Journey Review
Developer That Game Company
Publisher Sony
Platform PS3
Release Date 14.03.2012
That Game Company has introduced us to conceptual gaming before with titles such as Flower and Flow that dazzled player’s senses but Journey is by far their most adventurous, emotional and inspiring game to date.
Journey is the furthest thing from modern gaming. You do not collect points or aim for a high scores, you have no one to kill, you don’t even have the chance to be impolite to another character. You have only one real goal and that is to make it to the light emitting mountain seen in the distance. How you get there is up to you and while you are directed certain ways (by a clever use of wind to ensure you follow the correct path it really feels as if it is an open game.
You play as a strange cloaked figure an almost lanky Jawa. The only power ups to collect involve catching balls of light that increase your scarf length. The length and “charge” in your scarf determines the length of time your character can jump and glide in the air. Charging this scarf is done by interacting with other red cloths found within the game environment.
These mysterious cloth creatures might be as simple as a few pieces hovering in the air, to more complex structures that mimic that of animals, Manta Ray’s, or later a type of giant whale. It is something that is very difficult to translate into words but still something instantly recognisable to anyone who has played the game.
One of the most interesting concepts within Journey is the one that the developers thought would be interesting. What if you met other players but you never knew who they were, you couldn’t talk to them and after the experience was over you would most likely never see or hear from them again, would you help them?
The players you meet have no gamer tag, you can’t talk to them outside the game and within the game all you can do is make a musical note, but still working together has its benefits. When you are side by side you charge each other. While you can go it alone it can be a little too remote and having a friend to help just makes it far more enjoyable, to know you are connecting with someone and sharing the experience for no personal gain at all.
It is possible to find out who you played with but only after you complete your journey, the last section of the credits displays the names of the other players you met who shared your journey with you. In total I think I met eight, we worked together, we shared the experience and we will now all go our separate ways all having experienced our own story.
Visually it is stunning, set in three very different locations each in its’ own way beautifully harsh. From the opening in the searing orange desert, you traverse the sand dunes under the ever present baking sun, the sun glimmers off the sand giving a mirage effect that makes it almost liquid. The second sections takes you under water and the surrounding react differently, the red cloth structures now mimic Jelly fish and seas weed, the ocean floor is a stunning blue and for the first time you encounter an enemy.
These large swopping mechanical creatures are predators, they use a light source to spot you and if you get caught in the spot light they will attack. This creates a sense of adventure as you dash from hole to hole avoiding the swopping creatures.
The final section takes you to the snowy mountain tops and in its own way again it is stunning, the wind swept high altitude and freezing temperature restrict your ability to float by freezing the scarf and its powers. This is the harshest of the sections and the constant battle walking into a gale force wind that is literally freezing you as you walk gives the last section a real feeling that you are really battling to finish your journey.
Gameplay is pretty much just walking, jumping and floating but there is a gracefulness to the game that is incredibly relaxing. The sections where you get to slide down the slopes after climbing a hill offers moments of immense child like enjoyment. You can make a note play by holding the Circle button, this is used to charge the red cloth and to unlock new sections once you reach the latest checkpoint.
The music is by far the most evocative facet of the game and the developer are able to convey more emotion in a single note in this game than many others can with hours of expensive CGI and scripting. The heart pounding score produced by the Macedonia Radio Symphonic orchestra that accompanies the gameplay is perfectly placed, in fact every section of the game has the music perfectly balanced to match the game, the environment and the emotions being experienced. It is just a joy to experience.
Overall : To be Cliché it is not about the destination it’s about the Journey has never been truer. That Games Company have created a masterpiece. Whoever still claims that games are not art should take the time to play through this 2 hour long interactive work of art.
Journey doesn’t force anything on you, there is no introductory story, or narrative to follow. You are free to interpret the game anyway you like. This is its beauty, and even though eight fellow players shared in the experience alongside me I am sure each one of us has a different experience.
SCORE 10/10
Please Join us on your Social Platform of choice
