Pragmatism not idealism: Molleindustria's Every Day The Same Dream

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Like a mostly monochromatic mix of Jason Rohrer's memento mori game Passage and Nintendo's Zelda entry Majora's Mask, Every Day The Same Dream — the latest game from Faith Fighter and McDonald's Videogame creator Molleindustria — plays at issues of lives led in quiet, soul-sapping desperation by forcing you to subvert your own easy routines.

Created in less than a week as an "Art Game" entry for the ongoing Experimental Gameplay Project (the same that's spawned Canabalt, MinMe and, in its original form, the prototype for World of Goo), Same Dream is as stylish as it is somber, even if it is punctuated by brief bursts of hopefulness and player-led humor.

I won't spoil the ending (except to say that it's not half as powerful as the final lead-up to it) — and yes, it does have an ending — but it comes fully loaded with a gut-punch for anyone who has been or is currently a wage-slave office drone, and is already a pretty clear frontrunner for the indie release of the week.

Play it online here, or download a PC and Mac version by scrolling to the bottom.