DAY 38 / GAME 38 Journey

DAY 38 / GAME 38

Journey

           Journey may be one of the most beautiful, playable works of art I've ever enjoyed.  It has been out for almost two years now and I've only just gotten around to playing it just the other day.  The thing about Journey is that it's one of those games that you have to experience yourself.  No matter how much it had been recommended to me, no matter how beautiful everyone told me it was, I still wasn't prepared for sensory feast that flowed from my console.

            Journey was made by the same company that created Flow and Flower.  Both games deviate quite a bit from the norm. They almost fall into the grouping of games that take the term 'interactive art' quite literal.  Games where you find yourself only barely controlling the 'experience' that tells a short story or delivers a message, but you aren't really playing anything.  These games are usually very cheap, or free and are more of an experiment than anything.  Flow and Flower at least had a very basic sense of game structure as you emerged yourself in the gorgeous visuals.  

             Journey takes what they've learned from their previous titles and applied it to a stronger structure.  Although the game is very straightforward and linear, requiring very little problem solving; it's still structured around puzzles and story.  In the end you've ingested a wonderful experience.  Taking only a couple hours to play through, it's quick and easy to enjoy.  Any longer and I don't think it would have been as impressive.  

             Leia and I were looking for a games to play and I hadn't tried this yet, but I had grabbed it for my PS3 already on sale.  We started it one night and only turned it off because we had to.  Both of us were completely glued to the screen, I know that Leia doesn't necessarily have any expectations for games like I do, but I swear she was just as floored as I was by the visuals, the music and the brilliant atmosphere of it all.  We were completely charmed by it.  With no dialogue or complex cutscenes both of us knew exactly what story was being told.  I was actually quite surprised as Leia started piecing it all together out loud.  

            Like I said, Journey is a brilliant, playable work of art.  Though a little more into in the literal sense than I usually like to promote.  I would absolutely recommend anyone with a PS3 take a few hours to play through this.

I could honestly go on about this game a lot longer.