What I'm Playing: JOURNEY

This game made me cry (in that fantastic way words can't describe properly).

Please, please, please play this game.

Honestly, that's all you really need to know about the game. But, if you want to know more, feel free to read on.

I don't usually wax philosophical about video games (or anything of the sort) but this game was so much more than simply a game. It's ability to portray an age-old narrative in an incredibly fresh way floored me. And the graphics, oh the graphics. It's an absolutely stunning game to play through, and at the risk of sounding like a sap, it almost feels as though you take the journey with the character in the game – both of you changed because of it.

Whew. With that over, let's get down to the details of the game. The main character of the game is a small hooded figure, with a scarf trailing behind it. The game really gives you no details, no story, no nothing. You start smack-dab in the middle of a desert, full of mysterious stones and slips of paper, and you need to figure the rest out on your own. Of course, the game is so stylishly done, it's quite easy to navigate, and they do make it so you don't wander around the desert for hours (at least...not for too long). I won't risk spoiling the story for you, but your goal is to get to the top of a shining mountain, and you discover all kinds of secrets along the way.

The most stunning things about the game are its story, and its graphics. The story itself grabs you from the start, and keeps you for the whole game (don't be surprised if you don't do anything for the next two, three hours of your life...) The controls are extremely intuitive and easy to grasp – press one button, press another, and move around. That's it. There's no fighting at all in the game (although there is a bit of terrified running, if you're anything like me), although the story hints at some in the past.

You travel through hills of glittering sand (seriously – it's so sparkly, I died a bit), blistering winds, and all sorts of gorgeous, gorgeous ruins. The details in them, if you take the time to look closely, will floor you, and the stark landscape clashes brilliantly with the details put in to the buildings. You almost feel like an archaeologist, digging for secrets as to where the people who built these ruins went. But there is a large dash of melancholy in the game, especially if you play it by yourself.

There is a feature where you can join forces with a stranger and navigate the game together – I haven't tried it as of yet, but I'm sure it makes the game even more fantastic. 

 

Either way, I HIGHLY recommend you play it. Be as dazzled as I was by it, or even just sit back and watch someone else play it, if you can't. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.