If you’ve already conquered the many-floored mania of last week’s waste of time then you’re either pretty quick with a mouse or fired. Here’s to hoping it’s the former.
This week we turn it down a notch (actually, a couple of notches) with a decidedly less intense experience. In fact, Daniel Benmergui is a self-proclaimed experimental game designer – a phrase that is the commercial kiss of death. If his games have goals it’s to achieve the happiest ending possible. Simple controls, 8-bit graphics, a dash of poetry (sometimes visual, sometimes textual), and a bit of sociological experimentation make for a unique and addictive experience.
Benmergui’s latest creation, Today I Die, is his most textually interactive. Move objects around, find new words and change your character’s situation until you find a resolution that suits you.
There’s something about the simple graphics and imagery that imbues a simple premise with a longing in the player to ensure the character’s happiness (A common thread in his Benmergui’s other games: I Wish I Were the Moon, Night Raveler and the Heartbroken Uruguayans, and Storyteller).
Enjoy.
This article appears in May 8 • 2009.
