Journey

JOURNEY

Published by Santa Monica Studios & thatgamecompany
Platform: PS3

The independent gaming scene is fast becoming the place to find innovative and engaging new work in an often stagnating industry. With the likes of Braid, Bastion, Limbo and Minecraft (to name but a few) proving critical and commercial hits, there has never been more diversity or vivacity in PC and platform gaming. Yes, there are plenty of bad games, indie or not, and plenty of brainless ball-sweat blockbusters filling the shelves, but they make the experience of gaming even grander when you stumble upon something like Journey. This is particularly true in light of the fact that Journey may just be the most profound and glorious indie title yet.

Of story there is little: you are a hooded nomad wandering through the desert, guided only by the distant visage of a vast glowing mountaintop and the occasional notched stone. A scarf inscribed with glittering runes flows freely from your collar. Your only abilities are to wander the landscape, to glide, and to sing.

Developers thatgamecompany specialise in exactly this kind of experiential gameplay. While the achievable goals are often lofty - like the renewal of the natural world in their previous outing Flower - it's less about 'beating' the game and more about absorbing a uniquely sensory world. And what a world this is! It is without doubt their most responsive and exquisite creation, a land of landscapes which shift and change with boggling realism. Sand and snow ripple under your feet like water, blooming out like waves at the sound of your voice. As the light changes, the sand transforms into liquid gold, creating an unforgettable image.

The designers are well aware of the graphic muscle they're flexing, and (as with Flower) encourage the audience to meditate on the encounter. There are countless moments where it would be easy to simply stand and take in the sights for hours. That is, until a genuine sense of danger slides into the room like a shadow. This is not an experience that lacks in fear.

Above all, there is a strangely pervasive sense of purpose in your trek - the desire to explore is quite often overcome by the need to push towards the mountain. This is where the game's key comes into play, as the entire game is played online. Every now and then, another nomad appears within view. They look and act as you do, but their song is different. This is another player, somewhere in the world, experiencing Journey at the same time and in the same world as you. You can only interact with them through song and through your presence, and neither of you can actively help the other. Co-operative gameplay is sidelined in favour of simply being with company.

I personally found this mechanic to be the most moving element of the game. Players can pop in and out as with any game, but it is possible to play from beginning to end with a single companion, many, or none. I spent much of the game travelling with another. Names were not exchanged. Wordlessly we built a bond, racing each other to tasks and gliding side by side across endless dunes. At one point, I turned around after scaling a great height to find my companion gone. I waited with growing tension for their arrival. They never came, and it took me many long moments to slowly turn from the the precipice edge and walk away.

There is a greater metaphor about the experience of one's life, and a deeper story involving the ruin of a great civilization, to explore, but finding them out for yourself is most of the joy. The game lasts for roughly three hours, and it's well worth playing through without pause for true immersion. Those who have complained about the game's play time are clearly missing the point. Hours may be sunk into the padded gameplay, but here is a tapestry woven with the richest threads. There is not a second that feels wasted.

On this grandest of travels, you will experience the full spectrum of human emotion, whether solitary or with strangers. However you traverse the desert, the landscape will fix itself in your memory, changing you. You will never forget this Journey.