Elude.wmv

(Note: I know I was going to do DA2, but this took precidence. Also, sorry about the sound. For some odd reason CAMstudio is fighting with me at the moment.)

Play it: http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/summer2010/elude_play.php

This review is for the short online game Elude by Birdy Incorporated
Normally, I wouldn't do a review of an online game for this class, however I really felt this game was worth mentioning.

Elude is an online platform game designed to raise awareness about depression. The player controls a boy who is suffering from depression and must guide him through a visual representation of that depression.

I loved how beautiful this game is. The overall look of the game is tremendously simple and pure. The different levels of happiness that you move through are all different color schemes. For example, the happiest area is all bright colors and sunny, whereas the most depressing areas are almost black and white, and sometimes red.

It's a very easy game to play -- there aren't monsters to fight. No puzzles to strategize. Just a simple boy struggling to get to the top. There are also these little birds around. When you press space bar the little boy "resonates" to activate these birds. They represent happy things in life, and it make the climb to the top easier. After resonating near a bird, for a short time you jump higher. The game calls these "Passion objects" saying that it takes true passion in life to overcome depression and reach happiness.

Something I found really interesting is what happens when you get to the top. When I first played this, I thought that getting to the top was the objective. I got the little boy to bounce all the way up, but interestingly enough, the problem with reaching the top was there is no place to go but down. I was surprised when the boy fell from the top all the way back down to wear I started, and then continued to go even lower.

This game really says something about how hard it is to fight depression. The struggle to get to the top gets harder each time you try, many times you are dragged back down by these strange weed-like things. Sometimes you're in an area where there is no where to go but down. What surprised me the most was the ending. When I first played it, I continued walking until I fell off the end of a cliff into this dark red abyss. I figured that was just the way the game ended. It wasn't until I played the game again for this review that I noticed at the very end I could chose to walk the other way back out of the depression, possibly into redemption. This choice isn't actually presented to the player. It's something you need to find out on your own.

Like I said, this is an incredibly simple game, but it speaks volumes. Millions of people suffer from depression, and this game gives a really visually interesting representation of depression. Anyone who suffers from depression, or knows someone who is should play this game to get a view through their eyes. Thanks for watching my review.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Elude

[AnnikaAwsome]

Wow! Lovely review :) . I loved this game, and I didn't notice the light at the top until the second time I played either. It was also surprising that there were so many paths to take.