The legendary film critic Roger Ebert once stated, rather infamously, that "games can never be art". While Ebert's argument was inherently flawed (as he wasn't much of a gamer and thus lacked the literacy required to truly appreciate them), his statement has been the catalyst for arguments on whether or not games are truly "art". On the surface, Harold's Walk may not initially appear to be art, but play it for yourself and you will find a work of pure artistic expression that invites exploration and rewards contemplation.
Most modern 3D platformers often rely on a mechanical or stylistic gimmick of some kind to grab the player's attention. They desperately cry out, trying to distance themselves from the games upon which their foundation is built on. But Harold's Walk is not like most modern 3D platformers. Like all good art, Harold borrows what works from its peers and finds ways to transcend the limits of its medium to provide a truly ground-breaking experience. The mechanics are actually quite simple; Harold can run, jump, double-jump, and roll. But with this simplistic toolkit, Harold can explore the ends on the earth with ease.
The myriad worlds you will have the privilege of exploring in Harold's Walk care not for adhering to "game design" nor "stylistic cohesion". They are worlds in their own right; some of which are abstract, others of which vaguely resemble reality. Most of them are very short to get through, but exploring them for crowns and donuts reveals each world's intricacies.
Much like life itself, there are many branching paths to take through the walk, inviting Harold to revisit older levels in order to find something new; perhaps even a new world or two. As such, Harold's Walk contains multiple "endings", but reaching the end of Harold's Walk isn't the point. The point is to explore and understand each world; to really reflect on how each level makes you feel, and to really understand what it feels like to be Harold, exploring these strange and wondrous worlds.
Often while playing this game, I was reminded of the feeling I get exploring an art museum for the first time. You are presented with all of these different works of art; all with various levels of abstraction, composition, and detail. You are allowed to stop and admire each of them for as long as you like. There is no pressure; no timer is counting down forcing you to wrap it up and move on. Your level of engagement with the work in front of you is entirely dictated by what you put into it and how you interpret it. Harold's Walk invited me to explore its depths in much the same way, and I feel all the better for it.
While I've been rambling on about the artistic merits of Harold's Walk, I feel it's important to stress that Harold's Walk isn't trying to be art, unlike most modern Triple-A games with their high production budgets and overreliance on cutscenes. It's not trying to BE art because it already understands that it IS art. Almost nobody in their right mind would make a character that looks and sounds like Harold, and yet Harold exists anyways. Harold isn't trying to adhere to any typical convention or standard, but merely exists because Harold is what the creator of Harold's Walk wanted to make. A similar argument could be made for the bewildering and wonderful worlds contained in Harold's Walk; they exist for the sake of the work itself, not to appease the expectations of the typical platformer enjoyer. Harold's Walk is selfless in its expression and open to interpretation in so many ways. It gets top marks from me and I wish Roger Ebert will still alive to play it and maybe change his ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mind about that incredibly dogwater take.
