A PS3 Classic Brought to the Next Generation
Journey isn't a game. It's not something you'll just want to pick up and play for kicks. In fact, the game isn't even long enough to constitute as a mainstream game in the first place. No, Journey transcends past the concept of being a game and is a cinematic experience. Not that it's anything like a movie, but rather, it resonated so deeply within me as I played that I almost cried. Never before have I experienced a game so beautiful and lovingly crafted as this. It's a whole new level of gaming,
The story is so insanely simple, yet that's not even the main point of the game. Our nameless and faceless protagonist treks through a vast desert towards the light at the top of a mountain, but we don't know why. We don't know what caused this character to journey towards that light, and we won't know what's up there until we reach it. The game isn't about the goal, it's about the path. The journey, if you will.
The environment that our protagonist treks through is vast and uniform. There is sand everywhere, and this desert is dotted with a few ruins that hold ancient secret paintings for the player to find. As you play the game, you'll come across other players on the same journey, and you'll find they will be valuable to you and your scarf. This scarf that you wear provides you with the temporary ability to fly, as long as it is charged with the mystical fabric pieces scattered throughout the landscape. There are some fairly simple puzzles to solve, and you'll find that other players will be more than helpful in your quest to complete these mysteries.
You can't actually die in Journey, although there are some perils that you face along the way. A few menacing dragons threaten the future of the mystical fabric, and will try to destroy the scarf that you have taken such care in extending to gain longer flying time. If you get hit by one of these dragons and lose a piece of your scarf, it is permanently lost until you find another piece hidden somewhere else in the game.
Journey contains no audible dialogue, and the story is shown through some ancient-looking drawings scattered throughout the game. However, the animation style that was used to create the game and its environment is some of the most artistically beautiful that I've ever seen. The soundtrack is magnificent, and an aural masterwork. Combining these two stellar elements into this little indie game will make you forget about the short length, and become immersed in the overall experience. You may even find yourself wanting to come back to the vast desert, as there are quite a few trophies to pick up along the way, with different goals that you may have to work at to accomplish. One such trophy requires you to "meditate" with another player in the game for at least twenty seconds, which may or may not be easily accomplished if the other player is not aware of what you're trying to do. Meditating is essentially "pausing" the game, and there are no other menus during the main gameplay. It's simplicity at its finest, and demonstrates the unique creativity that indie developer thatgamecompany has on their team.
If you are turned off by the short length, I can tell you that Journey is probably not the game for you. The length of the game isn't the focus, but rather the unique and immersive experience that is contained within those 2-3 hours. I never played this game on the PS3, but bringing Journey over to the next generation and updating the graphics with a 60 fps capability was one of the best ideas thatgamecompany has probably had since their last endeavor. If the length doesn't bother you (replaying is greatly encouraged), and you want to have one of the best experiences on the PlayStation 4 yet, Journey just may be the game for you.
10/10: A Cinematic Video Game Masterpiece
In its 2-3 hour playtime, Journey managed to keep me engaged much better than most modern action games do. The short length was something I expected, and given the relatively small price tag, it didn't really bother me. There's enough exploration and trophies in the game to keep you coming back, and the overall experience is so fantastically gorgeous that I will keep wanting to come back to experience it over and over again. Journey is a game that is more about the path than the final goal, and the path that you take in the game is a memorably beautiful endeavor, and it makes this one of the greatest games that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. A truly moving experience.