Played on Playstation 4

I actually want to keep this review as short as I can, because I find that a game like Journey works best when you have as little information as possible going into it. In fact, if I could just make the simple suggestion of giving the game a try if you’re someone that’s into more artsy experiences, then I would say to stop reading this read right now and just play the game. You more than likely won’t be disappointed.

If you want a little more information, though, then read on. Journey is one of those games that has the simplest of premises. You are placed into a desert, and are shown a mountain summit off in the distance. Your only objective is to get to the summit. There’s no other real reason or backstory given. Along the way, you will see the world unfold before you, and hopefully be able to appreciate what you see. This is all for the reason of, as the name of the game implies, this is a game that’s about the journey way more than it is the destination.

Control in the game also couldn’t be any simpler. You are only given three inputs: move, jump/fly (for a limited time), and speak. These are the only tools you’ll need along your journey, and it works wonderfully in its simplicity. Your only real goal as a player is to guide your avatar along its journey, finding the best way to pave the path forward and reach the goal. The developers of the game show here how you don’t always need complex game mechanics to make a rich experience.

The only aspect of the game that personally wasn’t up my alley is the community aspect of it. See, you will meet other players in your travels. If you’re lucky, you might even be with the same partner for the majority of your journey. You are always limited to only seeing one other player at a time, but you never know when you’ll run into someone. I like this concept in theory, because it shows that there are other travelers out there trying to make the same journey, and it’s nice to have your paths cross in such a unique way. However, my problem arises in the fact that you never really know what kind of players you’re going to run into. If you’re someone that wants to explore every nook and cranny of a game, this might be a conflict if you’re matched with someone that likes to just blaze through. Also, there’s just the simple fact that sometimes people just want to find the solutions in games themselves. But your partner might be the type to hog all the glory, and you’re progressing through the game because of actions that you didn’t take. I ultimately wasn’t a fan of this system, but since I like the idea in theory I think I would have been okay with it if it were just implemented differently. I would have liked for the game to give options on what types of play styles you’d like to be paired with, or even if you want to run into any other players to begin with. This was the only complaint I had that dragged down an otherwise great experience for me.

In the end, it’s hard not to be taken in by the world that’s been crafted here. Everything looks absolutely stunning, and I was amazed by how much diversity there could be in a desert landscape. The melodic overtones only add to this experience too. I loved getting the opportunity to just exist in this world for a while.

I should note that this is a short journey though. The game can easily be finished in under 2 hours, but for me that was all that I needed. This game was developed by thatgamecompany, whose two previous works were flow and Flower. If you’ve played either of these two, Journey is a very similar kind of experience, and I think that’s why the game’s length works as well as it does. These games aren’t so much about progressing through them as they are just allowing yourself to relax and enjoy an ethereal experience for a little while. For me personally, Flower did the best at capturing this type of experience, but Journey is a close second for me.

It’s hard to compare Journey to any games other than thatgamecompany’s other two previous releases, because it’s such a unique experience. Unless you’re someone that has a hard time immersing themselves in artistic experiences, then I recommend just giving Journey a shot. My only real complaint is how the multiplayer aspect is implemented, but other than that this is a great journey to take. Definitely give this one a try.

4/5