Passage

[FinnKaenbyou]

This game (if you can call it that) will take up 5 minutes of your life. It's a game that everyone will respond to differently.

Saying any more would spoil it, so go download it and play it right now.

[Grand Octopus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtsEiUCuPDk

My response was right-click --> delete. I know I'm still capable of emotional reactions to games after playing ICO, but this did absolutely nothing for me.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Spoiler:

You realise there's treasure chests and such if you move down, right?

[Grand Octopus]

Spoiler:

Yes, the control hints are right next to the download links. That YT link was a joke - I assume if you kept holding right you'd get stuck against a wall or something.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Spoiler:

Yes, the control hints are right next to the download links. That YT link was a joke - I assume if you kept holding right you'd get stuck against a wall or something.

Spoiler:

Nope. Hell, if you spend time collecting the chests, you'll miss out on a whole ton of potential scenery, which is exactly the point.

[lumber_of_the_beast]

That wasn't a game, it was slightly-interactive artwork.

Spoiler:

Which shouldn't be taken as a compliment in any way, because if this is what "games as art" have to be like, then it undermines the whole point of games being able to be artistic. A good artgame should both be good art and a good game. Like Shadow of the Colossus!

[Grand Octopus]

Spoiler:

Nope. Hell, if you spend time collecting the chests, you'll miss out on a whole ton of potential scenery, which is exactly the point.

Spoiler:

I began moving down almost immediately after meeting the girl, so I missed that particular 'message'. All I was exposed to was the future/past contemplations with the screen scrolling, paths being closed off to me as a result of getting 'married', the effect of my spouse's death on my progress and then my own death. I suspect that yet another wonderful reminder that you can either take life easy or persevere for rewards wouldn't have altered my overall opinion.

Edit: Although I will take away from this that getting married adversely affects your scoring potential. In more ways than one.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Spoiler:

Edit: Although I will take away from this that getting married adversely affects your scoring potential. In more ways than one.

Spoiler:

You get double the points from moving forward if the spouse is with you.
Besides, what are points worth when you're dead?

Maybe I just thought too hard about this since I was already feeling sorta existential when I started playing it. :V

[Grand Octopus]

Spoiler:

Besides, what are points worth when you're dead?

Spoiler:

You can leave your points to your family. Although if you get too many you'll have to pay inheritance tax on them.