Journey

[owlmoose]

Today, on the recommendation of many people, we played Journey. What a gorgeous little game. Definitely recommended, although it was over too soon. Beautiful artwork, perfect music (the soundtrack was only $5 on iTunes, making it an instant buy), and it was often exhilarating. I enjoyed the little bit of multi-player, too.

Over on Tumblr, vieralynn asked me what my favorite part of the game was, and I had a hard time narrowing it down. The art? The atmosphere (to which the music was a perfect contribution)? The simplicity of gameplay? The sense that we are seeing the postscript to longer, older story, but this piece is all that we are ever going to get? A little bit of all of those, I suppose.

I feel like I want to talk about this game with people, but I’m not sure how to start a conversation about it. It seems almost too easy to suggest that the game is a metaphor for the cycle of life, but it’s just sitting right there, waiting for me. A trek through the desert, solving puzzles that you can do by yourself but are much easier if you have a little help, and then you die and are resurrected into a beautiful new place, where you can fly through the air almost with impunity — and then after passing through a mysterious door, you go back to the beginning. Maybe I should look for something beyond the obvious interpretation, but that seems pretty obvious.

If other people have thoughts, I would love to talk about them. And if you don't have thoughts because you haven't played it (and you have access to a PS3), then seriously, go play. It's a short game, and I'm already looking forward to experiencing it again.

Comments

[sarasa_cat]

Oh wait, a $5 version of the soundtrack is available on iTunes?! I'm hooked before I play it!

I mostly listen to video game soundtracks when working. Instrumental music only because words interfere with most of my work-related activities, and game soundtracks because it makes me almost believe I'm not working! ;D

[owlmoose]

I really like game music while I work or write, too, for much the same reasons. I also used to enjoy listening to it in my office at the library, because sometimes students would recognize it, and my geek cred would go up about a thousand points. ;)

[jerkface]

I had to hawk my PS3 last month to pay my rent (poor kid problems boohoo), and this is the only game that I am legitimately sad to have missed (besides Dragon Age, obviously). It looks beautiful and sounds beautiful and I just...gah. And now you're official recommendation just makes me want it more.

If/when we get another PS3, this will be the first thing I play.

[czol]

Journey has been on my to-play list for ages, along with Flower, which I think is by the same people.