Gryphos
Auror
So I just played Journey on the PS3 for probably the tenth time so far and my god, it's just as amazing as ever and part of me really just needs to vent.
In case you weren't aware of what Journey was, it's an indie title made by That Game Company (the actual studio name). Essentially you play as a desert traveller. Your task, the aim of the entire game? To get to the top of a mountain. Simple right?
It is, and that's part of the brilliance. The game never actually tells you "go to the top of that mountain", the game just opens with you in the desert and the mountain in the distance, nothing else. It's your natural intuition that guides you throughout the actually very linear experience, and thus it never feels like you're being forced down corridors.
And of course in general the game is not just the most beautiful games ever made, but one of the most beautiful stories ever told, game, film or book. The music complements your actions and the environment perfectly and it does an amazing job in manipulating your feelings. At the start of the game you'll be slightly puzzled and curious, followed by childlike wonder. Then comes potent fear, followed by pride, then heart-crushing sadness, proceeded finally by overwhelming happiness. And I won't lie, I cried harder at this game than at Bambi.
But what I love most about it is that it's a story that can only ever be told in the form of a game. This story would never work as a book for one simple reason, there are no words. There is not a single line of dialogue, not even in written form, throughout the entire game. It boils down all the emotions you feel to their most basic form, making it almost a primal experience. If someone were to write the story of Journey down, you instantly lose that primal sense because the story is in word form. I just find that fascinating.
I know this was a bit of a rant, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if some people here didn't know about this wonderful piece of art, one that (if I had my way) would go down in history as one of the truly great pieces of art.
In case you weren't aware of what Journey was, it's an indie title made by That Game Company (the actual studio name). Essentially you play as a desert traveller. Your task, the aim of the entire game? To get to the top of a mountain. Simple right?
It is, and that's part of the brilliance. The game never actually tells you "go to the top of that mountain", the game just opens with you in the desert and the mountain in the distance, nothing else. It's your natural intuition that guides you throughout the actually very linear experience, and thus it never feels like you're being forced down corridors.
And of course in general the game is not just the most beautiful games ever made, but one of the most beautiful stories ever told, game, film or book. The music complements your actions and the environment perfectly and it does an amazing job in manipulating your feelings. At the start of the game you'll be slightly puzzled and curious, followed by childlike wonder. Then comes potent fear, followed by pride, then heart-crushing sadness, proceeded finally by overwhelming happiness. And I won't lie, I cried harder at this game than at Bambi.
But what I love most about it is that it's a story that can only ever be told in the form of a game. This story would never work as a book for one simple reason, there are no words. There is not a single line of dialogue, not even in written form, throughout the entire game. It boils down all the emotions you feel to their most basic form, making it almost a primal experience. If someone were to write the story of Journey down, you instantly lose that primal sense because the story is in word form. I just find that fascinating.
I know this was a bit of a rant, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if some people here didn't know about this wonderful piece of art, one that (if I had my way) would go down in history as one of the truly great pieces of art.
Sage
