by Brian Oliu
Origami Zoo Press, 2012
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Level 1: The Choosing of Attributes, of Feats; the Learning of Movement—backwards, forwards, the strafe; the Acquisition of Weaponry.
You are in a room, then another. A series of rooms is a hallway and this is where you are. There is music—do not become attached: it will change. Brian Oliu is your guide, like Virgil to Dante. To succeed, look around the room. Hear the music. Now steal everything: the water, the bodies, the swords on racks—instruments of abstraction, of breaking into pieces. These are important. Nod to Brian Oliu. Do not forget to save. Proceed to the next room.
Level 2: The One You’ve Been Waiting For, the Boss Battle, the Acquisition of Treasure.
When you arrive, the music will change. This is inevitable. Brian Oliu will expect this. No matter how many times it will happen, you will not. You will lose yourself in this room. There will be a battle but it will be between you and yourself. The text will narrate.
The text will tell you when to feel your body, when to feel your soul. The text will tell you how many hearts are beating inside your chest. The text will tell you when it is appropriate to breathe. Your reward will come in the form of gold coins, feathers, leaves; air in lungs. Be grateful and nod to Brian Oliu, your guide.
Level End: “Something that is you but made of magic.”
This is what Brian Oliu is trying to tell you: that your body is pieces, that you are pieces, that you are. That breathing is important. That when you reach the end, “there is nothing romantic about the idea of final.” That when you reach the end you will either wake up like you were or like you were not. These are the only two options.
This is what Brian Oliu is trying to tell you: that when you read—when you read anything—you are seeing “something that is you but made of magic.” You are seeing “something magic.” Listen when he tells you. Level up.