So Journey is a different game, very different. The entire game can be experienced in about one hour. In that hour though you are going to go through some intense emotions. Because it is such an “art” game and because it is so short I decided to play through it three times. Because of this, the review is broken up into three parts. Each part gives my thoughts of the game after that play session.
Journey is a fantastic game. It had a high bar to hit from the hype and it smashed that bar to bits. Trust me when I say that you need to play Journey. I loved every moment I spent with the game and you will too. Go get it now.
Playthrough 1
Journey is a fantastic and well built game. I normally would try to avoid using the term “game” to describe a piece of virtual art but not in this case. With a great majority of “art” games you are often beaten over the head with a message while tumbling through mediocre gameplay. With Journey the interactivity and the story both take center stage to work a wonderful duet.
The game starts in the most calm and serene way it could. Your character is just sitting there, in the desert, alone. As you walk forward up a hill of sand music swells until your vision is accosted with a mountain shining in the distance. It becomes easily apparent that the mountain is your destination and this desert stands between you and it.
Within the next few minutes you are explained the controls. There are only three things you character can do: walk, jump, and shout. While these are just simple gameplay mechanics they have also been woven into the story. For example, shouting will attract or restore any cloth, a sort of living tapestry, that you are near which will help you and also it’s life. I do not want to spoil too much of how it is worked in but your voice plays a key role in everything.
Another really interesting thing is the other travelers you may come across. These are other people playing Journey that just happen to be in the same area as you. You will not see their name and have no idea who they are. If you want to hang around and play with them then stick by them. If you do not like how they are playing then just walk away. As I was playing through the first time I ran across about six travelers. Most of them did their own thing but two stuck with me for quite some time. Even without knowing anything about them, a small friendship developed as we experienced Journey. There were times when I wished to be alone but other times when being alone was the most frightening thing ever. The game is done in such a way that having a partner is never an inconvenience and they can never really force you to progress.
Environments change in very unique ways and add to the story as well. Seeing the cloth move and become more than what you thought it was is interesting. The world lives and breathes with cloth, so much that the story makes it a key player. Everything from your musical shout to the wind plays some sort of role in this game. It amazes me that every single thing in this game is in service of the story.
I am still not sure exactly what the story really was. I have my thoughts and suspicions though. What I can tell you so far is that Journey really is about the journey.
Be warned that the further you go on the more spoilers you might encounter. If you do not want the game spoiled for you then consider everything above to be the review.
Playthrough 2
Coming off my second playthrough of Journey, I suddenly realized that my heart was beating rapidly. Even though I knew what was coming I was still exhilarated. Such a rush of loss, power, redemption, sadness, and happiness all rolled into one.
Along my travels I noticed new things that I never saw before. There were the obvious secret story bits I missed, but there were things beyond that. I noticed that the only enemy in the game is not actually your enemy by design. You just happen to be the source of power that sustains it. By nature you were designed to be hunted down, like food almost.
Design brings up an interesting thought as well. According to the fiction it seems to me that your character was designed to be an amalgamation of all that the world is. You posses the voice of the ancient race with the energy of the cloth. You are a balance of nature and thought, to what end I have no idea.
As you play through the game you will come across several glowing orbs. These orbs increase the length of your scarf, allowing you to jump higher and further. It is the only sort of inventory and it is worked masterfully into the story. Being one of your few sources of power losing even a little bit tears at your soul.
Journey really is an emotional game in every regard. There is not one piece of the game that does not help you understand the world. Playing through a second time I was able to pick up on the hints of the civilization before the travelers. One that was at war over the power that all cloth held. Their war ended up destroying themselves and most of the world around them.
There are so many metaphors and stories inside of Journey that it is hard to group them all together.
Playthrough 3
Something that stuck me on my final journey through Journey is color. Journey looks amazing to begin with. The sand, snow, and cloth are all detailed wonderfully and move as they should. During your time in the desert though you are exposed to some colors I am not sure I knew existed. Taking something that is naturally brown and dull and hitting it with sunlight to create a scorching violet left me breathless.
The story took new shape in my mind as I realized that there is probably no true interpretation. There is an underlying story of a civilization that destroyed itself. It seems to me that your purpose is to exist as one with the voice of the ancient race and with the power of the cloth. Maybe you are here to restore part of the world. Maybe you are here just to serve as witness to the destruction of it.
Everywhere you look you can see the old world. Be it ancient war machines or gravestones, history permeates the world. The mountain and the desert seem to be the only constant. As I sit here writing I can see about six different stories and it is my conclusion that they are all correct. As with any piece of art, the true meaning is left to the one who perceives it.
Journey is fantastic in every way conceivable. It is a well designed and well running game. It has an intriguing story that could easily resonate with anyone. The music, or lack there of, is used with such efficiency that I was almost in tears several times. It is astounding that a game like this even exists as it seems too good to be true. Journey has set a new standard for games as art and it highly deserves ever single word of praise it has received. Do yourself a favor, buy Journey.
The most important question….. How are the trophies?
There’s only like 10 of them and all but one are fairly easy to get. I also have to disagree that your companions don’t cause any problems. There is one particular trophy that can be easily ruined by someone who doesn’t know you’re going for it. On the flip side, you NEED someone to stick with you the whole game for another trophy, which is a crapshoot.
During normal gameplay it is difficult for your partner to spoil your experience. However I could see how trophy hunting in an art game could be interrupted by some rapscallion. In the context of this game Trophies are completely and utterly superfluous and I ignored every last one. For the love of all that it good I urge you to do the same.
This review makes me want to have a PS3 for this game
Me too. I have been trying to budget a Vita or PS3 but I just don’t have enough in my wallet to do so any time soon. The first chance I get I am going to jump on it though.
Great review!
I have never played a Sony console outside of one game on the PS2 but games like these really make me want one. This review made me feel like I am missing out on something more than a game.