Oh, how all the beautiful things in life fade away eventually! How all the struggle is in vain! Things I Never Did is Scott Warren’s take on the baroque subject of vanitas, compiled in a short platform game. You start out as a dynamic young lad with incredible jumping and running skills; no coin is too high up, no ladder is too steep for you, the world is full of opportunities. Things pass by so quickly, you can’t even think of having a look at the big picture, at the greyed out platforms, all that counts is your pleasure.
But things start changing. Your physical strength decreases, you start to become more aware of all the barriers and obstacles you have to overcome, and things that were once important for you start to lose colour and significance. Now all there is left for you to do is think about what you’ve missed. Things I Never Did. And you will never be able to go back and do them.
On this journey of life in 2:00 minutes you are accompanied by a pretty gawky string soundtrack that bears a slight reminiscence of the popular Jeopardy “time is running out” theme. Don’t feel mocked.
2 Comments
1 Igor Hardy wrote:
Pretty neat idea.
However, I didn’t see any of the Things I Never Did. Not even a trace of them. Which was a bit of anticlimactic.
2 stevenxonward wrote:
I enjoyed the game, as well as its message. Still, I feel like this tried to accomplish something a little too similar to Passage, though the effect wasn’t nearly as potent. Like Igor, I didn’t see the things I hadn’t done. As I reached the end of the game, I didn’t see anything that was beyond my reach, ‘cept the accumulation of more wealth/experience. Passage at least presents a choice: to gather less experience with a partner at a more meaning rate, or more experience alone with less meaning. I’d like to see this game present alternatives so that the player has a sense for the things he or she is missing out on.