Journey (2012)

Journey is a beautiful experience and I will remember moments of my playthrough for a very long time. Without telling too much about the unique way how the game introduces one of it's core catches I have to say it really got me in awe. The sensation of questioning whether something is happening as intended, questioning your own theory and slowly realizing the beauty of all what you're seeing is unforgettable.

The game is short and the length of it is perfectly aligned with the experience. One of the best, if not the best game to play on a nice evening when you want to fully immerse yourself with a beautiful game world and surprising gameplay.

Journey got itself on 6th place in my top 10 of 2021.

Not gonna lie. I was playing this while distracted for the first hour or so and that was a huge mistake because the soundtrack makes this game. When I finally settled down properly and played with the music up and my headphones on it all suddenly made sense.

What a journey. Or, well, y'know once it got going. Those early bits were a drag.

And I still don't know what my motivation really was for climbing that mountain. There could have been a McDonald's up there for all I knew. Those glowing light being nothing but the glow of the golden arches...

For a game with no text or speaking though, man I got the feels. Atmospheric. Beautifully crafted, even when your situation is looking bleak.

I'll probably give this a replay at some point, when things are quiet and I can properly get lose in it. It's only a couple of hours long afterall.

I encourage everyone to go on this Journey.

Critics' Score:

Metacritic: 92/100

Game Informer: 9/10

EDGE: 9.5/10

Gamespot: 10/10

Eurogamer: 9/10

IGN: 9/10

I recently posted here an opinion article/ review -the game in question was The Last of Us Part II- on "Games as Art". In there, I tried to make the point that game development -like anything- is first and foremost a craft, and with it some create what I consider, one of the most powerful pieces of art ever made. To define "art", one would need to use the word "experience"; you can't play and win at art, you can only experience it, experience what the piece has to say to you. Therefore, you don't play Disco Elysium, you experience it; you don't play Death Stranding, you experience it; you don't play Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines, you experience it; you don't play Dark Souls, you experience it; you don't play The Last of Us Part II, you experience it; and you absolutely don't play Journey, you experience it... Specially Journey.

To say I have never played a game like it, would be an understatement. Never have I been awed like this in a game, in fact, this feeling I had while going through the dunes of Journey, is the same I have when watching movies like Fantasia or any Miyazaki-Ghibli picture. It just radiates beauty, goodness and hope. I cannot describe the game, or how it's beautiful and intuitive design made this, an actual personal "journey", for as I have said before, the only way is to experience it. But what I can say is that life, the bonds we make through it, the lows, the warm and the cold, all of them are a journey, a cycle. "Journey" is about that, is about life. Well, perhaps after all I can describe it to you, it's "life in a video-game".

Score: 97/100

I'm glad this finally came to PC because it looked interesting but I don't have any modern era consoles. I love minimalist games and this one is very elegant with it's design.

I played this solo and I saw people mention its so much more fun with a friend but meh, it's so short as is and straightforward enough. The real draw of this game is the way the scenery and such sweeps you in such an engrossing way.

In the same way when you take a walk out in the woods alone you feel a closer bond with your environment than if you went in a walk in the woods with a person, this game seems to bring that out so I definitely don't feel like I miss out playing it solo.

The game made me think of ICO with it's minimalist design, but also like an amped-up Firewatch of all things due to the way it is both short and more or less just a walking simulator (albeit with a bit more sense of agency)

I loved playing this short game. You won't take long to experience the whole thing and who you do experience is concise and complete. This game is known for one reason and one reason only, it is beautiful. The graphics are pushed to the limit on this one and the artistry is breathtaking. Gameplay although not that massive or out of the box is still fun and simple enough to not take away from the main focus of visual stimulation. This game gave birth to all those pretty games you barely have to move buttons to play genre where they focus on visuals and music to connect with players while avoiding any dialogue or story (mostly). Not the biggest fan of that style, but I still like to marvel at its achievements. Get it if you like beautiful games that won't ask for too much of your time.