Who Are You?

The game immediately prompts you to choose between “The Sick” (Gatsby) and “The Well” (Tom). This is a reference to the following passage, which references Tom and Wilson as “well” and “sick” respectively, but I felt it also applied to Gatsby:

“It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well”

Choosing either of the characters launches you into a unique path.

The Sick

As Gatsby you roam Gatsby manor chasing after the green light and collecting bright green “new money” in your pink suit. New money grants you a choice between different objects which can raise your speed and reach as you pursue the light. The idea of “speed” and “reach” being the main stats was inspired by the following passage:

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning—“

This line also inspired the “tips” which appear after each failure to keep up with the green light, which prompt you to “run faster” and “stretch your arms farther.” Immediately following each failure the face featured on the front cover of The Great Gatsby appears as the screen darkens, which is consistent with “the well” path. This idea and the fact that it is a similarity between Tom and Gatsby stems from this passage:

“Unlike Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, I had no girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs”

The Well

After selecting Tom, you begin an easier driving game along the roads of the Valley of Ashes where the objective is to avoid (or smash into) passing cars in Tom’s iconic blue coupe and once again pursue the green light. In this mode you collect dark “old money” which leads to more powerful upgrades in the “durability” and “speed” of your car. This reckless driving game concept was both inspired by Nick’s conversation with Jordan about her driving and his final description of Tom and Daisy, which is:

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness”

Summary

The contrasting colour palates between the two modes draws from the contrast in the book between the flashy bright “new money” (Gatsby’s mode) and the dark and elegant “old money” (Tom’s mode). This contrast is tied with the contrast between the sick and the well, between the east and west eggs, and the contrast between the poor and the rich. Gatsby and Wilson (the sick) were born with nothing, and although Gatsby prospered later in life, his past still shows in his voice and his new money status. Daisy and Tom (the well) were born into money, which shows in Daisy’s voice (which is literally described to be “filled” with money) and their old money status. Gatsby and Tom’s phone calls contrast, Gatsby’s being constant business talks and Tom’s being personal affairs, showing how Gatsby must constantly work to maintain his wealth while Tom’s is secure.