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Journey

Developer: thatgamecompany Publisher: SCE
13 March 2012
Journey - cover art
Glitchwave rating
3.82 / 5.0
0.5
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1,817 Ratings / 6 Reviews
#448 All-time
#12 for 2012
A robed figure in a desolate world undertakes a journey towards a distant, glowing mountain.
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Journey is good here are some thoughts about the video game 'Journey'
Because structured reviews are for nerds

Journey is the best 'walking simulator' out there as far as I'm concerned.

Journey does a great job of setting you up for what it's going to be. Minimalist UI design and tutorials, plus your movement (the only real gameplay there is) being altered contextually based on the terrain and what how the player character is interacting with it are introduced before the title screen three seconds in.

Journey has a lot of sand, so it's great that the sand looks good. It looks really good. Probably my favourite sand in any video game. 10/10 sand.

Journey's 'story' is loose and ambiguous but feels unpretentious. It can be, and may well be for you, a simple Journey. The simplicity of everything from the art direction to the pictorial language of the game world and story allows everyone to invest personally and uniquely in the game. It makes it feel timeless, and it's a good feeling to know that it won't look like shit in a couple of years.

Journey takes its walking seriously. Walking isn't just a way for the player to manually control the pace of a tour through an art gallery. Nor is it a way for the player to choose which pieces of art they want to go to and see. Walking is played on, manipulated, to make you feel shit. Interact with some nice crimson scarves? You're floating and it's fantastic. Going up a hill? It feels arduous. But the payoff? Sliding down that hill. Journey's storytelling; its ability to elicit an emotional response from the player comes as much from its movement as it does from its world, which is admirable.

I think it's really interesting that Journey, a game many would rabidly scream is not a game, and a game with extremely simplistic gameplay, made me fear taking damage and death more than most. By virtue of having flying that feels fucking fantastic, movement and pace that feel good but still allow you to take in the world's gorgeousness, the threat of this being taken away by being damaged by one of the like three enemies in the game is all the more tragic a prospect. I don't think I've ever felt more determined to sneak past enemies than I have in Journey, and I've played dedicated stealth games.

I had no idea that Journey had 'co-op' (for lack of a better term), and the camaraderie I established with my fellow burqa buddy throughout our adventure was somehow unforgettable. Our language was reduced to a series of clicks representing a press of the circle button. My buddy may have been trying to use morse code but it seemed like we just clicked a lot when things happened or when we lost each other. It was the knowledge that either one of us could, with no repercussions whatsoever, advance onwards without the other that made sticking together that much more enjoyable. I then found out his name was Wolfhammer98 or something, and pondered, yes, pondered on how I would've assumed that this human being was a twat if I'd saw that tag beforehand. I felt silly that sand sim 2012 had made me ponder that.

If there's one thing I have to say against Journey, it's the forced cut-scenes where control is taken away from the player. This is especially annoying because the game otherwise does a good job of just guiding the camera towards important events whilst retaining player control, stopping the game from feeling like it's slamming the brakes on. It would've been nice to be able to admire the hieroglyphs/tapestry revealed after every 'level' at my own pace with my control rather than being forced to do it. And the score was nice but not stellar.

Good game
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Diiny 2016-04-03T21:28:38Z
2016-04-03T21:28:38Z
4.5
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혼자하면 재미없음
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fleshisweak 2021-11-19T03:59:49Z
2021-11-19T03:59:49Z
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Journey is a uniquely refreshing game, it stands out amongst the largely combat-oriented games that dominate the industry in both content and approach. Where most games begin with a comprehensive run-down of the controls and objectives, Journey leaves almost everything down to you and points you forward. Your abilities begin unclear and absurd, although beautiful in appearance - the colours in this game are a marvel, especially the neon blue accents on your character's cape against the endless sand backdrop.

For me I found this game to play on somewhat religious and western themes, particularly the idea of rebirth and mentorship - the game takes you from a place of serene stability and drives you down to the depths to an encounter with a literal dragon, where you begin to learn how to interact with the world, discover your abilities and then slowly rise up to the peak of the mountain (perhaps the North Star and the symbol of the ultimate ideal?) with the guidance of what seems to be your elders, whom impart wisdom to you along the way.

I'm unsure of the significance of the pseudo-death, or actual death, near the end and the slow walk into the light, since I am not well versed in religious iconography. Maybe that death is not the end? Perhaps you become one of the elders and your lessons live on, as you impart wisdom to the next generation. Who knows.

The puzzles are easy to solve, although I don't think they were intended to be challenging, I see the puzzles as an extension of the story, each used to discover and display an ability which will help you to navigate later sections of the game.

Maybe I missed the mark, or there was no mark to be hit.

Still, the game offers a distinct and novel entry to an over saturated market which cleanses the palette, even if the price is steep for a short completion time (around 90 mins in my case)
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Great art direction and atmosphere, interesting way to involve other players online, but gameplay-wise, nothing so interesting. It was refreshing to play and just right in length, but I don't think I would want 10 hours of this.
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I'm fully down with games that could be considered artsy/pretentious/slow but this was just dull imo. There was never a moment where I had to seriously think about what I needed to do and there was not enough context, intrigue, or even just aesthetic value to make the slog worth it, especially in the snowy area when you're literally just walking forward at an agonizing pace for what feels like forever. The part at the end of this section where your character starts moving slower & slower over the course of a couple minutes until they finally collapse felt like it was shaking me and begging me to feel something but it just fell entirely flat for me.

Interacting with the other players was definitely fun and the sliding/free flying sections were cool but I spent the vast majority of this game's short playtime completely uninvested.
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TurboThot 2021-05-18T21:38:10Z
2021-05-18T21:38:10Z
2.0
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I've had walks through my neighborhood that were longer and more gratifying than this "Journey".
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Erockthestrange 2019-01-30T04:13:33Z
2019-01-30T04:13:33Z
4.5
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Catalog

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2024-03-28T08:29:10Z
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2024-03-24T15:08:25Z
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eliottstaten Journey 2024-03-16T22:00:32Z
2024-03-16T22:00:32Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Alex22jp Journey 2024-03-15T18:31:50Z
2024-03-15T18:31:50Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
BeardAlmighty Journey 2024-03-14T22:00:28Z
Windows
2024-03-14T22:00:28Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
MilesTaco Journey 2024-03-13T04:19:53Z
PS3 / PS4
2024-03-13T04:19:53Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Player modes
1-2 players
Media
Download
Multiplayer modes
Cooperative
Multiplayer options
Online
Also known as
  • Путешествие
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  • Previous comments (23) Loading...
  • Gayvyn 2022-04-12 11:55:29.165989+00
    Definitely underated
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  • IgorEmu 2022-07-10 20:50:44.398699+00
    Very pretty but also a textbook example of style over substance.
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  • SongLyricHere 2022-08-09 23:20:30.684313+00
    These dudes got the gaming and mainstream press in the palm of their hands and then dipped damn
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  • ThatOneDude 2023-06-24 18:34:47.042699+00
    I love the way your character flys through the air. Everything about this game is beautiful. The style and the multiplayer combined make up for the lack of complexity
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  • Awsomename10 2023-10-31 12:32:56.490893+00
    Went almost the entire game with one partner, I got really scared when I fell on the mountain, we kept calling out to each other to make sure we were still there, but I got back up and we finished the game together.
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  • silk_ 2023-11-13 02:30:28.980598+00
    Game equivalent of slow cinema
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  • Pumas 2024-02-02 21:44:14.43592+00
    This has gotta be one of the most overrated games ever
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  • renegadexavier06 2024-03-17 19:13:30.92095+00
    "I've had walks through my neighborhood that were longer and more gratifying than this 'Journey'"

    The neighbourhood:
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