Death in The Graveyard and Passage

                  The creators designed both The Graveyard and Passage to reflect ideas of life and death. In Passage players witness the death of a woman and of the man she walks with. The woman’s dies walking with her life partner, leaving him alone and slowly moving until he too dies. The mans lonely death can be compared to the old woman in The Graveyard, who dies alone on a bench overlooking the grim graveyard as a sad song about death plays. Both characters carry the sad burden of walking through life as others die around them until they eventfully expire.

                  Both experiences are intentionally short, perhaps to evoke ideas of our own lives and how short real life is. Passage has a time limit that always ends in the death of the main character regardless of companionship, score, or progression in the environment. These environmental rules create a strong message of life--- that death is certain no mater what you choices you have made in life. The Graveyard emphasizes the fragility that meets many towards the end of life. The old woman moves slowly, using her cane for support has she hobbles down a long path between tombstones. The old woman’s slow movements and the agonizing walk she takes players to the bench are meant to give players a sense of relief when she sits, because she can finally rest. Likewise, the end of life is antagonized by memories of things past and crippled with old age. Fortunately, the old lady finds a peaceful death in the end.