Adventure Game Studio

Buddy Brick is a heartwarming and fun interactive discussion on the right to life beyond its peak. We are initially presented with two contrasting characters, an elderly woman who spends her time complaining and a happy brick hovering in the air. 'Buddy' brick bears a wide grin on his face and this, along with the opening message instructs us, the player, to approach the situation in a good mood, as depression will cloud judgement of the serious issues ahead.

Buddy Brick's reaction to the old woman's complaints is to fall on her, something that at first seems drastic but, if approached with Bicilotti's suggested good mood, actually makes sense. Buddy is a brick floating in the air and thus the one feat he can accomplish is to fall. Are we to deny him this joy and, if the woman's life is so bad, are we to deny her escape from it? If she does not want her life to end, why does she run towards Buddy? The situation is obviously geared towards mutual advantage.

After the old lady is squashed Buddy expresses his happiness at a job well done. But seconds later he finds himself in the air again, with another lady running towards him even more desperately. Thus it becomes apparent to Buddy and the player that this is Buddy's purpose in life, to free the elderly from their misery.

More women fall - four, five, six - each more purposeful in their movements than the last and each met with a greater sense of success from Buddy. Then the seventh woman appears. Seven of course was a special number in ancient Biblical times, and also resonates in the modern day as well. We have seven days in a week, lucky number seven and seven brides for seven brothers. It is this significant number that Bicilotti uses to teach us our lesson.

The seventh woman is impossible to hit. The woman's desperation to end her life transforms before our very eyes into a bid to keep it, and suddenly we realise the truth. Although the women obviously see problems with the world around them, they are still anxious to give it the best they've got or, as the ending message says, to rule it, and possibly even procreate. After all if it is Buddy's right as a floating brick to fall, then maybe it is also the right of the elderly to complain. It is with this message of hope and tolerance that Bicilotti leaves us, exiting the game and returning us to our own lives, ready to put the lesson into practice.

I for one feel both humbled and honoured to have experienced Brick Buddy, and think that if at least one person were to play it and take the themes seriously, then the world would be a better place.