By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 21, 2012
The latest game by design auteur Jenova Chen and his small studio thatgamecompany is an unforgettable experience rife with metaphor and insight. While the downloadable PSN game, Journey, features just one real task—the literal quest to scale an enormous mountain in the distance—the experience can be read like a poem; each moment is applicable to your own struggles and accomplishments. What kind of adventurer are you? Do you have time for those you meet along the way? What you make of it is up to you; one step at a time.
Journey is not an especially challenging game, nor is it a long one, but that was entirely by design. While some have criticized the $15 game for its short two-to-three-hour length, the pacing and design is highly focused – no elaborate prose necessary.
Setting it apart from other games is its unique take on multiplayer. Though essentially a single-player game, a second player sometimes pops into the game as a companion – though there is no way to communicate with them. Whether they function as competition, an aid, a fellow explorer, or a pest is entirely open for interpretation. Only once the game is complete do you see a list of those you encountered along the way. Intriguingly, the multiplayer levels out the difficulty, with the companion player working to solve the same task as you. It keeps the game’s pace flowing. Additionally, it ensures the game will feel different on each play through – increasing replayability.
Beyond using the left analog stick to move the veiled protagonist forward through the vast world, only two buttons are required to control its actions: one button to sing, the other to float. The camera can be swung left, right, up and down through the controller’s Sixaxis motion control. Though the process is intuitive, the camera can also be controlled with the right analog stick.
Despite the temptation to expose many of the beautiful and striking moments that propelled Journey into my all-time favourites list, it would be an injustice to describe them to someone who had not yet gone through the game his or herself. This is a journey you need to experience for yourself.
Composer Austin Wintory developed the soundtrack, a three-year process that took constant collaboration with the game’s designers. Sometimes rich and beautiful, other times haunting, the orchestral score sets the tone perfectly.
Due to the short length, simple controls and intuitive gameplay, Journey should not be relegated to gamers alone – it can be enjoyed by young and old. Siblings, parents, even grandparents should be encouraged to try it out. In the process, they might learn something they didn’t know about video games – or about themselves.
Though the puzzles in the game are fairly straight-forward, the act of completing them can feel, at times, intoxicating. The attention to detail is evident from start to finish. There are also enough hidden items to make playing through the game multiple times a rewarding experience.
Journey truly is a masterpiece. Though there are some who will inevitably miss the point, or find the game lacking, what it offers is worthy of praise. Through its encouragement of childlike exploration, sheer will and careful self-reflection, thatgamecompany has created something intangible and timeless. It is the kind of depth that ensures Journey will stay with you long after you’ve put the controller down.
