Journey is the newest single/multi player game by Thatgamecompany, whose previous release, Flower, is easily on my top five favorite games list. And I can say without a doubt that Journey is now also included on that list.
Boring stuff first: the mechanics are solid, if a little bit imprecise. Once I figured out I could control the camera with the right analog stick and not just the sixaxis, things went a lot better. The controls are the right mix of easy to teach/understand and challenging to execute, without being too frustrating. It also helps that you can’t die (at least, I didn’t, and I by all rights should have. Several times.)
The visual design is truly stunning. I promise not to go on for too long about this, but the limited palette, schematic interludes, massive environments, and character design create a story that is all the more compelling because of its lack of language. Journey is the epitome of “show, don’t tell” storytelling.
I need to do another playthrough to fully appreciate the soundtrack; I wasn’t really paying much attention to it. It sounded pretty, although I’m not sure I liked it as much as Vincent Diamante’s work in Flower, but again, I need to play it one more time.
And now on to my favorite part: the “multiplayer”. If you’ve been following this game at all, you’ve no doubt heard the premise of the online multiplayer: as you are playing, you will occasionally run into other random players. There are no names above their character (or yours), no voice or text chat options, so you essentially have no idea who this person is. You can either choose to ignore the person (or they can choose to ignore you) and go on your way, or you can travel together.
In the first couple levels I ran into a few different players. We sang back and forth a few times (the only means of communication in the game), but didn’t really do much else. Then about halfway through the third level I began to travel with one other player. I have no idea who this person was, where they live; I don’t even know what language they speak. But for the majority of this game, we were companions. If one of us fell behind, the other would begin chirping, or go back to find them again. When one hesitated, the other would give an encouraging leap or chirp, which was always answered in kind. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but on some level I don’t think that really matters.
My interaction with this person, whom I have never “met” and never will, was meaningful not only because of the mechanics of the game, but also in spite of them. It wasn’t just that we were unable to exchange names, locations, genders, races, occupations, underwear-preferences; it’s that these things weren’t even necessary to experience genuine human interaction.
And the fact that we can choose to travel alone or with a companion holds true in so much more than just this game. Because life is a journey. How you experience it is up to you. (Sorry that was corny)
Anyway, the bottom line is, if you have a PS3, you basically have no good excuse to not play this game. It is an experience that will stay with you for a long time, if you let it. And I’m certain I will be playing it many more times in the future.
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