I recently became aware of Passage by its release on the iPhone and the strong words of 1UP.com editor and retro gamer extraordinaire Jeremy Parish. I was about to take the dive on the ninety-nine cent iPhone version, when I stumbled across the fact that the game was available for free for Windows, OSX and Linux. The price was right and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

Passage – free for Windows, OSX, Linux..

Passage is an experience that’s hard to define, but difficult not to recommend. Thought provoking, melancholy, adventurous, touching, grand and minute, Passage manages to be all of these things within the five minutes it takes to start and ultimately finish the narrative. There’s no dialogue, no cut scenes, the characters are little more than 8×8 sprites, but Passage contains more verve and characters than many of the blockbuster Xbox360 and Playstation 3 games released this year.

I won’t ruin the experience for you by spoiling the story, but give it a shot, it’s free afterall.

Passage can be downloaded for free HERE

Discussion
  • Swifthom January 1, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    No one’s commented on this yet which is a shame, because it deserves a mention… I feel exactly the same as I did at the end of the third lord of the rings film…

    Not because the ending was particularly sad, but just because I was attached to the characters and I knew that this was the end… And for something to stir the same feeling in just five minutes… Wow.

  • aidan January 1, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    Glad you were as touched by Passage as I was. I knew this post wouldn’t get much response, but I figure if I could get a couple of readers to play the game (and appreciate it), then that’s all that matters.

  • Tim January 5, 2009 at 6:26 am

    I haven’t played it, but there is a long article about the creator Rohrer of Passage in a recent Esquire magazine. He’s leads an interesting life and doesn’t want to cut his lawn.

    Look for the ‘Best and Brightest’ issue with Vince Vaughan on the cover.