Think about addiction in this weird game

Akrasia is an indie game designed to make you think. Not thinking as one does in a puzzle game, but think about the concept of addiction. Sounds strange? It is!

You control a little crazy-eyed character, who is an addict of some sort. You maneuver him or her around a little maze which is supposed to represent the mind, and collect pills, which increase your score, while decreasing your health. To escape the maze you have to find a ghost, who will then change the maze from psychedelic mode to a normal one which has an exit.

The end screen of Akrasia will depend on your behavior during the game, ranging from something happy, to your death.

Akrasia’s controls are very simple, using the arrow keys on the keyboard, and the game features no physics at all, so movement is easy, but unsatisfying. The sound is effective, really adding a psychedelic feel to the game, and occasionally a horrific feel.

Visually Akrasia has a watercolor kind of feel, and like the sound, really creates atmosphere well. Your character is amusing to watch, if very basically animated.

This game is more like art than a game, as it is trying to make you think and requires more or less no skill to play. It’s very short, and according to the developers meant to be played through a few times to see how different endings are achieved.

Akrasia is an interesting experience, but it’s definitely not for everyone.