The word “brilliant”, which many players use when they see Journey, too catchy for this project. Actually, for most people it has already lost its true meaning. It’s all the more difficult to write a review of this project, because it’s difficult to take Journey apart brick by brick: conceptually, it’s a snake, but once you dive deep into the project, you understand that this game has crossed the line between "Art" And "Games". And all the cogs of the project consist of the simplest ideas and only one concept.
Many of you, having seen the game trailer, might have thought: "Ugh, another console-indie squalor for Aesthetes. There’s nothing here: the design is too simple, instead of music there’s a terrible orchestral mess, and the exclusivity for PS3\PSN\PSVita is so bad. Even "Press X to Win" yes. In general, another project that no one needs".
And your reaction is understandable: in an industry where they push the next Hollywood blockbuster down your throat, or give you endless resources to create your empire, or present you with the “holy” Grail of multiplayer shoot-em-ups, this project will seem strange to a common player.
If you prefer all of the above, then you can safely close this review – it is not for you.
Yes and Journey obviously not for mass races through the Caspian checkpoints. But this is the main advantage of this game. Although it is a little incorrect to call it such a bland word as "game". The word “Audio-visual meditation” would be more appropriate here.
ThatGameCompany can be compared to Hippies stuck in their era. The studio, led by gaming genius Jenova Chen, has already created meditative projects – Flow And Flower. Both projects are a message and a philosophical reflection on evolution and the nature of things, in the form of interactive entertainment based on simple mechanics. But returning to their new project – in Journey, the authors went even further – here everything is bolder and riskier than in the studio’s previous projects.
As you can understand from the https://casinosiegercasino.co.uk/ name. At its core, this is a minimalist third-person journey of your nameless character across the endless sands. When the game starts, our virtual nomad self-awakens in a sand dune. His goal is a glowing mountain peak in the distance. And only you can decide how he gets there.
Journey is a silent journey through a vast sandy desert transformed into meditation. A project where it is difficult to identify the main features: here everything works like a well-coordinated mechanism. There are no dialogues or characters – they are simply not needed here. Everyone will see the background that is close to him. The story ThatGameCompany wants to teach you is your own. The authors don’t give you any background or real background for the story. Sometimes you won’t even know what to do. Actually, your story will begin with a feeling of complete powerlessness – there are no power-ups, no statistics, no spells and skills – only the ability to move your character by tilting the left stick, and a jump with smooth gliding down (on the button X). Collecting glowing symbols will only slightly increase the distance and height of your jump.
Most of the challenges you encounter in the game are based on platforming. At your disposal, flocks of fabrics replenish your scarf-meter. It sounds weird, but it’s actually quite simple – you have the ability to briefly control these pieces of fabric that can carry you upward, like a sudden gust of wind.
Later, similar ecological ones appear at the levels – underwater levels, where you need to group together something similar to corals with long pieces of fabric, which can be used to climb up. And on snowy ones – pieces of frozen fabric, which can be “warmed up” and get a little more support to overcome dangerous weather conditions.
Without a doubt, one of the most intriguing and exciting things in the game is Co-op. It is unusual in that you are thrown towards an unfamiliar player – and only your decision is whether to go with him, helping to solve puzzles, or not – there are no fines or penalties for this. But when you go too far, the feeling of loneliness becomes a heavy burden.
Visually, Journey – amazing spectacle. Thanks to sand movement technology, excellent design and animation, both the main character and the strange creatures encountered along the way., the authors immerse you in the mystical world of dunes.
The desert here is not just frozen slurry, but much more like a huge ocean. Graphic beauty is accompanied by an equally captivating musical score that complements the atmosphere and changes depending on the action.
Artistic and technical excellence Journey worth your time, but no one should be under any illusions about the complexity of this project. But this is more of a plus than a minus. It cannot be said that the game design here is simple and accessible – there is a lack of imagination of the authors and creative impotence of the designers.
On the contrary, like no other project in this generation, Journey you can’t label or scold for something. Actually, this is not necessary – there is no pursuit of high scripted moments, or Hollywood shots, and all sorts of garbage, like destruction and perks. The game will not lose its meaning if you do not want to play the local co-op. There are no good-bad dilemmas here. The game is simply better than this.
Those of you who have played Flower may have noticed that Journey – a mirror image of many unfinished emotional scraps from its predecessor. Journey still remains a parable about loneliness and life, nature and emptiness. The game amazes, but does not give you answers – only a few hours of silent travel through the endless desert to the holy mountain. A few hours spent on projects will definitely remain in your memory for years.
For:
— Stunning visual style
— Piercing music
— Unusual and interestingly executed multiplayer
— A variety of puzzles that won’t let you get bored
— The game encourages an infinite number of playthroughs
Against:
— Duration only 1.5-2 hours
— Due to the meditative nature of the game, you can fall asleep while playing it