Gamer Unit

 

The journey's what's important.

Pros:

 

  -  Amazing art style

   - Wonderful journey

  -  Great fun

    -Unique game

   - Definitely worth the cash.

 

 

Cons:

 

   - Too short

   - May bore some players

 

There are certain games that make me give new meaning gaming as a whole. Some games that show that games too are art. Journey, thatgamecompany's newest title, is one such game. If I may say so, you should go and buy this now, and experience it yourself, for it is really tough to explain. It is one of those games that challenges my mettle as a reviewer.

 

The goal in Journey is to reach a shining mountaintop that is in front of you from the beginning. There's hardly any text, no dialogue, no mission objectives. But it actually works. If you're plopped in the middle of a barren desert, with no scenery but a tall shiny mountain, then where will you go? To the mountain, of course. As your cloaked figure travels over the desert, you'll find out more about the place, it's history, your history, and a story that outlines human nature better than most other stories without any words. All you need to do in order to explore the vast world is run, jump, and if you have enough energy, fly. Once you've experienced the thrill of flight, it's hard to go back to running and sliding again. This gameplay may bore certain hyper players, but that is immaterial. If anything short of explosions bores you or discourages you, then don't touch this game.

 

Journey has a unique art style. It is brilliant. There's no way that this game can look any better. Even the graphics are very well done. Every grain of sand seems to glitter! The incredibly done worlds show relics of a grand but ancient land. The art goes well with the music, a solemn track that changes as you progress. The music also helps quite a bit to carry across the emotions of the characters and the grandeur and desolation of the vistas you see in the game. The game just sucks you in, and doesn't let you go. Sadly, this only lasts for two hours.....

 

The multiplayer is an interesting concept. As you play, Journey automatically links you with another player at the same point as you are. Finding another player is something special each time. It puts you both in the same arena, and there's a faint glow to the side of the screen where the other is. It takes a little while to see this, though. Otherwise, it puts you both in the area and you stumble upon the other player. Neither of you can communicate in any way apart from chirping, making a loud bell sound when you press the circle button. That's it. Interestingly enough, me and my fellow travelers  found ways to communicate still. Later, when I found out who I was playing with, two of them were Japanese. Still, I was communicating fine with a guy who didn't even speak my language! That's a true accomplishment. Journey is especially wondrous when played with someone else.

 

Now, I could go on and on about Journey's beautifully detailed world, but now, I must stop. Here is the verdict:

 

 

Presentation: 10 There's no way this game can look any better. The music is just as brilliant.

 

Gameplay: 9 Amazing. It creates a sense of joy whenever you discover something new. A bit slow for some, but there's always more to see than meets the eye in this vast, desolate world.

 

Story: 10 A great story that outlines human nature, and makes you feel the loss of sacrifice(I won't say how, get it and see for yourself!)

 

Length: 7 Waaay too short at two and a half hours. It gets merit as it's worth every moment of it. There's actually more to it than that. There's no trophy for beating the game. That said, two hours is a lot for non-stop sheer awesomeness.

 

THE VERDICT:9.3