In Passing

(Please don't mind the playtime at the point of this review; I've played, finished, and started replaying the game in offline mode, so it didn't count. I'm currently at ~5 hours.) In Passing... What can I say about this great but also a bit annoying game that made me cry rivers now and then? To me, it was an eerie experience. And I don't mean it just in reference to the atmosphere, which is nearly permanently grim and creepy. I also mean it as in how deeply it touched me, the incredible soundtrack being a big part of it, and how much I could see myself in many of the scenarios. Depression is such a complex topic. Yet there are just some events that every person with depression seemingly can relate to, accompanied by these specific feelings that are evoked in such times. By which I mean... We don't have the same stories. But we share the same (or at least similar) pain. It's always fascinating to me when people manage to express that so well when they make a game about this topic. And in this case here, I think the developers did a very, very good job. And it's not just about the narrative that occurs here and there and speaks to you and tries (and succeeds) to get under your skin, or the aforementioned atmospheric aspect. It's also the gameplay. It is played in first person perspective, and certain parts show nicely how difficult it can be for a mentally ill person to navigate their world. I feel it's all very symbolic; a slippery-feeling movement and jump mechanic that makes it tricky to land properly and stay in place sometimes (showing how tough it is to find your way in life and stay securely on it) rocks that will break when you jump on them (relationships tested and perhaps becoming instable due to the mental problems), rocks that disappear and then reappear for a moment (insecurity about whether or not people who support you exist), fog and darkness that will appear in some places and rob you of your clear view (being engulfed by negative thoughts and feelings, unable to fully see reality and truth)... and so on. The unsure movement/jump mechanic in particular got me annoyed quite a lot. The game in general is really quite frustrating at some points. But I understood that this is how it's supposed to be, so I got over it quickly. It's a good representation of what the struggle can feel like. (If you can't overcome certain challenges and keep falling, though, you can enable a "winged mode" which makes you able to fly.) And the one thing I think is for certain: The end is incredibly moving and worth it. I cried. A lot. I finished the game the first time, then loaded the save state again so I could see the end again. It was just that wonderful, at least to me. I can't believe this game is free to play. That said, if you find yourself just a bit interested... play it. Give it a try. You've got nothing to lose, only a new experience to gain. But do prepare yourself mentally for a few frustrations.