So yesterday on whim I bought downloaded played and completed Journey on the PS3.
Yes it’s only about 3 hours long, but OH MY GOD what a beautiful game.
Basically the art design is flawless. Just everything is breathtaking, from the scenery to the particles of sand or snow you trudge through.
There is no voice acting, and yet there are cutscenes. No story is spelt out to you, instead you piece together the narrative yourself and come to your own conclusions. All you know is that somehow you need to reach the mountain peak in the distance.
The multiplayer is beautiful. Yes, BEAUTIFUL. Because on your journey alone in the desert, you can encounter another traveller, but there is no way of telling who they are, as they are anonymous. You can only communicate through chirping and movement, no voice chat or personal messaging is allowed. I met people who were not interested in me, people who would interact fleetingly then leave, and one person near the last third of the game who helped me out, particularly when hiding from scary monsters. I was attached to my companion by the end, almost lost them too, but then they came back, we chirped excitedly and finished the game together. It’s weird, but reducing this interaction to its simplest terms is so effective, as you cross language barriers and completely obliterate trolling.
Think of an emotion. This game covers them all. I cried at the end for the journey i had completed. This wasn’t a game. It was an experience.
