A white line illustration of a figure with a square head floats in a colourful sky. The background is a blur of deep blue, pink and orange hues, framed by dark silhouettes of trees.

Dedicate six minutes to this beautiful interactive web game, A Way To Go

Words: Liv Siddall
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Date: 6 February 2015; Work

I very rarely struggle to start writing a post – but I have hit a bit of a wall with this. Bear with me while I try and get across the magnificence of this game. I just spent a while playing A Way To Go – a web game created by Vincent Morisset with the help of Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit. I knew it was going to be super special before the gameplay started and it informed me that it “is an interactive experience for human beings between 5 and 105 years old. Maybe it lasts six minutes. Maybe it lasts forever.” Then it asks you to pretty much abandon your mouse. Abandon my mouse?! Are you crazy?! But you do, because you trust it. And then you’re in the forest and the game says to you: “Go on, make your way. Stop to see the smallest things. No one’s waiting, no one’s keeping score.”

Freedom! After that you are let loose to scamper, jump and fly through the woods to your heart’s content. Just when you’re getting into the swing of it, things start to get colourful, your pals become more real, and the running stops feeling like a game and begins to start reflecting your own life. That’s where the beauty lies in this game: it’s not some coin-collecting platform, or a tricky strategy game – it’s just for pleasure, and to remind you that life is an endless, wondrous chase through ever-changing landscapes. Its creators deserve a round of applause and a hug for revolutionising the way we can, and should, interact with games. I can’t wait to play whatever it is they make next, I just hope it makes me cry and feel as fragile and emotional as this one.

A screenshot of a website for a project titled “Way to Go”. The landing page features a surreal, hazy landscape with red and blue trees and a central figure. A red button in the middle reads “Go on”. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A 3D render of a white, stylised human figure floating in a vast, abstract space. The background is a blur of deep reds, oranges and dark browns, creating a sense of motion. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A screenshot of a website showing a white, stylised figure floating upside down in a hazy, purple and pink sky. Below the figure, a range of soft, misty mountains stretches across the horizon. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A 3D render shown in a web browser window. A white, stylised figure floats between two dark, jagged mountains under a purple and red sky. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A 3D render of a white, stylised figure walking along a dark, textured path. The scene is set against a vast, glowing red sky. The image is displayed within a web browser window with the URL “a-way-to-go.com”. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A screenshot of a web browser showing a 3D render of a small, white, blocky figure standing in a dark field. Above them, a dramatic sky glows with streaks of red and blue light. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A 3D render of a white, stylized figure with a square head sitting on a path in a dark forest. The surrounding trees are lit in vibrant shades of red, blue and green. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A simple white line drawing of a figure with a square head stands in a dark, grassy field. Above them, a blurred sky glows with streaks of deep blue and pink. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A 3D render of a simple white figure with a square head standing on a dark path. They are surrounded by a forest of stylised trees in vibrant shades of red, blue, yellow and green. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

A browser window displays a distorted, colourful digital image with swirling reds, oranges and purples. In the centre, a pale, rectangular shape resembles a simplified face with two dark dots for eyes. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

Four people dressed in black sit and stand in a wooded area. Beside them is a tall, white 2D illustration of a figure with a square head. — Above
Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, Philippe Lambert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit: A Way To Go

Further Info

www.a-way-to-go.com

About the Author

Liv Siddall

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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

Dedicate six minutes to this beautiful interactive web game, A Way To Go

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