Passage by Jason Rohner
 

Passage

Give this game a try - it was a submission to the Kokoromi 256 competition for creating games with a resolution of no more than 256 x 256. It's only 5 minutes long from start to finish, so to say anything about it may spoil it for you. It's also best not to read the creator's statement until you've played the game.

Some people thought it was bloody pointless, and other people thought it was absolutely amazing. Personally, once I realized exactly what was going on, I was floored.

(To quit the game, press Q, and to toggle fullscreen, press F).

It's supposed to be a maze? I saw a strip of blurred pixels across the screen and pressed right for 5 minutes.

But wow, that was amazing. Easily the most profound and depressing 5 minute game I've ever played. I'd love to see it get turned into a longer game.

Well with a shallow enough mind it was of course pointless, but see past the surface "gameplay" and it's an interesting little creation, and strangely profound. I walked my walk alone the first time. I didn't even notice the woman until the second time. Fascinating indeed.

I suppose my niggles would be that it doesn't start from infancy and the ending is a lot more abrupt than it could or should have been.

Cute. Though the "game" obviously takes a backseat to the metaphor/message here, it works well especially given the limitations.