User:Rhododendrites/Gravitation

Gravitation is a 2008 autobiographical art game designed by Jason Rohrer.

It is Rohrer's follow-up to 2007's critically acclaimed Passage, and uses a similar pixel art visual style. Also like Passage, Gravitation's primary mode of expression is through game mechanics.

Gameplay
Rohrer released a creator's statement which provided context for the game's development, but intentionally omitted explanation of its mechanics or specific meanings. According to Rohrer, it is "a video game about mania, melancholia, and the creative process."

The game takes place in a vertical platform column, of which only a small, variable window is visible. The player begins the game at the bottom, throwing a ball back and forth with a child near a large fireplace. When the ball is returned, jump height and viewing window size increase, and the player becomes able to explore the platforms above, but jump height and window size continually decrease while doing so. Collecting stars, which sit on some of the platforms, likewise increases both jump height and window size. Eventually, the player is reduced to a very small window and is unable to jump up to any platform, so must return to the bottom, where collected stars, encased in blocks, can be pushed into the fireplace to earn a number of points that decreases over time. After resuming play with the child, jumping ability and window size increase again. The game ends automatically after 8 minutes, and the music changes along with the jump height and window size.