Passage

Passage is an experimental video game developed by Jason Rohrer in which players guide a pixelated character through his entire life, which lasts around five minutes. Your decisions, which in many cases aren't particularly obvious, will determine the end of the game (and the life of your character).

The controls in Passage are very simple: use the arrow keys to move your character. And that's it. You can move from left to right, as well as from top to bottom. The incredibly elongated format invites players to keep moving in a straight line, always going forward, which is a natural reflex both in life and in video games themselves. In fact, many players never realize that they can go down to explore a new layer of the world filled with treasures.

The first major decision you make in Passage is to meet your partner. A few steps away from where the game begins, there's a person waiting. As soon as you approach this person, a heart appears between the two characters and, from that moment on, they'll always walk together. However, you can also avoid this encounter to embark on a solitary life. As you'll soon discover, there are no right or wrong choices in Passage, just unique and individual experiences.

Passage is one of the most important independent games in history; in fact, it was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2012, along with titles such as Pong, Tetris, and Minecraft. Apart from this recognition, it is a stunning game and has been an undeniable inspiration for some of the most popular titles from 2010 to 2020.