Play it now: Composition in a Minor Key

Leigh Alexander 9:09 am Tue Aug 18, 2015

Composition in a Minor Key, by Aleks Samoylov, isn't just another 'text adventure'—the poetry of its language gets close to you quickly, as you wander the dreamlike night forests, camps and riversides of its small but rich world.

Something I like about this game is that your primary experience involves talking with the vivid characters you meet. Each of them is different, from their cadence to the emotion evoked by meeting them. Perhaps I'm feeling soft today, but I felt sentimental and melancholic speaking to the fortune teller who said my life might have been different if I'd only met that neighbor who loves apricot jam.

It doesn't take a lot of time to experience Composition in a Minor Key, made last year for a jam. but you'll feel its effects long after you finish, still hear the echoes of its unusual sonic backdrop: Footsteps? Water droplets? Time passing… a clock?

Composition in a Minor Key is available for free or suggested donation; you can also become a Patron of Samoylov's work if you enjoy it.

The Offworld Collection available to order

The Offworld Collection, presenting the very best features and essays from Offworld, is finally available to buy directly from Campo Santo for $40. I had the pleasure of designing and… READ THE REST
This week in games: inactivity, brutalism, The Witness and more

Zoya Street, curator of Critical Distance, offers slow reflections on the fast-paced world of digital play… READ THE REST
What was it like working a Nintendo hotline in the 80s?

This week, our partnership with Critical Distance brings us reading on parenting via Tomb Raider, the utility of the word 'gameplay', and experiences from Nintendo 'play counselors' from the 1980s and 90s. READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST