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| So it begins... |
GENIUS: The "Hook"
At this point, I'm already sold. The beauty of the game is absolutely breathtaking. Journey has the best sand (and later, snow) physics I've ever seen in a game. The music is chillingly beautiful. The music can be soothing and calm, or quiet and eerie, while others are energetic, exciting, and frightening. Sometimes, the silence is equally as moving. You are given no backstory, no cinematics, no explanation of any kind other than very simple directions on how to move your character and control the camera. You literally start out sitting in the valley between a dozen dunes. There are no objectives save the self imposed objective of "What are those things up there?" Your curiosity as a player is what forces you to stand up and begin your journey.
As I crest the dune, my eyes are immediately drawn to an enormous mountain in the distance. A light rises to the heavens from the mountain's peak and beckons me to it. I glide down the other side of the dune and make my way through a valley of more strange pillars until I reach the ruins of an old building buried in the sand. A curious light sits atop it, with short ribbons circling around it in the air. Before I can make anything of it, the ribbons glow brightly. The strange light envelops me, and a flowing scarf suddenly forms around my neck. It's short, not more than two feet long, but as I stand still atop the ruins, it glows brightly. The short ribbons flow down to me and grant me their power. Runes appear on the scarf, but I know not what they mean...
For some strange reason, I have the desire to leap. To my surprise, I shoot straight up into the air. As I hover in the air, the scarf glows as the runes suddenly begin to disappear. Once they are gone, I find myself slowly floating down to the ground. I land atop the ruins once more, and the wondrous process repeats itself. The ribbons glow, the runes appear, and I am suddenly able to leap again...
GENIUS: The Gameplay
One of the greatest points in Journey's gameplay is the lack of "tips" or "how to play" pop-ups. You are told to push a button, but you're not explicitly told what each button does. When you press a button, something happens on screen, and you're expected to work out its purpose on your own. This is how games should be. There shouldn't be a hundred pop-ups telling you to do this or that or whatever. Think back to Mario or The Legend of Zelda for the NES. Sure, the NES controller only had two buttons, but the game never told you which button made you jump or swing your sword. You had to experiment in order to figure all that out. In Journey, you figure out on your own that your jump ability is directly linked to the runes on your scarf. You figure out on your own how to refill your scarf with runes. You figure out on your own how to extend your scarf. It's utterly refreshing to play a game that doesn't think I'm an idiot and try to tell me how to play, but instead allows me learn how to play at my own pace.
A short distance from the first ruin, I find another. I climb to the top and find four dusty old ribbons fluttering in the wind. In that instant, I feel the uncontrollably urge to say something, or even to sing. As I shout with all my being, the ribbons suddenly glow brightly and gently flutter in the wind. Suddenly, they evaporate into thin air. A small metal grate in the middle of the ruins opens, and dozens of short ribbons flow into the air. I feel the need to sing again. As I do, the ribbons envelop me and lift me skywards. With their aid, I can reach the ledge I was unable to before...
A stone monolith stands before me atop the ledge of the ruined building. As I step closer to it, the heads of the pillars around me begin to glow with an eerie light. Once all are alight, a well of golden light appears on the ground before the monolith. As I kneel before it, a strong feeling of reverence falls over me, and my mind is swept away by a bright light...
(*SPOILER WARNING!*)
Someone... A strange being, clothed in white robes much like my own yet vastly different, towers over me. I stand quietly, intimidated, as the white being reveals to me a story of the past...
GENIUS: The Storytelling
Without a single word, Journey tells a story that is far more powerful and meaningful than any game I've ever played. These "ancestors" in the white robes that you meet through these visions reveal the history of the universe prior to your awakening in the desert. It's the tale of the rise and fall of civilizations, and how we fight over resources and luxuries to the point of extinction. It's not the most original of stories, but it is incredibly powerful nonetheless. I won't spoil it any further than that...
After passing through a large, metal door, I find myself in the midst of more of the same. Tall, stone pillars stand in the middle of an overwhelmingly large sea of sand. Ribbons flutter in the wind in the vast desert around me, and with no other choice, I begin to explore.
However, I suddenly find that I am not alone...
GENIUS: The Greatest Co-op Game Ever Created
I thought I would be alone for most of the game. I knew that other people could show up, but I didn't know that other people showing up was actually one of the main points of the story.
At first, you don't really know what to do. There's no way to talk to the person you're playing with, and there's no indication of who that person actually is. The only way to communicate with this anonymous player is through a simple call, which can be changed depending on how long you hold the button on the controller down. The first time I met someone, we kind of just did our own thing. There wasn't all that much teamwork involved, and we got to the end of the level and moved on. However, as the game progresses, you find that person's company comforting.
For now, I am joined by this stranger. Our speech is different, and we don't understand each other. However, sometimes no words are needed. Through simple gestures, we are able to understand each other enough to continue our journey. It puts my mind at ease to know that I am not alone. We don't know each other, but we seem to be heading towards the same goal. I don't know how long he'll stay with me, but I am glad for his company...
We travel across the vast desert towards the lonely mountain. Over the course of our journey I come to realize that our meeting was no mere coincidence, but fate. As we skate down the sandy mountains, I find the adventure all the more exciting with his presence. Although I am frightened by the flying demons in the depths beneath the sands, I find courage in the company of my new friend. I am able to enjoy the wonder of the glowing temple even more with another at my side. Before long, he is no mere stranger, but a friend who has experienced happiness, fear, and awe together with me. With each other's help, we are able to reach more of the strange monoliths. Through each vision, we are shown the history of those who came before us...
At times, I felt the necessity to try and protect my companion. In the depths under the sands, the giant, dragon-like creatures soar throughout the level. At first, I thought they were harmless... until one of them picked up my companion and tore off most of his scarf. The game didn't tell us they would do that. Although the eerie music and terrifying sounds the monstrous creatures made should have tipped me off to the danger, it didn't. I was careless. Neither I nor my companion had any idea that would happen. When it did, I'm sure he was just as shocked as I was. Later in our journey, another one came down and hit both of us. I lost over half of my scarf, while my companion had almost nothing left of his.
As we reach yet another monolith, I feel strange. This one is different than the others. As I am swept away by the blinding light, I am met with a different story. I see how I came to be in that desert, how I acquired a new friend along the way, and... what lies before us on our journey. I am hesitant to accept the prophecy the vision has shown me, but as I step out into the snow, I know that dire hardship awaits us...
Through your singing ability or merely a simple touch, you can refill your companion's scarf with runes. During most of the game, you really think nothing of it. You don't necessarily need to use the call or touch each other because there are so many different ways to refill you scarf. I thought that as well, until we reached the mountain.
This is where Journey becomes the greatest co-op game ever made. The mountain is covered in snow, and a blizzard rages around it constantly. As you head up the mountain, ice covers your cloak and quickly eats away the runes on your scarf. In order to keep your scarf full, you have to stay close to each other. Throughout this section of the game, I truly felt as if we were keeping each other alive. Even though I knew you could play Journey by yourself, I felt that, without this person, I would have died in the snow at the base of the mountain.
At the end of the game, your scarves are destroyed by the blizzard, leaving you powerless in the swirling winds. Without the need to keep your scarf full, you don't necessarily have to stay next to your companion. Despite this, we stayed together anyway. Even as the blizzard forced us apart, we fought to get back to each other. The only reason we had to do this was to get back to our friend, so that we could embrace and overcome the struggle together. It was the single greatest co-op experience I've ever had.
Soon, the mountain defeated us. Our bodies were crippled by the frigid air and thundering storm. From a distance, I had thought the mountain our salvation, but all I could see as we climbed was a desolate peak shrouded in lightning and ice. Although I wished to comfort my companion and urge him forward, I found that I could not speak. With no strength left, we fell to the cold ground in the swirling winds and falling snow. But even then, death could not claim us. We are greeted by another vision, in which our ancestors grant us life. My scarf grows back to its former glory and glows with an incredible light. With a powerful kick, I jump from the ground and soar into the heavens...
Through your journey, you showed your ancestors that you value the life of your companion. You showed that you are not bound by the same desires as they were, that you did not fight amongst yourselves over the power of the ribbons. You showed that you wished with all your heart to make it to the mountain's peak, all the way until the end. They deem you worthy of life, and save you from death so that you may finish your quest.
As we land at the peak of the mountain, our scarves disappear. Although I would have been frightened by this before, I can feel nothing but joy. Deep in my heart, I know that we will not need them. I turn one last time to my companion and sing happily. He sings back, and, with a subtle nod we walk, side-by-side, towards the radiant light at the mountain's peak...
*Shivers* (Writing that part gave me goosebumps...)
After the credits, the game tells you who your companions were during the journey. Over the course of four playthroughs, I've had seven (the game may change who you're playing with from time to time depending on where you are in your journey):
TheFrenchOak
Finndawgs
Narcilian
SAWFWAN_HEARTS
Eru_Suke
OPI-OPI
LastDruid
I've only received a message from one of them (LastDruid), but even so, I have no idea who any of them are in real life. If one of them reads this by some small chance, it was a pleasure to share the journey with you, and I hope you enjoy the game as much as I do.
Final Thoughts
I've read that some people have said this isn't really a game, it's more of an interactive adventure or movie. But isn't that what a game is? If we can accept that Heavy Rain or The Walking Dead are games, why wouldn't Journey be a game? Why does the protagonist have to have a gun in his hands in order for the mainstream, or even the gaming culture, to consider it a game? In a video game market flooded with mindless cover-based, corridor and first person shooters, Journey is a pleasant departure from the norm. It's calming, peaceful tone stands in stark contrast to the bloody, gore-fests that are so prevalent in most games of today.
In my honest opinion (and as your can probably tell from the GENIUS ratings all across the board), I think that Journey may be the greatest game ever made. I've played it through four times now, yet I feel like I could play it a hundred more times and be just as happy at the end as the I was with the first four. From a gameplay perspective, the controls are solid, the gameplay is new and innovative, and the concept is nearly perfect. But Journey is far more than just a game. It's not meant to be played, it's meant to be experienced. Watching someone play or reading about it doesn't do it justice; you really need to experience it for yourself first hand. So get on out there and make the journey for yourself...
(All screenshots came from Ghostrobo's playthrough of Journey on Youtube. Thanks Ghostrobo, and thank you thatgamecompany for making such an amazing game.)
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