Passage, the Fantastic Indie Title, Released for iPhone

Passage, the poignant indie game that surprised and moved gamers and critics alike a year ago, has made its way to the iPhone.

Passage, designed and programmed by video game artist Jason Rohrer, is hard to describe and even harder to describe without ruining the experience for anyone who hasn’t played it yet. Let’s just say that Passage crams more emotional profoundness into 100×16 pixels than all 400 milion hours of cut scenes in Metal Gear Solid 4.

With no dialogue, explicit story, or even enemies to blow up, Passage manages to say a great deal while building a powerful connection with the player, illustrating the unique ways in which video games can present and shape experiences.

I usually hesitate to use the word “art,” but I believe that Passage can safely be labelled as such; it hits players with an undeniably human experience using only the most basic video games mechanics.

It’s a little bit strange that Passage for the iPhone costs 99 cents; it’s available for free for XP, Mac, and Linux. But if its creator can make a few bucks off of it while broadening Passage’s audience, then all the better for the world of indie games and gamers.

Passage for the iPhone is available here for 99 cents.