Journey Review

When people look for examples of how games can be art, they often look to Journey as one of their examples. On the contrary, I look to Journey as an example of when a game tries so hard to be art that it forgets what it means to be a game. As the late Satoru Iwata once said, "Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: fun for everyone," and I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Disregarding every subjective element about the game, there is nothing about Journey that is "fun," and I doubt any fan of the game would be able to argue otherwise. Every subjective element of Journey has been done just as well - if not better - by other, more fun games.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that story is meant to be the emphasis in Journey, but consider this: gameplay without story is still a game, but story without gameplay is just a movie. Journey could have easily been an animated movie and it wouldn't be much different; heck, I bet it would've gotten just as many awards. Games don't have to sacrifice gameplay to focus on story. Look at Halo, or Bioshock, or Overwatch. These three games might seem like they're just shooters, but they all have interesting stories and worlds that are distinct from one another. Halo has a quite detailed world, the likes of which would be surprising to one who thinks of the series as just "those games where you shoot aliens." Bioshock weaves themes of morality into not only its story but also into its gameplay by giving the player the option to kill or spare certain characters, with certain choices being more rewarding than others. Overwatch incorporates real-world culture into its characters and settings, so much so that even something as simply as an alternate costume can be a fairly accurate representation of some part of real-world culture or mythology.

One could argue that the point of the game is to explore, but personally, I don't explore for the sake of exploring. I explore to find things. The reason I spent hundreds of hours exploring Hyrule in Breath of the Wild was because I wanted to find things; new weapons, new armor, health upgrades, stamina upgrades, anything worth finding. Journey doesn't offer me anything worth finding. It offers "scarf extensions" (which I'll explain momentarily), but why should I care about them when their sole benefit is that they make it easier to find more scarf extensions? Journey offers nothing but more of the same throughout almost all of the game.

Now, this wouldn't be an issue if Journey didn't sacrifice gameplay to focus on story, but that's the direction the developers went in. The game is built upon a very bare-bones formula: you can walk, jump, float for a limited time, and "ping" to interact with certain objects. That's it. The only thing that changes throughout the entire game is how long you can float for, which is where those "scarf extension" come in. There's no real combat, no real hazards, and no real consequences for failing any of the tasks the game puts forth. I wouldn't even argue that the game has any puzzles or platforming segments. When you really look at it, the game just boils down to lots and lots of walking.

What's worse, Journey's story is a subtle one, not told with any dialogue but rather through pictures and environmental details. Again, this normally wouldn't be an issue, but since story is Journey's main focus, it makes the game feel empty. It'd be one thing if there were NPCs to talk to, or exposition-filled books/logs/memorials to read, or really anything else to interact with in the world. No, instead, Journey's story is conveyed through absence and emptiness, which, granted, is the point, but it makes for a terribly dull experience. It feels like the entire game is nothing but one really long trek through the sand. If the true point of the game is to enjoy the Journey, as the name heavily implies, it does a terrible job of making said journey anything more than a bunch of walking.

I wouldn't even say that Journey's focus on story was worth while. To be blunt, dull and bare-bones as its gameplay. Spoilers, obviously; skip this paragraph if you want to avoid them. From what I can recall, Journey is about the journey of a lone traveler who seeks to reach the peek of a mountain off in the distance. Throughout this trek, the wanderer treks through the ruins of an advanced civilization that was destroyed by war. Once the wanderer reaches the top, they are effectively resurrected back where they started, and then the story presumably loops. I find that ending rather insulting, as it provides no real conclusion or answers, and effectively makes the whole game pointless.

Undoubtedly, Journey gets a 1 out of 5. I have never played such a boring game before in all of my life. You could say that I just don't "get it," and you'd probably be right, but I still stand by everything I've said. Frankly put, I think Journey is a pretentious game for assuming it could keep players invested in miles upon miles of sand with bare-bones gameplay and nothing to reward the player with for their time spent on it. The "game" is nothing more than an interactive art piece. If you're the type of person who plays games to experience them, then don't let my words dissuade you from trying Journey out - it is only $20, after all. Personally, however, I don't think Journey is enough of a game to warrant purchase. There are so many other, more entertaining games you could buy with that same $20.

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Game FAQs: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps3/997885-journey/images