So first this game is REALLY short, I felt like I went a little slow and still finished it in an hour and a half. Second it shows why games don't need achievements and that they add nothing. Third, it was actually really good, took a short time to get into it but really beautiful and shows how games can be art. Very much worth experience but maybe get on discount unless you consider an hour or two worth the price.

absolutely beautiful

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝. □▵○×

While I found the game to be a bit esoteric from a narrative perspective (there's a lot of religious influence, subtext, & symbolism) - you should be able to intuit what the game is trying to convey to you. The game is evocative, it's a mood, it's a feeling...a universal emotion. The beauty of the game is in it's simplicity, making it accessible to nearly anyone and everyone - there is no combat, no deep mechanics, only a few basic commands. It's definitely not for everyone.

JOURNEY features a gorgeous aesthetic & stunning art-design that illuminates the world, the characters & the environments around it bringing these desolate landscapes & ruins to life in vivid detail. There's some genuinely beautiful & ethereal imagery. The score & sound-design are majestic, it perfectly captures the mysterious, awe-inspiring, wondrous nature of the game & the range of emotions the player will feel...from joy, wonder, curiosity, fear, loneliness, companionship.

I was pleasantly surprised when I spotted another character in the game. We were both lost, traveling these rich ancient desolate ruins - searching for something, chasing the mountain. We stuck close, very close. When I was struggling with a jump puzzle, they would come back around and give me a boost. As we made our way across a blizzard, we crossed a flimsy frozen bridge - and after I had crossed I looked behind me only to see they were gone. I searched ahead to see if they had somehow jumped over me, and saw nothing. I looked at the bridge and all I could see was the cold, devastating wind from the blizzard. I glanced down at the bottom of the canyon and spotted them, just a tiny brown speck pushing through a sea of white snow. I realized the wind from the blizzard had knocked them off the bridge, and without hesitation I leapt back down to the very bottom of the canyon and we worked our way back up the mountain. We truly worked together navigating the environments as we explored & pushed onward in our JOURNEY. All with only a single, simple emote to communicate. That might be the game's crowning achievement, creating this kind of spiritual experience with a surprise co-op mechanic - brilliant. The game incentivizes the players to collaborate, work together & progress forward in a simple, pure, and encouraging way.

✧Thoughts: What I personally found the most intriguing from the game, was the impression of the cyclical nature of life & death. At the start of the game, you awaken (you're born) in the middle of this gorgeous desolate desert landscape. As you explore you'll quickly discover it's fun, it's light, it's safe - but there's still this feeling of impermanence, just this inherent fleeting nature to the game that permeates throughout. The further you progress through the game, the more difficult your experience becomes - there's even a danger, a threat that starts looming over you. A few of the environments even become darker, & harsher to navigate forward. And just as the game hits it's darkest moment, you're surprised with a climactic final act (that I won't spoil) that is definitely the pinnacle of the game. And, as you approach the end of your JOURNEY, you step into the light (my companion & I approached it together) - the credits begin to roll. You'll see your spark, your light traveling through all the places you've been, and in the end land back into the desert, the very dune where it all started.

In short, how would I describe JOURNEY? Mystical. Transcendental. Ephemeral. It's a game that sparks a universal emotion in all of us.

Personal Anecdote: I've owned this game for nearly ten years on my PlayStation, I regret not playing it sooner. But, a year ago, during the last Holiday sale - I was gifted this game by a total stranger I met, who happened to be an incredibly kind & talented artist. And so, I must thank them for the enriching experience that is JOURNEY. 🙏🏽