Review Date: March 31, 2010
Developer: Jake Elliott
Price: Free
Platform: Browser
Genre: Exploration/Adventure
Sometimes the idea of exploring is made all the more interesting when you don't actually know what you're looking for. Like Small Worlds before it, I Can Hold My Breath Forever is entirely about exploration, yet, from the very beginning, you're given almost no information about who you are or what you're looking for. But, as the game slowly provides tiny snippets of story, you're compelled to explore unique and mysterious world it provides.
Well, Maybe Not Forever...
Despite the title of the game, the main character in I Can Hold My Breath Forever can only actually hold his breath for 10 seconds. And this is the crux of the whole game. You'll be exploring a winding, confusing underwater cave system, but you'll only have that 10 seconds to get from one pocket of air to the next. This creates an incredibly tense feeling whenever you're in the water. Since you can barely see what's ahead, it's very easy to get lost. And with such a short time to get from one point to the next, this makes for some truly heart-pounding moments.
Thankfully the game is pretty forgiving when it comes to its time limit: if you don't make it out of the water in time, you simply restart at the last pocket of air you reached.
Questions Without Answers
Scattered throughout the caves are notes. Usually only a sentence or two long, these cryptic messages form the entirety of the game's story. And they tend to provide more questions than answers. Just who is leaving these notes? And why? And what is their relationship to the main character? These are the questions that will keep you exploring.
Unfortunately, while the game feels as though it's building up a big finale, the ending is abrupt and confusing. None of the many questions presented is actually answered, which ultimately makes the experience unsatisfying. To make things worse, what actually happens in the final moments of the game isn't exactly clear, because it all happens so quickly.
The Bottom Line
Still, I Can Hold My Breath Forever is a very short game, which can easily be beaten in under 15 minutes, so it's still worth a try in spite of its disappointing finale. Actually exploring the underwater caves is a tense and unique experience and the messages you'll come across as you delve into the depths will keep you guessing to the end. It's just a shame that the ending doesn't live up to the promise created with the rest of the game.