Review: Journey

Journey

PSN

Publisher: Sony Santa Monica
Developer: thatgamecompany

Release Date: 13 March 2012

What is there to say about Journey? Sometimes a game comes along that does more than just raise pulses. While plenty of games can excite and have players mainline adrenaline with bombastic set-pieces and summer movie production values, few games try for other feelings. Many games are all about the cinema experience and aping movies. Games exist that cover the science fiction genre, the pulp action genre, the noir genre. There are not any that aim to reproduce poetry or the Zen-like calm of mediation. Auteur gaming studio thatgamecompany has always broken away from convention. While they have only created three titles, each has brought the company closer to creating “art” than “games.” Journey, their third title, pushes buttons gamers may not realize that they have. Journey is something more than mere “game.”

Journey begins

Journey is at it's heart exactly what the title states. Players begin in a vast, lonesome desert with no clear goal. Atop the first dune, the camera dramatically pans to show a gigantic mountain in the distance with a spire of light rising from the summit. As players smoothly slide down the other side of the dune, the camera remains focused on the mountain and gives the players a goal. To say more about what players encounter as they move from desert to mountain would be to spoil the game. There are plenty of engaging environments to travel through. Players will travel far, and many will surely be surprised along the way.

The world created by thatgamecompany is stunning. The sand effects are top notch. It seems to swirl and slide underneath your character. Trudging up a dune sees sand cascading behind you, while skiing down the other side leaves only trails. Throughout the game, the visuals change to create moods. Some stages are brightly lit with a blazing sun, and create a feeling of hostility and isolation. Sunset lights other areas and creates an almost playful atmosphere of warm colors and inviting vistas. The deeper color palette and gloomy interiors inspire dread and apprehension. Each bit of Journey plays to another emotion, and the game effortlessly creates different moods with the visuals.

The desert gives way to ruins, and more

In concert with the visuals, Journey features a soundtrack that is among the best in gaming. While many games strive for soundtracks that accompany the action, Journey uses music to set emotion. Very rarely has a soundtrack been so evocative. The lonesome cello strands make the vast desert feel much more empty. The sprightly strings playfully urge you on as you zip along and soar about like leaves on the wind. The ominous bass chills and slowly spreads a sense of impending danger and doom along your spine. Mournful strings and cellos hammer home a sense of loss and helplessness. Truly, this is a game that uses music in ways gaming has rarely done. Much like a classic piece from Bach or Beethoven will invoke feelings in the listener, the Journey soundtrack, along with the visuals, stirs emotions gamers rarely feel.

The story of Journey is told through word-less cutscenes. Each stage ends with an alter that activates through your presence. After each stage, a short scene is shown that tells the tale of a lost civilization and what part you play in the world. Each one is highly stylized to look like a tapestry. More information is hidden throughout the world with ten optional frescoes to find. All of these flesh out the world you are in, but they do not tell the story of your personal journey to the mountain.

Cloth bits are scattered about and offer places to recharge

Interaction is done through modest means. At the most basic level, movement in Journey is a joy. The deep sands are trudged through with obvious effort, but upon cresting dunes, the player slides down with ease. Moments of bliss come from skiing down dunes with all the grace of a ballet dancer and the speed of a downhill skier. But moving along the ground isn't the only way to traverse the world. Players have a scarf with magical runes that glow when “powered up.” Players can jump and fly so long as the scarf has power. Finding hidden runes lengthens the scarf, so players that have discovered more of them are able to reach higher places. To recharge the scarf, players need only find floating bits of cloth that dance upon an unseen wind. Larger cloth banners allow the player to float up and launch skyward. One of the pure joys of Journey is just moving. Skiing down dunes, launching off a rock and catching a banner all have a grace and beauty to them. It is equally rewarding to wander along the ground and take in the massive ruins that dot the desert and mountainside.  With the platformer controls, Journey is as close to a traditional game that thatgamecompany has come.  It is an intuitive and simple control scheme, and it works magically.

Along the way, players will find pieces of cloth are tattered and frayed. These are interactive and essential to exploring the world.  To “reactivate” the cloth, the player can “sing.” The Circle button allows the player to sing a note. Hold the button down, and the note explodes out in a sphere of regenerating power. Tap the button, and smaller chirps come. The smaller notes are useless to recharge cloth, but are essential to the multiplayer aspect.

The opening theme

Multiplayer is a strange experience. Players are randomly paired with another gamer. No identification is given, no voice chat is offered, and the players are free to travel together or not as they see fit. Since players have no way to communicate outside of the game, the chirps and singing become the only way to interact. Most players will quickly create a system that works. I have seen folks chirp three times to say “Follow me!” We moved on to an explosive song to say, “Go! Now!” Sometimes, even counting down together works. While traveling with another player, the singing will recharge the scarf. So players with great timing can sing for each other and fly across entire levels. It takes a great deal of timing and understanding to do so, but if you experience this with another player it really is incredible. When you move too far away from a player, they drop out of your world (or you out of theirs) and another player is joined. I found that most of the time, you will see your companion far in the distance instead of being spawned right next to them. Singing also creates a white flash on the screen that fades towards the other character. That way, you can call out and see if anyone comes running toward you. By the way, you are never required to work together. I did find that a sense of loneliness and isolation set in whenever I was alone and that seeing another brought a sense of relief, but I could go my own way and there was no penalty.

Some tracks invoke darker emotions

Playing with others evoked many feelings. My first experience with Journey saw another player and I working together from the second stage till nearly the end. Losing that partner made me sad. We had come so far together, and I really felt a loss when they were gone. Another time, I worked with four separate folks but only for limited times. I did not really bond with any of them, but it was like traveling along a trail. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted, but we didn't form a lasting bond. The last time I played, I was approached by someone with a scarf trailing far behind them. Their robe was intricately embroidered, showing that this person had found all of the hidden runes. They acted as a guide to me. We found hidden bits, and in following them, I learned where some of the harder to find secrets were located. However, toward the end, we huddled in a cave and as I wandered the cave, they left. No game before had ever elicited a feeling of abandonment, but I felt it at that moment. I sang loudly, as if calling for my friend, but I received no reply. I finished that journey alone, wondering where my kind and helpful guide had gone.

This is a great track

Journey is something everyone should experience. Every playthrough has been a different set of emotions. I have felt joy, triumph, giddiness, loneliness, abandonment, pride, camaraderie, and fear. It is so much more than a mere “game.” What holds it back from perfection seems almost silly to write. The PSN-exclusive is $15, but you can complete the game in about 2 hours. For some, that is too high a price for such a short experience. I, however, disagree. Each journey is different, even if you see the same sights and know what is coming next. The randomness of your companions changes the feeling of each playthrough significantly. Even playing with the network disabled will provide a drastically different Journey. This isn't a game in the traditional sense, and it is meant to be played start to finish in one sitting. Much like a favorite hike, though the trail is known, what/who you meet along the way is what matters. Thatgamecompany has created something wonderful, and it would be shame for anyone to miss out on it.

Score: 9.75 out of 10

Bottom Line: This is an experience like none other and should be played by everyone

Check it out if you like: Flower, The Witness, auteur games, games that are emotional

Downloadable Game of the Year Contender 2012