Passage is a game about life, death, relationships, opportunities and rewards. The rules of the game are simple: you can move up, down, forward and back in the thin strip of 'time' that the game presents you with, exploring a labyrith and looking for treasure chests, which represent pursuits and rewards for those pursuits. Not all pursuits lead to rewards (some treasure chests are empty), and the player must learn to judge which ones are worthwhile. The player can also choose to meet a spouse and walk through life with her, but will sometimes be unable to access rewards if they are travelling with a spouse (two people together cannot fit into certain spaces). Players score points through distance travelled and rewards gained from chests. Chest rewards are worth a chunk of bonus points, and distance travelled is worth more points when the player is with their spouse, but they will be slowed when their spouse dies. The player's position on the screen relevant to the beginning and end of the box changes as game time advances, representing the sprawling future laid out ahead in a person's youth versus the long life of memories and short future ahead in old age.
The game makes many claims about the rewards of moving through life with someone loved (players earn more points for exploring alongside a spouse), and the heartache and grief that slows a person down once their loved one passes away. The game also makes a point about the ability to persue rewards when single that they would otherwise not be able to do when with a partner, forcing players to weigh the benefits of an increased exploration score vs the potential extra bonus rewards in terms of score (which could symbolize the richness of a life?).
Overall, the game prompts players to consider how people move through life and the choices they make -- whether they rush forward alone and persue as many rewards as possible, or take time to explore the road ahead with a partner and find reward in life together.
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