I can't help but think that while
creating Journey the designers had the quote “Focus on the journey,
not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in
doing it.” by George Anderson in their head as it was in my head
too. Journey is all about what you see, what you feel, and who you
meet on the way.
Journey is beautiful. It's hard to find
another word for it since everything just clicks. Visually it just
jumps off the screen creating a whole world making the players eager
to explore. Even as the tone changes between levels it still comes
together as a whole world, from the large expanses of the dessert, to
the underground ruins, and finally the snowy mountain top. The
accompanying music sets the mood and changes ever so slightly when
the player goes to new places or does something different adding an
air of mysticism and wonder that underlines the whole experience.
Nothing pushes the hardware to its limits but it doesn't need to, and
it doesn't want to.
This is a game where I think it would
have been just as good with or without the story. Not that I'm saying
that the story is unnecessary or bad, but that right at the beginning
of the game players are set with a single goal and while the story
gives players context I think the visual direction gives players more
than enough urgency to play. Even though I think that I did like the
story and how it was told. It does add an aura fantasy to the world
but also makes the world lose some of its mysterious qualities
explaining the history of the mysterious ruins and graves that litter
the landscape.
The heart of Journey is it's gameplay
which is surprisingly simple. Move, look, jump and whistle are the
only things players must learn to do and it's as simple as possible.
Players are tasked to reach the summit of a large mountain in the
distance right at the beginning of the adventure and everything they
do is to reach complete it. The jumping mechanic is limited to a bar
of sorts located on the players scarf and as they continue in the
game they can find upgrades to increase the length of the scarf thus
giving them larger jumps. These upgrades are completely unnecessary
so its alright to miss them and it's all up to the player to look
around and find them. Whistling is used to activate items in the
environment and can be charged up to activate more items around the
player.
Where Journey really shines is in it's
multiplayer. As players play the game they will run across of there
players. There is no game lobby or name tags over other players head.
It is completely random and a fantastic experience. Players can spend
time or ignore each other. The only way to communicate is with the
whistling mechanic which tests players ability to connect. It works
amazingly well showing that we can co-operate without the need to
yell over headsets or to send texts. During my first play through I
met someone on the second level and we played the whole game the rest
of the way together. We bonded over racing down the desert slopes,
and avoiding the large guardians in the ruins and at the games climax
and conclusion I was as invested with their journeyer as my own.
Just go and play it. No review will be
able to express how good this game is. While the price might seem
steep for a such a short game it is definitely worth it. If there was
any game that could be qualified as an experience this is it.
