I have always wanted to play this game. I remember when I was a wee lad, this game was raved about over a decade ago on launch. With its prominent, unique design of the protagonist and appealing, beautiful art style-- it seemed to be a must-play. Critics gave it, seemingly universally, 9 out of 10's and five stars. Spoiler! I have to agree with them.
Brief Description
A shooting star falls from the sky. It is you, you realize as you awake in the nothingness of the desert. You look around, a beam of light on top of a mountain beckons you to investigate. You start your journey.
Journey is what I thought for an entire decade to be a singleplayer game. It just LOOKS singleplayer. The main marketing of the game showcases the protagonist walking around alone in an isolated desert. I started this and then was nicely greeted by a person playing, whom I knew was NOT an NPC by their chime button usage and behavior. That was a "Woah!! Cool!" moment for me. If you somehow get disconnected or distanced from your player 2 (assuming you were matched in online coop), the game does a great job at introducing someone else at that exact place in the game so you can pair up and progress together.
Pros
-The best thing, in my opinion, that this game gave you, is each other. (Awww!) But yeah I think they companion system that you get from the online system really makes every playthrough unique. You are going to get multiple different people who, with limited controls and possible actions, behave differently. It is really cool to see human behavior shine through limitations, and the idea of someone sticking by you in a journey full of hurdles is always so comforting.
-The game is short, which is a pro as it allows you to complete it easily in one sitting the way it is intended. Sticking by one companion is very very good and honestly adds to the plot (but do not freak out if one of yours DCs lol)
-The plot and overall themes/symbolisms of the game is awesome. I love what they were going for and how excellent the execution was. It was and can be emotional for some (not me, I guess I was not in an emotional mood playing it), but overall I think its brilliant.
-The art style is awesome! I think a lot of games use the same aesthetic of lack of outlines/harsh shading, but this game utilizes it in a way that is unique. The color usage and scenic/character designs makes this game what it is. The protagonist is iconic in my head.
-Obviously, sound design is amazing. Found myself taking in all the ambience and music a lot, as well as literally sparing some moments of my time to really listen into the pitter-patter of my feet along the sand.
Cons
-If people just stop playing this game, I wonder how the experience will be when there are no human players on the servers. Will it just be forced to be a singleplayer experience? Because as the focus of the game is heavily based around that "companion" experience, that WOULD detract from that. However, since that is not the case right now, I will obviously not take that into account in my final opinion of the game.
-I lost connection with my partner, like, halfway through the game, and then it cycled me through a couple of people who either DCed as well or just wandered away. So, for a period of time, I was alone. I think it added to the feeling of isolation to some parts, but also felt a little sad as it kept cycling through people that could not stay in my game for a period. Took a little bit from my first playthrough experience, but I would not let that detract from my review. (just did not seem to be a big hinderance)
I think this game is fantastic. It literally does everything right. I am a very social person and love lighthearted interactions with people, so seeing all the different ways people can walk with you during your journey is incredible. This game feels like a very fun, enjoyable, art piece in a weird way. I love everything about it and will hopefully take some time to replay it again. I am interested in getting some of the achievements that I missed prior, and like I said before, each playthrough is unique.
Lastly, a shout out (I say like I am gonna reach anyone I played with lol) to my favorite companions!
-"Grump": You were my favorite companion, as we spammed the chime button at each other and you helped me so much collect the light up symbols. I am so so sorry I had to be afk for like literally 3 minutes but you could have waited. You went on without me, and that is probably up there with one of the most heartbreaking moments in my entire life. It actually made the middle part of my game very sour LOL
-I had a last one with no name but just know I thought you were incredibly silly as you just did not care about certain environmental hazards. Like, at all.
I also played with ZJ Sky, Angel, 3495975030, & 420QQQ. Hope you guys are doing fantastic. Bye now!
Brief Description
A shooting star falls from the sky. It is you, you realize as you awake in the nothingness of the desert. You look around, a beam of light on top of a mountain beckons you to investigate. You start your journey.
Journey is what I thought for an entire decade to be a singleplayer game. It just LOOKS singleplayer. The main marketing of the game showcases the protagonist walking around alone in an isolated desert. I started this and then was nicely greeted by a person playing, whom I knew was NOT an NPC by their chime button usage and behavior. That was a "Woah!! Cool!" moment for me. If you somehow get disconnected or distanced from your player 2 (assuming you were matched in online coop), the game does a great job at introducing someone else at that exact place in the game so you can pair up and progress together.
Pros
-The best thing, in my opinion, that this game gave you, is each other. (Awww!) But yeah I think they companion system that you get from the online system really makes every playthrough unique. You are going to get multiple different people who, with limited controls and possible actions, behave differently. It is really cool to see human behavior shine through limitations, and the idea of someone sticking by you in a journey full of hurdles is always so comforting.
-The game is short, which is a pro as it allows you to complete it easily in one sitting the way it is intended. Sticking by one companion is very very good and honestly adds to the plot (but do not freak out if one of yours DCs lol)
-The plot and overall themes/symbolisms of the game is awesome. I love what they were going for and how excellent the execution was. It was and can be emotional for some (not me, I guess I was not in an emotional mood playing it), but overall I think its brilliant.
-The art style is awesome! I think a lot of games use the same aesthetic of lack of outlines/harsh shading, but this game utilizes it in a way that is unique. The color usage and scenic/character designs makes this game what it is. The protagonist is iconic in my head.
-Obviously, sound design is amazing. Found myself taking in all the ambience and music a lot, as well as literally sparing some moments of my time to really listen into the pitter-patter of my feet along the sand.
Cons
-If people just stop playing this game, I wonder how the experience will be when there are no human players on the servers. Will it just be forced to be a singleplayer experience? Because as the focus of the game is heavily based around that "companion" experience, that WOULD detract from that. However, since that is not the case right now, I will obviously not take that into account in my final opinion of the game.
-I lost connection with my partner, like, halfway through the game, and then it cycled me through a couple of people who either DCed as well or just wandered away. So, for a period of time, I was alone. I think it added to the feeling of isolation to some parts, but also felt a little sad as it kept cycling through people that could not stay in my game for a period. Took a little bit from my first playthrough experience, but I would not let that detract from my review. (just did not seem to be a big hinderance)
I think this game is fantastic. It literally does everything right. I am a very social person and love lighthearted interactions with people, so seeing all the different ways people can walk with you during your journey is incredible. This game feels like a very fun, enjoyable, art piece in a weird way. I love everything about it and will hopefully take some time to replay it again. I am interested in getting some of the achievements that I missed prior, and like I said before, each playthrough is unique.
Lastly, a shout out (I say like I am gonna reach anyone I played with lol) to my favorite companions!
-"Grump": You were my favorite companion, as we spammed the chime button at each other and you helped me so much collect the light up symbols. I am so so sorry I had to be afk for like literally 3 minutes but you could have waited. You went on without me, and that is probably up there with one of the most heartbreaking moments in my entire life. It actually made the middle part of my game very sour LOL
-I had a last one with no name but just know I thought you were incredibly silly as you just did not care about certain environmental hazards. Like, at all.
I also played with ZJ Sky, Angel, 3495975030, & 420QQQ. Hope you guys are doing fantastic. Bye now!
dumbdumbmcgee
23 days ago