Journey: The Game That Makes You Feel
Platform: Ps3, Ps4
Developer: thatgamecompany (TGC), Tricky Pixels
Author: S.A.
At the risk of sounding cliché, especially given the games title name, Journey despite its simplistic look truly was just that, a journey.
First let me start by saying that Journey is not a game for the individual hoping for some intricate plot and bloody storyline, but rather those that want to find a deeper meaning in a game that is meant to put a gamer through an emotional rollercoaster through its simplistic telling and heartfelt narrative. The game starts by veering off from the norm and doesn’t have a single spoken word throughout its entirety; instead it gives the viewer their goal through a panoramic experience, showcasing a glowing mountain off in the distance that most will feel compelled to make their way towards. As one makes their way towards it they will find themselves seemingly alone in this beautiful, but desolate, wasteland of a world.
No fire fights, no stealth missions, just the long trek to the mountain in the distance.
The Journey takes us over plunging dunes, and into deep abyss’s, that hide monsters within its depths. What is interesting to note, and what took me a second to realize, is that the journey seems to mimic real life. Without revealing too much, the journey mimics a lot of aspects of life, starting with the growth of a generic character, and the dive we all take into the real world and seeing its splendor. From there you proceed into its dangerous underbelly, hoping to come out safe on the other side.
That said, the birth of the character starts with an individual who has no abilities whatsoever, no crazy martial arts to draw from, or ingrained special ability to tell us apart from the pack. Instead what the gamer is prompted to do is collect little strips of cloth hidden throughout the world. These strips of serve a simple purpose, they simply attach to your character and grant them the ability to jump and glide. That’s it. However, as you gain more of these strips of paper, you jump higher and glide farther. The power of these jumps runs out rather quickly unless you recharge it by, can you guess? Touching more strips of cloth.
The strips of knowledge grow! Fly high young padwan!
As you continue your pilgrimage towards the mountain, gaining your little strips of power, you may or may not encounter (depending on your internet connection) another traveller on your way. The funny thing being that there is no method of communication available to speak with your new companion other than a series of musical chirps that can be doled out through the controller. The best part about these musical chirps being, besides the lovely soundtrack that players can create when being imaginative, that they have the added effect of recharging your ability to jump and glide without being near one of those pesky cloth stations. This interesting dynamic assures that you will stick close by to your companion, chirping at each other rather regularly when you’ve lost sight of one another.
Stunning graphics!
The graphics displayed throughout the game are stunning in nature, and often times had me pausing to just take in the sheer beauty of the world that had been created for me to enjoy. I thoroughly recommend just stopping for a moment and smelling the roses in this very low paced game. In fact I dare say it’s what was intended by the producers. In conjunction with a soundtrack that often time catches one by surprise by how beautiful and emotionally filled it proves to be, this game remains to be a top choice for those with spare time in their schedule.
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