Lars The Wanderer

Lars wanders through the landscape and you get bored with him. This is a game from 1995, when people still believed that slow movement and minimal interaction were something like art. The essence is a walk through a simple world from a top-down perspective — Lars moves, occasionally picks something up, occasionally does something, and you wait around for anything to happen.

There's hardly any real story or clear objective to speak of. You simply wander around the map, collect things, communicate with characters if the opportunity presents itself. The game is an adventure type with puzzle elements — not the kind that makes you jump out of your chair, more like you'll stare at the screen thinking about what to do next.

The graphics are pixelated, but without any grace — the colors look like someone picked them at random. Sounds are minimal, if they're there at all. Controls work, but they're nothing special. Lars moves slowly, interactions are slow, the game's pace reminds you of a senior citizen on a stroll. Sometimes it works like a calm meditation, other times it just frustrates you because pressing a key doesn't change anything.

Today I remember it as an attempt at something we do differently now. It's not a bad game, just boredom in pixels. For kids in the nineties it might have been an interesting change from shooters, but it wasn't a hit. It disappeared because it had little reason to keep you playing.

If you're interested in experiments from the early DOS era or want to experience the atmosphere of grueling adventures without adrenaline, you can give it a try. Expect slow pacing and unclear objectives though. It runs fine on browser emulators, if you can find it anywhere at all.