Sisyphus was a king in Greek mythology who managed to cheat death by trapping Thanatos, the god of nonviolent death, in chains. As punishment for his crime, Zeus forced the cruel king to push a massive boulder uphill for all eternity, only for it to roll back down when he got near the top.
Greek mythology is full of punished mortals who dared defy the gods, but developer Thomas Crowe has repurposed the story of Sisyphus to create a game about anger, pain, and forgiveness.
Just like in the myth, Sisyphus tasks you with pushing a giant rock up a hill, only this boulder happens to be your head. A difficult path has been set and you must gently roll your head up hills, across bridges, and along narrow pathways to reach the end. Luckily there are save points en route, but if you stop at any point, the head will roll down and you'll have to begin again.
Sisyphus is a tricky game, but its story is what kept me pushing onward. As the head rolls, it vocalises its inner thoughts and talks about the emotional fallout of a terrible tragedy.
Personal feelings slowly spill out as you push, and the head talks its way through a number of angry and painful experiences and you discover more about what happened. As you struggle to maneuver it through the landscape, the head simultaneously struggles with its guilt and remorse.
Sisyphus is a clever take on the Greek myth and one that brings a new meaning to the punishment. It's free to download and play over on itch.io and definitely worth checking out. I haven't been able to finish it, but I hope there's a resolution at the end for both me and the character.
