What’s in a video game?
When I talk about video games being art - It’s rare that the experience is so fresh in my mind.
Over this week I’ve come down with a terrible case of the flu - leaving me utterly drained, basically bed bound and seriously considering buying some serious stocks in a tissue company.
With that being said, my mental capacity for ‘fun’ only came back to me today - I wanted something relaxing to do after a day of work, a simple game I could lose myself in for an hour or so and not really think about too much. Scanning my seemingly never ending catalogue of ‘Games I’ve bought but refuse to play’ I stumbled upon journey.
The Journey Begins…
I knew nothing about Journey before downloading the game, truth be told I bought it in last years steam sale on the recommendation of a friend and forgot all about it. Yet knowing so little about Journey made me curious - I thought it would be exciting to dip my toes into something new.
Journey is a video game in the traditional sense - you use controls to move a character in a game world, running and jumping etc. That’s really where the traditional comparison ends.
See there aren’t any ‘enemies’ to dispatch and no ‘world boss’ to defeat. There’s no legendary loot hidden in the depths of a badly lit dungeon. Shockingly, there’s no microtransactions, nor downloadable content required to get the full experience either…
So what is journey
Journey gets a lot of stick for boiling down to a ‘walking simulator’ experience and whilst that -is- true on some level, people who say that are missing the point.
Journey is a… well a journey, across a foreign land. A land we are told nothing about in written word or lengthy speeches - one that is told entirely through beautiful world building and amazingly simple yet striking artwork.
You land on a vast desert planet, covered in ruins. Guided by the scenery itself you run, jump and slide all with the end goal of reaching the summit of a vast planet. Each section of this game brings it’s own trivial challenges - but each also comes with it’s own emotional framing.
In between sections of gameplay, you are rewarded with these beautiful yet short cutscenes, explained without any words, the story of your journey.
What is a companion?
All the while on your journey, this beautiful soundtrack is playing in the background, taking what would be a visually 10/10 scene already, into an amazing immersive living world. The soundtrack is so beautiful, I just ordered my copy on vinyl!.
During your journey, you will meet these other similar looking characters. They run, jump, often at times following you about. They don’t speak - don’t help you in any real way - they just exist, doing their own journey.
Through the various sections you’ll meet some of these characters and the only form of communication you can muster is a cute little whistle, sometimes they’ll whistle back - sometimes they won’t. Then they get on their way. Not attacking you, barely acknowledging you, just existing.
At the summit of the mountain, I began to get attached to these companions. The summit is a slow, grueling climb - full of hazards, the cold harsh wind blowing your cloak open and in all directions. There are sparse but high energy encounters with robot monsters and on more than one occasion - I sadly saw my companion succumb to their doom.
Toward the very summit, I heard a companion whistle, and waiting. My new companion started running circles around me, gleefully whistling his little tune - jumping up and down. We mirrored each others excitement. Onwards we trudged to the top gleaming light against the harsh elements, and together we completed our Journey.
It was only at the end of the journey, I realised these cute little characters I’d been encountering along the way - were real people.
