Geeky Nerd

In this article I would like to talk about a PlayStation game called Journey (2012). In 2019 it has also been released on Steam for PC, so the console is not a requirement now.

When I first encountered this game, it was a playthrough and I was really disappointed that I couldn’t play the game since I never had PlayStation 4. Fortunately, dreams come true and I can now play this game on my laptop. Moreover, the game is rather old, so you don’t need a modern gaming PC to run it. If you couldn’t tell by this point, I love this game a lot and I cannot stop recommending it.

Where and how am I “journeying”?

Up to the mountain. But basically, you just go forward. The game is linear, so you can’t get lost. You can walk in different directions by pressing WASD, jump and sing. One note at a time. Singing can make your life beautiful and quite literally brighten it up.

Throughout your journey you can also collect syllables which will grant you different patterns for your robe. It’s not necessary to collect them, but if you collect them all, you’ll unlock a white robe which has a bit different mechanic from the red one. It is meant to allow at least some replayability to the game since a fast playthrough on YouTube lasts for about an hour. Yeah, unfortunately, this game is not very long.

Who are you?

Before talking about the plot and the gameplay, I would like to tell you a few words about the character you play as. It’s a robed figure whose appearance is obscured and who has nothing to identify oneself but those robes and a scarf of varied length.

Why is it important? Well, It’s your avatar in that world, or rather a metaphor of a world. You see, Journey lack any dialogue and what it shows you is context that has only the meaning that you put in it. And in my article the journey you take is one of life and self-betterment.

The game itself doesn’t explain almost anything to you and you can only get a few pieces to form a vague story about the purpose of your journey, but, hey, isn’t it like life? You create your own purpose and your own light to reach. That’s why I want to look at this game from a metaphorical point of view.

Where are you?

In order to understand what I mean, I would like to describe the places you pass by during your journey. You pass the desert. Desert and ruins. That’s it. This is the full description.

I mean, yes, there is a snow plane, but it’s just a cold desert. However, contrary to the description, it’s not a boring or a repetitive place. This game fascinates you with every single shot making it as breathtaking as possible.

This is the beauty of Journey. You construct your own journey from the crumbs given by the game world. The story is the one you write yourself, this game only provides you the setting. And what a setting it is!

Whom do you find along the way?

In short, friends and enemies alike. A game is a solo playthrough in the sense that you don’t need another person to complete the game. At the same time, you can see some other players who are also playing at the same time as you, so you can sing with them. This will make you both glow with from inside and allow you to fly. Yes, flying is a mechanic of the game I forgot to mention previously, but, no, you don’t necessarily need another player if you are afraid of connecting with people. Your character can also charge from certain stones scattered across the game.

On the other hand, there are also Lovecraftian stone horrors waiting to stop you on your journey to the top. They live by the law of the crab bucket and don’t want anyone out of the mud they convinced themselves that they love. Of course, I’m exaggerating here. These beasts simply attack everything that moves and can damage your pretty scarf, so be careful.

To sum up, you will find different people on your journey, good, bad and maybe indifferent, if the players you meet wouldn’t be interested in sharing the journey with you. Anything can happen, but nothing should stop you from reaching your goal.

These encounters really do reflect the types of encounters one may have in one’s life: friends, haters and passers-by. Who knows, maybe, if you play this game long enough you shall become all three at some point.

What are you doing this for?

Just like I said earlier, you are reaching the peak of the mountain. A mountain that lights the sky for kilometers around.

What this light is, is for you to decide. The game only tells you that this is the goal. I personally find it to be the journey of self-betterment because when you collect all syllables – life lessons – your robes can turn white. That’s the symbol of higher beings in this game. Not necessarily neavenly creatures, but someone who has transcended above material matters.

You can say that in Journey red is the colour of motivation and vital energy. You charge to your goal full of energy and nothing can stop you. The beings with white robes seem to be calmer and wiser. You can also think of it as the colour has washed away and their mind became clear, hence the colour turned white.

These are also to good and common complimentary colours, so it could be a simply aesthetical choice.

Life do be like that sometimes

So, why do I call this a meditation of a lifetime? Well, it’s simple. You can contemplate the events of the game and observe how the character reaches his final goal while playing. Just like in meditation, one can observe water flowing, there are no hard puzzles in the game, so your journey flows smoothly most of the time.

Even if you don’t see it as a metaphor, you can take the game’s story at face value and simply admire the scenery singing on the road to a distant beam of light. It’s very calming and mesmerising sight that once seen, you would like to experience again just to relax and feel at peace one more time.