Journey (2012 video game)



Journey is a video game for the PlayStation 3 created by thatgamecompany, best known as the creators of flOw and Flower. You play as a robed figure who is crossing the desert to reach a mountain in the distance. As the game progresses, you will pass through several unique environments and ruins, uncovering more of the game's story as you go. It's something of an Adventure Game with light Platform Game elements.

Your character has only two real abilities: singing, which radiates out a sound wave whose size is proportional to how long you hold down the button - this is used to activate various objects; and jumping, which allows you to go sailing through the air - this ability uses energy, which can be replenished by touching the floating bits of cloth you encounter throughout the game; the amount of energy, indicated by the length of your character's scarf, can be increased by collecting glowing symbols.

One of the game's main selling points is its unique form of multiplayer: during the game, you may encounter another player, whom you may travel with if you wish. However, unlike most multiplayer games, you can't see the other player's name or other information except for a unique icon that appears above their head when they sing, which is the only real way to communicate - there is no text or voice chat in the game, so you must rely entirely on your in-game abilities to work with your partner.

Decidedly not related to the rock band of the same name, an arcade game based on the band released in 1983, a video game Journey released in 1989 on various home computers or several films named Journey.

Note that the game's story is very much meant to be experienced firsthand rather than read about, so check out the tropes below at your own risk.

Compare and contrast LostWinds, which is practically its Wii Ware equivalent.

Is, as of March 2012, the fastest selling PSN-game of all time.

Tropes found in Journey

 * Adventure Game
 * Animate Inanimate Object: Banners and cloth you'll come across largely resembles a marine life with fish, jellyfish, kelp and so on like air was an ocean.
 * Ambiguous Gender: The robed beings really don't have any identifiable sexual characteristics.
 * And Your Reward Is Clothes:.
 * BIG BIG BIG SPOILER:.
 * Armless Biped: Your character doesn't have any arms. Word of God is that this is because they didn't want people wondering why you can't climb or pick up things.
 * Beautiful Void: And how.
 * Benevolent Architecture: The levels were designed with this in mind: just head towards the most prominent object in the area and you're probably going in the right direction.
 * Book Ends: The last shot of the credits montage is actually the start-of-game screen, complete with "Press Start to begin a new Journey".
 * Determinator:
 * Which then turns into a Tear Jerker when
 * Dramatic Thunder: This can be heard near the end of penultimate chapter.
 * The Dev Team Thinks of Everything: If you play through the game without a companion and then one joins you later, the mural that you see at the end of chapter six will only show one red-cloaked person until it pans to the level where your friend joined, when two will show from there until the endgame.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending:
 * Fade to White: Happens in every chapter.
 * Foreshadowing: You know those comets you can see periodically throughout the game?
 * They will still make scripted appearances should you choose to play offline.
 * Glowing Eyes: Your character has these.
 * Gusty Glade: At one of the later chapters. Crosses with Death Mountain and Slippy-Slidey Ice World.
 * It's the Journey That Counts: Perhaps a main theme of the game, appropriate considering its title.
 * The Hero's Journey: Perfect evocation of this story structure.
 * The song titles on the soundtrack coincide with steps in The Hero's Journey.
 * Lost Superweapon:
 * Minimalism
 * Mood Motif: Certain musical instruments heard in the game are associated with various events. For an example, bass flute is for the white figure seen at the end of most chapters. Certain instruments play only when being with a companion.
 * Mr. Exposition: When you activate the shrine at the end of each level, a white-robed figure will show you a visual representation of part of the game's story.
 * Not Quite Flight: The character's gliding ability.
 * One-Woman Wail: The credits music.
 * The Phoenix:
 * Preorder Bonus: The game was made available for purchase one week before its official release date. Buying it within this time frame gets you a free dynamic PlayStation 3 theme; in addition, Play Station Plus subscribers can access the game a week early.
 * Ragnarok Proofing: Mostly averted. The vast majority of the buildings encountered in the game are in a visible state of disrepair.
 * Recurring Riff: A certain motif is played throughout the game.
 * Sand Is Water: Played around with. Sometimes, the sand acts like sand. At other times, you can surf through it like water, and watch it glisten and ripple like water as well.
 * The use of marine animal styles for the "cloth creatures" makes the parallel even stronger.
 * Scarf of Asskicking: No violence so not asskicking, but it can grow to roughly four times the length of the character and it lets you fly.
 * Scenery Porn: Massive desert with realistic cloth and sand effects? Yes please. Not to mention some of the views that you're able to see throughout the game.
 * Scenery Gorn: These are the ruins of your main character's civilization you're going through.
 * Shout-Out: There are hidden references to flOw and Flower at certain locations in the game.
 * Silence Is Golden: No spoken dialogue occurs in Journey.
 * Stop Helping Me!: An interesting example, in that it's not only perpetrated by other players but is almost certainly done without malice: the second chapter features a bridge which, if crossed without repairing it completely, will reward a trophy. Unfortunately some nice person will often see you 'struggling' and take pity on you by fixing the bridge section you obviously didn't see, undermining the whole endeavour.
 * Of course, you can go offline and get the achievement by yourself if other players continue to rebuild the bridge.
 * Turned Against Their Masters:
 * Unexpected Gameplay Change: Part of chapter 5 consists of a Stealth Based Mission in which you have to sneak through a tunnel being patrolled by  You'll repeat this exercise in chapter 7, this time hiding in the   If one sees you, it'll grab and toss you a long ways and tear off part of your scarf, reducing your energy meter.
 * Variable Mix: A few musical instruments are added to some of the songs when playing with another player.
 * Video Game Caring Potential: You can fill your partner's energy gauge by singing or by walking very close to them. How sweet!
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: ...or you can just desert them in a ditch somewhere. Your choice.
 * Stop Helping Me!: An interesting example, in that it's not only perpetrated by other players but is almost certainly done without malice: the second chapter features a bridge which, if crossed without repairing it completely, will reward a trophy. Unfortunately some nice person will often see you 'struggling' and take pity on you by fixing the bridge section you obviously didn't see, undermining the whole endeavour.
 * Of course, you can go offline and get the achievement by yourself if other players continue to rebuild the bridge.
 * Turned Against Their Masters:
 * Unexpected Gameplay Change: Part of chapter 5 consists of a Stealth Based Mission in which you have to sneak through a tunnel being patrolled by  You'll repeat this exercise in chapter 7, this time hiding in the   If one sees you, it'll grab and toss you a long ways and tear off part of your scarf, reducing your energy meter.
 * Variable Mix: A few musical instruments are added to some of the songs when playing with another player.
 * Video Game Caring Potential: You can fill your partner's energy gauge by singing or by walking very close to them. How sweet!
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: ...or you can just desert them in a ditch somewhere. Your choice.
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: ...or you can just desert them in a ditch somewhere. Your choice.
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: ...or you can just desert them in a ditch somewhere. Your choice.