Journey
Producer: Sony
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Platform: PS3
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Adventure
Sands of Time
Written by Jesse Seilhan
We live in a time where videogames are no longer defined by the disc they are printed on, the box art created to entice a sell, and the standard industry price-point from which a quality judgment can be made. The rise of digital distribution and services such as XBOX Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network have shown that excellent games can be made and sold to fans for a much smaller price, but sometimes that price is exactly right for a game of a limited size and scope. With Journey, Sony has potentially found their killer app on their modest download service. If this game was printed on a disc and sold for $60 retail, it would be a failure, but the quirky exploration game fits perfectly on your PS3 dashboard and will probably get more attention than whatever mindless sequel you just picked up on disc.
The true beauty of this game is its premise: the journey. A religious mecca that your character is constantly moving toward is a theme never successfully developed in modern gaming. The rest of it (graphics, gameplay, sound) compliment this central thought, but without that theme of discovery and triumph, Journey would cease to be relevant. If you are familiar with thatgamecompany’s prior work (Flow and Flower), then you are probably comfortable with a lack of obvious narrative and letting your instinct and emotion guide your hand. This is most obvious in the game’s unique multiplayer component: anonymous matchmaking. Instead of going through multiplayer lobbies or friend’s lists, the game seamlessly drops people into your world (or you into theirs) for you to interact with and solve puzzles together. You can never talk to them, type messages, or even see what their gamertag is. Instead, when the game is over, you are given a list of other explorers that crossed your path over the three-hour experience. This adds a whole layer of mystery and discovery to a game already dripping with style.
Graphically, the game is strikingly beautiful. When designers pick just a few aesthetics to focus on, wonders can be achieved. In this case, sand is the main vehicle through which the player navigates. Sand acts as a ramp, getting you from Point A to Point B but then can instantly act as a wall or disorienting blizzard, if the game needs such a moment. Basic game techniques such as jumping and platforming exist solely to move you through this sprawling desert. If there was a single complaint I could make, it is that I want more of it. Second and third playthroughs are recommended just to see every inch of this vast world, but once every nook and cranny has been discovered, there is little else to do. If you own a PlayStation 3 and have any reservations about buying this game, remove them from your mind and begin your journey: you will not regret it.