“Journey” (PS3) Review

Let it be said that I can't describe Journey without looking at trailers and screenshots. This is mostly because, at time of writing, every time I think about the game I think about all the moments and experiences I had in the game. I never usually remember a lot about a video game after playing it, but when I do remember those moments I never have a reason to remember them, just to remember. Journey not only makes you remember, but it somehow gives you a reason to remember every single moment.

Journey is made by "That Game Company", the guys behind games such as "Flow" and "Flower", and they have been known for "redefining" how video games are interpreted and played. For most game companies it's actually hard to "redefine" how games are played, seeing as how we're now trying to hit exercise buffs and families by trying out the Wii-mote and PlayStation Eye methods (again). What game companies fail to grasp is that redefining is not just about new technology that allows you to move off your couch, even though you don't really want to do that, but it's also about giving the player something that has never been done before and giving them an ultimatum, a hidden meaning that ligers after you've played the game. While I do have this new found knowledge and understanding, I never actually knew that TGC did this. In fact, I never knew that "Flow" or "Flower" had any meaning to anyone.

I have played both "Flow" and "Flower" a couple years back, knowing what the games intended to do, I never thought highly about the message of the game or if it had any deeper meaning. Both games, especially "Flower", were beautiful and I had a lot of fun playing them, but I was blinded by the fact that games can never have any deeper meaning other than what we hear about them. I overlooked "Flow" and "Flower" as "meaningful" or "deeply moving". But after playing "Journey" I have now finally understood why TGC has made what people (including myself) consider the best games on the PS3, or anywhere, to date.

In "Journey" you play as a red hooded figure that wakes up in the middle of the desert and has to find out who he is and why the world around him is covered in sand. "Journey", to some respects, has a story. However said story is not necessarily explained through words, unlike some developers out there (Square Enix), but rather in hieroglyphics that, at first glance, you have to interpret by getting a guy who is knowledgeable in hieroglyphics. While it is a nice way of telling stories in video games, and it really is, it will confuse some players that are just now picking up the controller and playing the game. Even now I'm left with holes where answers are invited to come and fill themselves in, however most of the questions I have can probably be answered by just playing the game several times and looking between the pixels.

Speaking of pixels, the environments are 40% filled with sand and ruin, 50% filled with sun, 7% filled with rocks, 2% populated by players (including yourself), and 1% filled with a flower. To explain the flower part, there's an achievement for finding a hidden flower somewhere in the game. Yes, I know it's in the desert, but if someone could direct me towards where the flower might be that'd be much appreciated. Anyway, while the environments are filled with sand, the visual style of the game will captivate you in showing you that you are in a very big desert and there are some ruins and "Oh, look cute flying carpets!" The environments give stunning detail everywhere you look; even the particles in the sand are amazing to the human eye, and the music just adds more to the very beautiful environment.

The controls are easy to learn; you use the left stick to move, right stick to look around, X to jump (or not die, whichever you prefer), circle to "ping" which is used to do almost everything, from activating things to calling the wild animals to do your bidding. The game could be played by anyone of any age. I say "could" because when I played the game I got the controls right away, but when I tried teaching my dad's friends kids to play (ages ranging 7-12) I realized that there are some things that a 7 year old can't handle and that is a game without guns and bullets. With controls out of the way let's talk about the main feature of the game; multiplayer.

For those that haven't heard, "Journey" has a very, very unique multiplayer system, in which you can play with only one other person from another part of the world. At first this might sound a little strange, and maybe you'll somehow understand why the game mechanic is made like that, but when you go into the game for the first time, you wake up alone. After several minutes of walking you'll finally meet someone who is on the same journey as you, you'll find some relief in the fact that you are not alone. The only way you can communicate with the person is through "pinging" each other (pressing circle), which is somehow very useful. While playing the game with someone online, you get this sort of feeling of both happiness and certainty of knowing that person, whoever he/she is, and if you lose that person, whether you get separated or they turn off their PS3, you'll feel as if you have lost something special in your life. The developers made the multiplayer mechanic very intuitive and have made it a very great part of the gameplay.

"Journey" has always captured my attention as a game, not something that could have actual meaning; now that I have played it I not only have a new found respect for the gaming industry, but also life in general. If you have $15 lying around and want to have good 4 hour long experience, do not miss out on the opportunity to play "Journey".

 

 

Final words: "A very beautiful, well thought out game. A must play!"

Score: 10 out of 10

Thanks for reading!

For more information on "Journey" and "That Game Company" click here:

http://thatgamecompany.com/games/journey/

The game is available only on the PlayStation Store.