I managed to get it to work. My experience with video games is limited to Asteroids, Mario, and Tetris, but I decided to give this a try. I didn't know what I was doing, and it was only made harder by the fact that the graphics made Asteroids look like my kid's PS3 games. I have a flat screen monitor and I changed the display setting, but the graphics never got good.
:SPOILERS:
The first time I played it, I just kept hitting the -> button. I met the girl and fell in love. We moved together through the rest of the game. I kept pushing -> because it seemed like a reasonable thing to do and at least we were moving. I kept wondering when something interesting was going to happen. The only thing that happened was that I got married. OK - that's good, isn't it? Kept pushing -> You'd think something would happen, right? The scenery changed and we were getting closer to the other side of the screen. Maybe now it was going to get interesting. I noticed that I was going bald and my wife's hair had turned gray. I thought maybe we were moving slower than we had been earlier. This was really rather boring. All we were doing was walking forward. I thought there had to be more to the game than just that. Then all of a sudden, she died. I didn't expect that. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there for a while. I thought I did something wrong. I tried going back the other way by pushing <- but I couldn't get past her gravestone. <sigh> OK, I decided to try -> again. I walked a little while. I thought this was dumb and boring. At least when she was with me, there was something. There is really no point to this, but all I can do is keep walking. I listened to the music and thought how haunting and sad it was, but pretty, too. I think the music was the same since I started, but I'm not sure. I push -> not really caring anymore if anything interesting happens. I doubt it will. I don't know how much longer I walked. I don't think it was very far. And then I died. And that was it.
After I played Passage I read a little about it. OH - there was treasure I was supposed to get. I need to use the up and down buttons, too. OK -I tried the game again, thinking "boy, I was stupid. I'm going to do it right this time." So, I hit the down button, and then right, and then down again. It took me a while to figure out that those things were walls and not treasure, and how to maneuver around them. But I found a treasure! And I looked for more. I saw some treasure on the other side of a wall and spent a long time trying to get to it. I never did. But I found a few others. I thought "Isn't there supposed to be a woman in this game?" I think I was supposed to find her. I should have found her a long time ago, because now I'm bald and grey. It would have been kind of cool to have her on this treasure seeking adventure with me. Maybe she was back at the beginning and I missed her. I think I pushed down too early in my desire to find all these treasures. Well, I can't go all the way back to the beginning, can I? Maybe she's hidden in this maze among some of these treasures. I'll collect treasure while I look for her. Boy, I'm really grey now. I better find her soon. I don't have very much treasure, I at least should have found her. I realized the game was about to end. And I died.
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Like I said, the graphics were horrible. But that doesn't matter. The music was simplistic, but it stirred something emotionally. I'm going to remember that music for a long time, I'm sure. The whole Passage experience was very emotional. I didn't realize it as I was playing the game. But while I was typing this reply, I was crying. I still am. How can a silly little, pixelated, five minute video game bring out such strong emotions? Jason Rohrer is some sort of philosopher or mystic, whether he realizes it or not.
My husband is out of town for a few days. I had been looking forward to enjoying the freedom of being left alone for a while. Now I miss him and wish he was home.
Thank you for posting and sharing this game, Keveck. It was profound.
Be well,
~A
