Elude

Elude is a prototype from Gambit game labs in Singapore.

The game (although game implies fun, and Elude is far more educational than enjoyable) is about the ongoing battle with depression. It was designed for use in an educational context, for the family and friends of people suffering from depression.

As you play through the game, it is easy to feel the overwhelming sense of helplessness that envelops people living with depression. The player controls a young man, directing him through a forest filled with trees. There are birds that represent the character's 'passions'. The player can call out to these birds, causing a brief flare in these passions, and allowing the character to jump higher than usual. It is through these passion-fuelled jumps that the player can climb out of the forest and reach the sky above, described as 'happiness' by the game's creator. Once in this sky area, the player must jump, alighting on randomly placed floating leaves to climb higher and higher. However, a fall is inevitable and eventually the character will tumble back down through the forest and into what seems to be an underground tunnel or pit. This underground area can be escaped with the aid of another passion bird, and the player can return to the core game area of the forest. The cycle repeats itself - forest, sky, underground - until eventually the character reaches the final underground stage and cannot jump free. Trapped, the game ends.

The graphics are eerily beautiful and the game has a great sense of atmosphere, as grim as that atmosphere may be. It is an evocative visual representation of the struggles faced by those with depression - the everyday doldrums, the brief flares of happiness, the dark sense of helplessness. As an educational tool, it would be a powerful and engaging aid in discussing and explaining to a friend or family member how their loved one is feeling.