Developers:
thatgamecompany
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Platform
Release Dates: March 13-15, 2011
Platforms: Playstation 3
So. Journey. Wow. Just.. Wow. First of, let me tell you this: I love exploring in games that lets me. I have spent hours riding aimlessly in Shadow of the Collossus, gazing over the horizons and out over the oceans as I spur my horse ever onwards over never-ending fields. I've run from one end to the other in the mountainous regions and thick forests of Mortal Online, only to meet my fate at the hooves of an ill-tempered horse. I search every little crevice in STALKER, trying to find new content all the time. And Journey? Journey satisfies this need in just the right way.
Story:
So the story. Hmm. This one's a bit tricky to just lay down flat and just tell you about, because frankly, it's rather... Complex. First of all, there's not a single word of dialouge in the entire game. In the entire game. And still, it manages to tell you a story quite amazingly. At first, I followed what story was shown me, and I didn't really understand much, until they show you what it all means, and I really just twisted myself over it, thinking, "Wow. I did not expect this."
So anyway, here's the premise. You start off watching the sky. As you sit in one of many dunes, you see a falling star race across the sky, and for whatever reason, you decide to stand up. A high dune is just ahead of you. You ascend it, and there you have it, your goal: a mountain, far off in the distance, standing as a shining beacon to lead your way. The title greets you merrily, and then you're off. And your journey begins.
Whenever you finish a "level", if you can even call it that, you're often rewarded with a little story-time cutscene that gives some exposition to the story and backstory of the game, and more and more the story is woven together and presented, with the twist to it all that I mentioned earlier.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is remarkably simple. You can walk, jump, and chime. Yes, chime. Once you aqcuire your scarf, which is accomplished almost immediatly after start, you get a small charge to jump up high into the air and glide a bit. Finding collectibles makes your scarf longer, which makes you able to jump higher and further. The third mechanic, chiming, acts as both your manner of chatting and activation of objects. There is a consistent online mode, where in each level, you may encounter another, anonymous journeyer, another player. And the only way to interact verbally is by tapping the button to make a little chiming noise, and a small pop-up above you to mark where you are. And somehow, this makes for a more meaningful co-op game than any I've expreienced over anonymous, nameless multiplayer.
The multiplayer co-op in this aspect is fairly unique (as in, I've not heard of anything as similar. The closest I can think of is The Endless Forest, but that's not so much a game as a chat-less.. chat. Do hit me up with a comment if you can think of anything similar like Journey's!) and thus makes for a new and rather interesting experience. Walking about with my anonymous brother ingame, I really felt a certain connection, as we jumped, chimed, and frolicked. From time to time, we'd fine a collectible, and chime energetically to get the other's attention, to help each other. Sometimes we just chimed in a sort of friendly conversation manner. It was amazing. Which made the game that much more rich. There were a few times when someone of us didn't manage to jump a gap or similar, and the other stood and waited, or backtracked, just to keep the other company. And then the ending hit me, I mean, us, and it was just that much more of an impact.
Conclusion:
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Platform
Release Dates: March 13-15, 2011
Platforms: Playstation 3
So. Journey. Wow. Just.. Wow. First of, let me tell you this: I love exploring in games that lets me. I have spent hours riding aimlessly in Shadow of the Collossus, gazing over the horizons and out over the oceans as I spur my horse ever onwards over never-ending fields. I've run from one end to the other in the mountainous regions and thick forests of Mortal Online, only to meet my fate at the hooves of an ill-tempered horse. I search every little crevice in STALKER, trying to find new content all the time. And Journey? Journey satisfies this need in just the right way.
I saw some footage from Journey some time ago when they started releasing their gameplay videos, and my attention was really caught. The aesthetic of the game and the tranquil exploration of just walking around sandy dunes just woke something within me that gave me such a desire to test it out. And now it's out. And I played it. And just... My god. Truly, it is not the destination that matters, it's the journey.
Story:
So the story. Hmm. This one's a bit tricky to just lay down flat and just tell you about, because frankly, it's rather... Complex. First of all, there's not a single word of dialouge in the entire game. In the entire game. And still, it manages to tell you a story quite amazingly. At first, I followed what story was shown me, and I didn't really understand much, until they show you what it all means, and I really just twisted myself over it, thinking, "Wow. I did not expect this."
So anyway, here's the premise. You start off watching the sky. As you sit in one of many dunes, you see a falling star race across the sky, and for whatever reason, you decide to stand up. A high dune is just ahead of you. You ascend it, and there you have it, your goal: a mountain, far off in the distance, standing as a shining beacon to lead your way. The title greets you merrily, and then you're off. And your journey begins.
Whenever you finish a "level", if you can even call it that, you're often rewarded with a little story-time cutscene that gives some exposition to the story and backstory of the game, and more and more the story is woven together and presented, with the twist to it all that I mentioned earlier.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is remarkably simple. You can walk, jump, and chime. Yes, chime. Once you aqcuire your scarf, which is accomplished almost immediatly after start, you get a small charge to jump up high into the air and glide a bit. Finding collectibles makes your scarf longer, which makes you able to jump higher and further. The third mechanic, chiming, acts as both your manner of chatting and activation of objects. There is a consistent online mode, where in each level, you may encounter another, anonymous journeyer, another player. And the only way to interact verbally is by tapping the button to make a little chiming noise, and a small pop-up above you to mark where you are. And somehow, this makes for a more meaningful co-op game than any I've expreienced over anonymous, nameless multiplayer.
The multiplayer co-op in this aspect is fairly unique (as in, I've not heard of anything as similar. The closest I can think of is The Endless Forest, but that's not so much a game as a chat-less.. chat. Do hit me up with a comment if you can think of anything similar like Journey's!) and thus makes for a new and rather interesting experience. Walking about with my anonymous brother ingame, I really felt a certain connection, as we jumped, chimed, and frolicked. From time to time, we'd fine a collectible, and chime energetically to get the other's attention, to help each other. Sometimes we just chimed in a sort of friendly conversation manner. It was amazing. Which made the game that much more rich. There were a few times when someone of us didn't manage to jump a gap or similar, and the other stood and waited, or backtracked, just to keep the other company. And then the ending hit me, I mean, us, and it was just that much more of an impact.
Conclusion:
Journey has left an amazing mark on me. I played it for real with some friends over, and halfway through, we've been analyzing the game together, and all of us remarked on its neat gamestyle. After that, they left, to go about their merry way home, and then I continued playing, and I am glad I played it alone, with only my anonymous co-player with me in my own little desert world.
The ending touched me immensly. I can honestly say there were nigh-on tears in my eyes as the conclusion was brought about. I just sat a few minutes after the credits had finished rolling and my "new game+"-esque option was presented on-screen, silent, contemplating what I had just experienced. It was all so amazing, really, and I can't recall when I was last taken aback in such a manner, so profoundly touched to my core.
But yea, well, that's just like.. my opinion, man. Don't take my word for it (or please do, no, really), go play it yourelf. You can even buy it over here, or directly from your PS3, if you have one. Oh, did I mention? Yea, it's exclusive. Sorry.
The ending touched me immensly. I can honestly say there were nigh-on tears in my eyes as the conclusion was brought about. I just sat a few minutes after the credits had finished rolling and my "new game+"-esque option was presented on-screen, silent, contemplating what I had just experienced. It was all so amazing, really, and I can't recall when I was last taken aback in such a manner, so profoundly touched to my core.
But yea, well, that's just like.. my opinion, man. Don't take my word for it (or please do, no, really), go play it yourelf. You can even buy it over here, or directly from your PS3, if you have one. Oh, did I mention? Yea, it's exclusive. Sorry.
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