Written by: Robert J. Escandon
Where do I start? I mean, the experience is one that ultimately begins with you, alone in the vastness of what seems like endless nothingness. But in reality, at a distance, you begin to see an unfolding sense of hope and purpose. It plays on curiosity and the general vibe sweeps you into discovering the path before you.
The cloaked red figure holds a sense of mystery and antiquity that can’t really be explained with words, but the emotion he/she or it carries is an immediate connection into your heart. The art style is simple, yet complex all at the same time. It’s something that the music tends to do throughout the experience. It compels you to keep going forward.
The story, even though is not explicit, is told in a very natural and organic way.
It flows.
All of it does, from the gameplay, to the environment, the music and everything else make up a strange yet very familiar world. Though, like any game there is always a sense of danger, there’s a compass of comfort that is instilled in the experience that keeps you going even when you die.
It’s a very poetic song and dance that’s very accessible from the beginning all the way to the end of Journey.
There’s a lore there that slowly unfolds as you progress through the experience that only gets deeper and more meaningful. There’s a particular beauty embedded there that gives off a sense of sacrifice, love and a balancing act between duty and purpose. It’s very much very personal to the player if one lets themselves go deep enough into the experience. It’s awesome because very few games manage to do this with such graceful style.
Looking for a stressful game? well, Journey is pretty much the opposite of that. Even though there a level of challenge, there’s a relaxing comfort to the story and gameplay that actually lets you fully immerse into it without getting frustrated or lost throughout the environment.
It’s meditative in a lot of ways and I would say, its safe to “say” that’s its a spiritual experience.
You run into other red cloaks throughout the game that appear to be other players helping you or very smart NPC’s that join your very graceful dance to fulfill the purpose you are set out to do.
It feels mythological amid its fluid levels and yeah, you can tell I totally love it.
So, yeah, as I wait for a part 2, I pick up Journey every now and again and it always feels new and always stays with me for a long time after I finish.