Journey is something special. It’s a unique experience and truly a gaming gem. It achieves this by two things; simplicity and beauty.
I remember when I first saw the initial screen shots and glimpses of gameplay for Journey and questioned what it actually was and how did it play. I still can’t answer these questions after completing the journey itself. It’s so difficult to describe. It doesn’t feel like a game at all – it’s an experience by its on right.
You enter Journey as a lonesome hooded figure. It has no name or speech. You find yourself lost in a vast desert. However, the desert is overshadowed by a mountain in the distance, from which a shining light burst out from its peak. Then your purpose becomes clear; to reach this mountain. There is no indication to why you must reach the mountain, but it doesn’t matter why. With your purpose clear you embark on the Journey, one of life and death, joy and sadness and also fear.
The mountain peak in the distance which you must reach.
Simplicity is the key to success in many aspects. In this case the simplicity of Journey’s design is one of its main selling points. It’s not very often that you find a game without a HUD display, without any tutorials or with a control scheme as basic as Journey’s. There is no need for any of these in Journey – it is just you and the game, nothing else.
Gameplay is again a perfect example of simplicity. Your lonesome character has only the ability to walk and glide. The character also wears a magical scarf as well as his ribbon like attire. As you glide the scarf becomes shorter, loosing its ability to help you partially fly. Collecting more ribbons floating about in the vast desert refills this ability to glide and fly. With another ability to beckon a sound, which frees ribbons in the desert, these are the only controls that are in the game. Without a single tutorial or on screen help, getting to grips with these controls is trial and error.
Journey is a beautiful game in two aspects – its visuals prowess and sound. The game looks wonderful; its art style is completely unique. From sand to snow the games boasts a very vibrant colour scheme. Something of a contrast considering deserts are not exactly the most vibrant of places. The textures of the sand and snow are also wonderful. Sand ripples as you walk over it and you find your feet getting lost in the snow.
The sand looks beautiful, leaving ripples in wake of your footsteps.
Ancient ruins and peculiar structures feature in the game, which are slightly similar in character to the architecture of the Prince of Persia trilogy. Lurking also in the deep chasms of the desert and high alpine slopes of the mountain are fearful creatures. It’s not exactly clear what they are but you immediately know are to be feared; their presence is frightening. This gives the game an edge of tension to the already isolated atmosphere.
The soundtrack of the game can be considered to define the world beautiful. It is a masterpiece. For every situation in the game it adds to the atmosphere and fits in perfectly. I have even stopped playing the game just to listen to it. It’s a wonderful part of Journey but also a joy to listen to outside of the game.
Beauty and Simplicity
Experiencing Journey on your own is an isolated and lonely experience. To get the full experience from Journey it is best to complete it at first by yourself. If online play takes your fancy in terms of coop then it is possible.
Two players’ worlds seemingly join together, without any connection problems or silly loading screens. You will notice, as if by surprise, another hooded figure wandering your world. Attentively you approach each other. With no PSN names showing who the other player is it feels like a mystery to who they are. Without speech or any gestures you both are able to communicate in a unique way, this is by sharing the same purpose to reach the mountain. I really enjoyed working cooperatively through Journey with a few other players, as a result I was rewarded at the end with the player names of the people I met along the way.
You can share the journey with another anonymous player.
Sadly I found it difficult to really engage with Journey. The lack of speech and character of your being left me confused of whether or not I should be letting myself become the lone wanderer. The length of the game was also a cause of me being starved of emotion in the game. I wasn’t given enough time to fully connect with the game. I think this is Journey’s single downfall. With the journey clocking it at just over two hours I don’t feel it is enough to connect with the game. I also think the price of the game is not fitting for the length of the experience. At nearly ten pound for just two hours of play time it feels a little harsh in its pricing.
+/ Pros
- Visually stunning
- Simplistic design
- Wonderful soundtrack
- Unique and enjoyable experience
-/Cons
- Length of the game is an issue
Overall Journey is a wonderful experience. It’s a beautiful and simple game, which has been crafted to near perfection. The soundtrack is a masterpiece in its own right and adds to the atmosphere of the game. However, it is a short experience. The length issue may give you difficulty with connecting to the game emotionally. For this reason it falls short of a perfect ten.
9/10
