Platform: PS3
Developer: Thatgamecompany
“They-and he-cared about one thing; this fusion of their mentalities oriented their attention on the hill, the climb, the need to ascend. Step by step it evolved, so slowly as to be nearly imperceptible. But it was there. Higher, he thought as stones rattled downward under his feet. Today we are higher than yesterday, and tomorrow-he, the compound figure of Wilbur Mercer, glanced up to view the ascent ahead. Impossible to make out the end. Too far. But it would come.”
In Philip K. Dick’s book; Do androids dream of electric sheep? (Blade runner) a robed image of Wilbur Mercer was virtually assumed through an empathy box. Scrambling upwards amidst desolate burning sands, his ambition, always the same; ascend the top of a mountain, every step taunted under the supervision of the towering peak.
His struggle is cruel and suppressive, but despite his ordeal, he perseveres relentlessly.
When Thatgamecompany announced details of their fourth game; journey, Mercers image burned in my mind, but uncomfortably so. It deliberated something too incongruous with TGC’s mantra.
Cruel doesn’t exactly fit in with TGC’s previous visions;
Flow: an underwater ballet dance about evolution and Flower: a carnival of light and colour, the rejuvenation of earth. They were love letters to nature and creation, exuding calmness and relaxation.
Journey is a linear, undeviating adventure, mirroring Mercers aim of transcending a distant peak. It is inevitable that you will reach the summit, but not in the same way as I or anyone else will. I have been craving to shout about my experience since its conclusion; the locations, the friendships and the revelations, but it feels inappropriate. It is a betrayal not only to those who have not yet made the voyage but also to the vision itself, it should be discovered, not pre-empted. In a perfect world, TGC would have released the game without any promotion whatsoever, no screenshots or videos, because any information dilutes the experience, the less you know about Journey, the better.
Many reviewers will talk about its intricacies, but as much as I want to, I am not going to do that, it really is detrimental to what is an intensely personal experience.
How can I convey what Journey is like without revealing anything?
By its emotional content and the feelings it generated. This is my unique Journey in note form, as it happened from start to finish:
Resplendent, playful, strain, restricted, arduous, solitude, calm, intruder, competitor, claustrophobic, irritating, accomplishment, vivacious, mystery, guidance, friendship, love, fear, insignificance, unyielding, defiance, elated, captivated, pious, virtuous, astonishing, superlative, euphoric, celestial, perfect.
None of those emotions or events were produced from incoherent controls or level design, there are some very traditional gameplay elements in effect but the execution of these are flawless and innovative. After Journeys completion I was left in an indeterminate state, videogames are capable of crafting intimate experiences but I had not felt them as a cohesive whole before.
I have never pushed an analogue stick with such ferocity, at one point realizing there was no need but my body still urged towards the mountains summit, my mind was lost in the ether.
When a next generation console is launched, there are promises of the future. What you habitually receive however are the same games as the preceding generation, just with updated graphics. Journey fulfils this promise not graphically or phonically (which are remarkable); but through something that has never been made before. Something that left me staring at the screen long after the credits rolled. I have always thought this interactive medium was restricted by its vocabulary, primarily because of the words; game, fun and play. Journey is fun, but the question of whether a game is fun or not should not be the epitome of this medium. At times it resonates with Mercers passage, feeling cruel and claustrophobic, at times transcending into the heights of spirituality. Journeys gift is that it eradicates the label of fun and delivers myriad feelings not associated with a videogame.
Jenova Chen and his team are visionaries, calling Journey a game is erroneous; this is an interactive vision in its purest form, directly entrenched from their minds into your hands.
There was a time when consoles were shipped with pre built-in games; Journey must be etched onto the hard drive of every PS3 produced. This should be the first experience that everyone has of Sony’s own empathy box.
Interactive visions 
A great game. It’s encouraging to see game developers approaching from a different mindset, focusing on delivering an interactive aesthetic experience rather than something requiring manual dexterity or puzzle solving. It’s true that the word ‘game’ even feels like a slightly awkward description of what we’ve got here, which although playful or even joyful in places is for the most part a fairly sober experience.
One of my favourite aspects of this game is actually just that it’s so short. Just because save files allow us to have huge games you can stop and start at your convenience, doesn’t mean that all games need to be huge time suckers. With Journey you can play through in one sitting, which I think actually is one of the key reasons it is so impactful – you get the whole uninterrupted story in one go, allowing for maximum player engagement. Contrast that to the stop start manner in which you have to play longer games.
Thank you for being considerate in your wording. It is really hard to talk about Journey without spoiling it for others, especially when you want to shout about it from the rooftops.
I will be posting more content regarding neoteric thinking and innovation shortly, your critique will be most welcome.