Video Game Review: Journey

Journey

PlayStation 3

Being a big time cheapskate, I am perennially behind when it comes to checking out new video games. Just like everyone else, I had heard all about Journey and about how good it supposedly was back in 2012. But instead of going out and buying the game right away, I figured I would wait until it went down in price before checking it out. Turns out, it was a four year wait before I was finally able to play the game. I had actually forgotten about Journey, but when I saw that it was free on the PlayStation Network for PS Plus subscribers, I figured there was no better time to check it out.

Coming into the game, I didn't really know what I was going to be getting into. I had heard that this was a primarily exploration based title. There wouldn't be any combat. It would mainly be walking around aimlessly and looking for stuff to do. I knew there was an online element to the game; you'd get to meet and interact with other players. But I also knew that the interaction would be limited as the other players were nameless and soundless. And see, that didn't sound very exciting to me. So despite reading all the good reviews, I still did not have very high expectations for the game.

But I was still curious. Plus the game was free. Why not check it out? This turned out to be a very wise decision on my part.

The game doesn't offer much as far as the story line is concerned. To this day, I still don't really know what was actually happening in the game. Normally this would bug me, but in Journey's case I didn't mind this. The game is more about the experience, the (cough cough) journey itself than anything else.

You start out as a faceless and sexless character, dressed oddly in some kind of hooded all red garb. You are unceremoniously dropped into the middle of the desert with no clear idea of what you are doing there or what is expected of you. Your only clue is a curious light shining from the top of a distant mountain. With no other probable course of action before you, you have no other choice but to head towards the mountain and check out what is going on.

Expect to encounter other similarly dressed characters along the way. These characters are not AI or controlled by the computer. These are fellow players, just like you. Unlike most games that you play online with other people, there are no usernames attached to these characters. No way to communicate with them via headset or Bluetooth. There is a button you can press to emit weird sound effects, which in a way you can use to "talk" to your fellow players. Maybe a way of saying hello or hey get your butt over here. Ultimately this is a pretty useless feature. But kind of neat in a way that it adds to the authenticity of your environment and gives it that little extra layer of immersion needed to enjoy a title like this. If you were allowed to voice chat with the other players I think it would have been a major distraction to the beauty of the game.

Because Journey is all about immersion. The best way to play this title is alone, in the dark with a headset on. For being over four years old, the game looks amazing. It has some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in a video game before. Everything is very detailed. Small things like walking along and looking at the sand and the way it blows in the wind was a real treat for me. The music and sound effects match perfectly with everything that is happening on screen. It is very easy to get sucked into this title and lose yourself completely. One of the most visually stunning moments of the game (in my opinion anyway) happens about halfway through the title. You are sliding down a bunch of sand dunes, navigating your way through a city of sunken ruins. The way the sun goes down and changes the colors on the sand is truly extraordinary. I had to stop and marvel at how amazing everything looked. If you have ever played this game, you will know exactly what I am talking about. And if you haven't, you are in for a real treat.

The game play itself takes a little getting used to. There are no tutorials in the game, no hand holding except for a few basic instructions on button commands. Most things you learn you have to learn on your own. Your character's main method of transportation is walking, but I was delighted to find out that you can also take to the air... albeit for very short periods of time. You will notice that your character has a scarf wrapped around his or her androgynous neck. While exploring the game, you will find scarf upgrades that make the scarf longer. The longer the scarf, the longer you are able to fly. You can only fly when your scarf's power is charged up, but you can readily and easily find charging points throughout the game. And if you happen to see a fellow a player walking around and checking things out, you can charge your scarf by running up to them and making contact with them. So it is very mutually advantageous to hook up and work with other players if you encounter them since you can easily charge each other's powers up rather than having to go look for charging points all the time.

The puzzles in the game are fairly easy to figure out. Most of them involve simply touching something or walking over it. This will most of the time activate a bridge or open a door or something that will help you move on to the next segment of the game. 

The game itself is very short. You could probably beat it easily within two hours. Probably closer to an hour and a half. While normally such a short game would bug me, I can't really complain seeing as how I got to play this for free. And honestly, the journey itself is so immersive and so (at times) awe inspiring that I didn't mind. 

I would highly recommend checking this game out. If you are someone who likes a lot of action and a lot of violence, this maybe isn't the title for you. But even so I would still recommend giving it a chance. It is not like the game is a major time investment or anything. But if you are like me and like video games in all of their forms, I think you would find this title highly enjoyable.

My only criticisms of the game are the short length, the incomprehensible story line, and the fact that your character moves in an obnoxiously slow manner for most of the game. I know that this is supposed to be an exploration based title, so I can see why they would want you to take your time with the game. But when you are trying to get from a clearly defined point A to point B, the slow pace of your character can be a nuisance. While flying gets you places in a slightly quicker fashion, there are often large gaps between charging points. Which means you are going to be stuck walking a long distance anyway. And then you get somewhere where you need to fly and you can't!

But I consider these minor irritants. The game on a whole was truly immersive and a lot of fun. Just checking out the sights and sounds was a truly unique experience. Imagine playing this in full 360 VR. Now THAT would be incredible.

Play this game. It is worth it. Don't shell out big bucks for the title, since as I said it is so short. But if you can get it for free on the PSN or snag it up when it is on sale, I would advise doing do.

Overall:

A-