I’ve been sick the last couple of days, and so have just been playing lots of Shantae (GBC) and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS). But I haven’t finished them, and I generally like to review games I’ve finished. So I’ll talk about a game I finished a few weeks ago, one of the main reasons we got our PS3.

Journey has been talked up in a lot of places, but it was seeing the footage in ABC’s Good Game review that convinced us. Since then, John Siracusa has also been raving about it on his podcast Hypercritical, that me and my wife listen to together. The way he talks about it, you’d think it was the only game that ever mattered.

I don’t think that this game changes the face of the industry or anything, but it certainly is one that should go near the top of developers’ to play lists. I think that is why most people see it as important, because it represents a design philosophy inconsistent with major sections of the industry that are going astray. In other words, it’s really good and other people could learn something from it.

But how is it as an actual game? It’s a statement, certainly, and arty enough. Perhaps not as arty and more gamey than Flower, the previous game from these developers. Or is it? Maybe it’s the type of game that invites this kind of meta-analysis, or maybe that’s just been done so much that I can’t help but associate the game with these kinds of debates. I decided long ago that I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like. I don’t pretend to know that much either about what makes a good game, but I know when I like a game. This is one I like. (I don’t think it’s art, by the way, or at least not more than other games. Eh, maybe it is. Oh God now I’ve brought up whether games r art ABORT)

This is the sort of game that, well, my wife and I played through once each and haven’t touched it since. I think you don’t want to play it too often because that would dilute the experience. Related to this is: it’s short, and on my playthrough I was helped by a big pro with a white robe, who helped me find all the symbols so now we have a white robe if we want it. This is a game to be played multiple times, and we will. But not right away.

This is also the type of game that people go, “Ooh, I won’t say anything about it. It’ll spoil the experience.” Bugger that. Spoiler time! The pacing of the game is fantastic, it introduces elements one at a time while changing the environment. You can then identify these elements and environments (like the cloth birds, the underground tower etc.) in murals that you find or are shown in cutscenes between areas, which is cool and adds to the world-building. Getting to the snowy windy mountain and slowing down makes you feel vulnerable after you’ve been through the liberating tower, leading to the lowest point on the mountain. You collapse, but are then revived by the big white guys who are presumably the previous keepers of the magic you have inherited. You then become a superscarf flying magician in a huge expanse, it feels great and all very natural. Then you get to the end, and go back and start again. It’s not an unsatisfying ending; after all, the journey is the important thing I guess.

It’s important in this game to find a companion who will stick around for a bit and stay close to them. The limited interaction mechanisms forces you to be creative and playful with the other, and it’s fun jumping and singing with them. Co-op is generally good for me anyway, in fact I even considered playing TF2 again for the first time in ages because they just announced a new co-op mode.

Anyway Journey is really good. It’s short but beautiful. As long as you play it a few times it’s probably worth the cost, especially if you want to “see what everyone’s talking about” but not talking about cos they don’t want to spoil you or whatever. Sorry, I find it annoying if someone will venture zero reasons for the quality of an experience and insist you just do it. Please, try and articulate people. It’s a fun little runny jumpy explory story game, but quite subtle. Maybe wait for the retail disc, with their other two games.

Wife’s comment: It was fun! I think Flower will be more fun though, because some bits of Journey were a bit scary. And hard.

So it does engender an emotional connection, although some of the platforming was a bit challenging for the proverbial inexperienced gamer. Sorry felt like expanding that comment. Ta ta.