Some of it is probably intentional.

[Sprite]

Yeah, it'll be really interesting to see how different majors take this game/interactive art.

To those who were wondering, the woman indeed ages whether you marry her or not, and whether she's on the screen or not. I walked past until she disappeared, then spent most of my life standing there at 22 until she reappeared in my memory. So, I decided to go back and stare at her backside from afar. Then I decided such a thing was rude so I went around to her front before realizing that she would just slide off the screen and then I went back to stare at her behind. Then she died. Wasted opportunity, I guess.

[Tomm Guycot]

I find reading your responses and learning about you far more interesting than the game itself.

(that's the point, I would guess)

[Parish]

Originally Posted by Tomm Guycot

I find reading your responses and learning about you far more interesting than the game itself.

(that's the point, I would guess)

Yes. That made it a perfect choice for Fun Club. It's not even what people do that's interesting but rather how they interpret the results of those actions. You can only do so much within this game, but everyone seems to attach different meaning and significance to those limited actions.