Journey Review
Enter a unique and incredible experience. Developed by thatgamecompany, this Indie game made a stand of its own and even supplanted other high budgeted titles in becoming number one in 2012. Journey is a unique game that each person should experience, especially if one calls himself a gamer. This PS3 exclusive game is filled with depth and quality. It’s emotional and mysterious, and you don’t need to be a hardcore player to beat the game. The controls are simple and the objective straightforward. You’ll notice that the game’s level designs and graphics look amazing. It’s clear that thatgamecompany invested so much time with this game and nothing is compromised, quality speaks for itself in this game. It’s a breath of fresh air each time you play this game. Free yourself from shooters or from adventure and fighting games. This game dwells deep to a level of personal reflection and companionship. The game doesn’t explain things for you, rather you interpret these moments that you experience. However, I will try to explain the simple elements of the game.
Basically, you are a traveler and you’re only goal is to reach the mountain top. You’ll find yourself in a desert through the early parts of the game. Here you’ll notice your objective right away, of which to reach the mountain. Now, the game gets interesting as you progress, there are many obstacles along the way and you need to overcome them. As to what these obstacles are, it’s more fun that you would discover them on your own. Now the most interesting part in the game is that you can finish it with an online companion. Your friend randomly pops in or out. What’s wonderful is that you don’t know who’s the person you are “journeying” with (no pun intended). The game developers purposefully did this because they think that if there are chats or names, then the players will be distracted and won’t be able to fully experience on their goal, of which is to reach the mountain’s peak. However, the only communication that the players can do is do a “chirping” sound. By pressing the circle button, the player creates a sound, this signals the players partner. This can mean many things, they can simply say “follow me” or “come here” , etc. That’s the beauty of the game, and the player can also choose to wait for the player, go together and be partners or they could just leave them behind and go solo. This unique experience on traveling with a person you don’t know is highly emotional, especially in the later parts of the game, where the obstacles get tougher and tougher. I think it’s safe to say that companionship and friendship makes this game more unique than any other game out there. You don’t know the person, and you only have one means of communication. Therefore, trust is imperative if you guys want to succeed. In this game, you also have a scarf, this makes you glide temporarily. You can replenish this ability by getting other scarfs or you can let your friend replenish it for you and vice versa. You can replenish the scarf of your friend by holding circle. You may also want to get white crystal symbol items, these items make your scarf longer. The longer the scarf, the better. The music for this game is phenomenal, the musical score is done by Austin Wintory. The melodies of the music are perfect for the wonderful levels and the music fits well with the ambiance of the game.
In closing, Journey is an amazing and highly emotional game. This game lets you reflect and makes examine your inner self. The multiplayer aspect is well integrated and definitely adds the fun factor of the game. Wonderful graphics and spectacular visuals, the developers for this game understands the meaning of “quality”. They did well in the graphics department. If you’re a PS3 owner, you’re doing a disservice to yourself if you haven’t played this game yet. For those who don’t have a PS3, you can try to play this with your friend who has one. That’s how good it is. This game is really good, it also has won many awards, including IGN’s Game of the Year award for 2012. Although, this game is a 2hr game, those two hours are one of the best. It’s definitely worthy of your time. This game is a masterpiece, no doubt about it. Try this game out, experience a unique and fun journey.