Is Journey any good?

[Dreakon13]

43 minutes ago, Otonio_Bruno said:

 

I strongly disagree. There are plenty short games with 2 hours or less that evolve so much that it gets very intense by the end of it.

 

Examples:

Prince of Persia Classic

Thomas Was Alone

Lone Survivor

Any old-school Castlevania games

 

I didn't say that other games wouldn't, I said it isn't a necessity.  The game is short enough that a lack of evolution in gameplay shouldn't be a serious detriment... especially if the lack of evolution is integral to the context of the game.

 

Journey is intended to be played in one sitting and cooperating with other people non-verbally.  A sharper learning curve and evolution to different mechanics would lead to players getting left behind, which would encourage better players to ignore them and barrel ahead.  The way the game is currently designed allows random people to experience the game together regardless of "how much time they have to play" since it's short, and regardless of skill level because it's kept simple.

 

EDIT: I'm probably a little biased, since my first experience with the game clearly went as it was intended.  I had a partner, the fact we played through the whole game, lost eachother in parts, and reunited at the end was thrilling to me.  I never talked to this person, or even knew their username... but I cared about making sure we stayed together.  It was almost a gameplay mechanic in and of itself.  I loved it.  Had I played it solo, I probably would've felt about it similarly to how I felt about ABZU... a pretty game that drags a bit.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Dreakon13

[Lorajet]

@MMDE Well, thanks for starting the topic.  Just jumped into Journey, met a companion, and got my last trophy.  ☺️

[pinkrobot_pb]

I was skeptical about Journey because of the hype, which always puts me in the mood to try and find things to dislike about a game. But the sheer joy of finding a companion for the first time, then playing through the rest of the game together and of course the different atmospheres of the journey itself left me amazed and impressed afterwards.

 

I feel most games are trying to force emotions on me with cut scenes that I rarely consider touching and mostly just cringeworthy. Even today in most games I am still watching B-movie scenes at best. Journey let me experience actual moments of intense joy and sadness at different points throughout the game, not with cut scenes, but by making me part of the journey itself.

 

Like I said, at first I was skeptical and even reluctant to let that happen. It did not take long for the game to win me over though. But if that did not happen to you, that's fine with me too.

Edited November 21, 2017 by pinkrobot_pb

[BG_painter]

3 hours ago, MMDE said:

I think judging by reviews and many people's opinions it's easy to think that this game is a master piece or something.

 

It's definitely better than their previous two games. Unfortunately, this dev team focus on presentation over gameplay.

 

Fl0w was complete junk. Some might think it looks nice or something, but it's just the black background against some few glowing creatures that move around eating each other. You wouldn't accept this these days from any other indie dev. It would be laughed at, pointed out as the problem with indie games and talked about as an issue even being in the PSN store. It even got a DLC etc.

 

Flower, despite it's glowing reviews was nothing but presentation. The gameplay? You just glide around in some landscapes picking up petals with awful controls. Nice presentation, but little to nothing beneath the fluff. Relaxing? The awful controls didn't make me relax.

 

So, saying it was better than their previous two games. In fact, I would say stay away from their previous two games, but this one is actually playable.

 

Journey is an "okay" game. The presentation is definitely strong and in that way the game is excellent. The gameplay is where it's lacking, but this game have you actually doing more interesting stuff. There's some tiny puzzles, and you got more platforming and almost action sections. There's secret collectibles that affect your gameplay and the world interact more with what you do etc. I still wouldn't accept this by a game that didn't have as strong of a presentation, so I'm not sure why I would here either. It's a bit like a way too easy platformer where you can't even jump without having recharged.

 

Sure, it's a fun little thing to play through once just to experience it, but that's it. The game lasts for a couple of hours, so there you go. Your time is probably better spent on a movie or something, but there's trophies for as long as the servers are up.

?!

Those 3 are actualy in my list of favorite games in the ps3. I even got the dlc for flow, it was the first dlc i ever bought! lol
I guess it very much depends on the gamer but to me flowing around eating other creatures was relaxing lol ? I bought the game again in ps4 to stack the trophies. On flower i can't get the trophy for not getting hurt ? i tried like 10 times and the controls doesn't help so i agree with you there.

I love Journey. the song "I was born for this" in the credits is to me, one of the most beautiful game songs ever.

Jorney is a great experience if you like an subtle emotional type of game.

[Beyondthegrave07]

I feel like knocking journey on it's gameplay is like knocking Telltale games for it's gameplay. Journey was never supposed to be gameplay-heavy in the first place.

[Kaiten_the_Hero]

Really enjoyed it the few times I've played it, yeah the Gameplay isn't all there, but its not the type of game that needs it (as weird as that may sound). Not really sure whether it was the sound design that helped or not, but it really felt immersive and got me intrigued about the Character and the world.

Abzu has a similar feel for me (it was made by the art director of Journey I believe... could be totally wrong though hah) - not sure if anyone else could agree with that. 

[MMDE]

4 hours ago, StrickenBiged said:

 

I'm not trying to defend any of their other games, btw. Flower was ok, haven't tried fl0w. I'm not trying to defend thatgamecompany in general, just this game.

 

Haven't tried Dear Ester either.

 

 

Well, yes. I enjoyed the game immensely and am trying to articulate to you why I think it was so clever. So I am reasoning to understand my own reaction better. 

 

 

I don't know about you, but I missed a lot of the collectibles on my first PT and encountered around 5 unique mentors. Looking back, these were times that the other player was trying to get me to follow him or go to him and I was too focussed on the objective which the game had, as you say, directed me towards. 

 

It was only once I met a mentor who was better able to communicate to me that he wanted me to follow him that I eventually realised where I had gone wrong. I stuck with this guy until the end of the game and found more of the collectibles from these later levels. 

 

So I don't think that the mentor is pointless, nor that the presentation tells you everything you need to know. 

 

 

Ok, maybe I'm not understanding what you mean by presentation? Because I think the marriage of mechanics and theme are what makes this game so good. It would be a lesser game without the art direction and music, sure, but I do not rate that as highly as the thematic impact the game had on me. 

 

With the Dear Esther stuff, I was just addressing the "no gameplay" stuff. All 3 games have gameplay just fine. Dear Esther is by the same people as who did Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. EGTTR is a game I consider to have little gameplay, but Dear Esther is at the point where I'm not sure it's even a game. It's certainly not a game by any definition I know of. Interactive video with nonsense story etc. Yeah, I should stop myself from continuing...  There's another thread for that topic.

 

Point is, that's not what I'm saying about this game, nor their earlier games, because they clearly had some type of gameplay, no matter how weak especially Flower was.

 

You think it was so clever because of the "hero's journey" stuff. You know what is 150 years today, which I'm reminded about on TV every day lately? Peer Gynt! That's the "hero's journey". I rather go see that in the theaters. For one, I know for a fact it has a much better soundtrack. Anyway, I'm not too impressed or excited about the "hero's journey" if all it's going to be is running through some locations that fit the stages of this journey. You may enjoy that, but I'm not that interested. I think it could have been done much better by a more competent team. Both done much more interesting with for example some kind of more clear story line that gets you hooked, and with some gameplay that engage you more or something.

 

Not that you really need a "mentor" to find the collectible. Only somewhat hidden collectible was one in the snow where you had to hide from the thing flying above. None of the "mentors" I met helped me with any of the collectibles. I even met a "mentor" that took me through half of the last level, just to make sure I followed him to drop back to the start of the level before quitting out of the game. And so I had to restart that level again. I'm not frustrated or anything about that. I expect it, but it was kinda lame compared to what I had experienced in the Souls games, where this had been done so much better.

 

The mechanisms of this game is not what I'm talking about, because I think those were rather poor and I had experienced so much of it done better before. As someone said before, it was fun gliding down for some few minutes. What mechanisms did you find to be good?

 

Just to be clear, I have nothing against the theme, just thought it wasn't particularly well executed in any other way than visual presentation.

 

 

2 hours ago, BG_painter said:

!

Those 3 are actualy in my list of favorite games in the ps3. I even got the dlc for flow, it was the first dlc i ever bought! lol
I guess it very much depends on the gamer but to me flowing around eating other creatures was relaxing lol I bought the game again in ps4 to stack the trophies. On flower i can't get the trophy for not getting hurt  i tried like 10 times and the controls doesn't help so i agree with you there.

I love Journey. the song "I was born for this" in the credits is to me, one of the most beautiful game songs ever.

Jorney is a great experience if you like an subtle emotional type of game.

 

The main problem with Fl0w was Flower from the aspect that they're supposed to be relaxing is that the gameplay and controls aren't relaxing. Just floating around may be, but once you actually try to accomplish the goals of the game, it becomes frustrating and boring, and frustration and boredom isn't two things I associate with relaxing. Some might associate boring I think, but that's probably the worst part about relaxing I can think of.

 

I never 100% Fl0w, and while I did do Flower on PS3, I've still to do it on PS4, even if I got the game for PS4. I'd rate Fl0w like 2-3/10, Flower like 3-4/10, and Journey like 6/10... yeah.

 

If you like the soundtrack, go download it and listen to it.  You've probably already done so I guess.

 

2 hours ago, Beyondthegrave07 said:

I feel like knocking journey on it's gameplay is like knocking Telltale games for it's gameplay. Journey was never supposed to be gameplay-heavy in the first place.

 

Yes, in a way it is, and I think it would be a fair criticism of the telltale games. This thread wasn't about knocking on Journey, it was actually started with the intention of just giving my opinion on yet another game I had recently played. I do that with most game I play. Usually it's just so people who might be interested in the game can get an idea what it's like. I think more people should do such a thing to be honest!  

 

Yeah, they're not supposed to be gameplay-heavy games in the first place, but it's definitely a major drawback for a game to have lackluster or poor gameplay.

 

2 hours ago, pinkrobot_pb said:

I was skeptical about Journey because of the hype, which always puts me in the mood to try and find things to dislike about a game. But the sheer joy of finding a companion for the first time, then playing through the rest of the game together and of course the different atmospheres of the journey itself left me amazed and impressed afterwards.

 

I feel most games are trying to force emotions on me with cut scenes that I rarely consider touching and mostly just cringeworthy. Even today in most games I am still watching B-movie scenes at best. Journey let me experience actual moments of intense joy and sadness at different points throughout the game, not with cut scenes, but by making me part of the journey itself.

 

Like I said, at first I was skeptical and even reluctant to let that happen. It did not take long for the game to win me over though. But if that did not happen to you, that's fine with me too.

 

Doesn't even feel like we played the same game.  It used colors and sound well, that's it to be honest. Nothing else that really elevated this game by any means, and there's plenty of stuff it did poorly, and the gameplay is definitely the weakest point IMO.

[MMDE]

 

4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

No one explaining what they liked about it to you is going to change your mind, as it can only be enjoyed by experiencing it. If you played it and felt nothing, well... that’s that. 

 

 

I think you misunderstand. I'm not here to change anyone's opinion on the game. It was me posting what I thought about yet another game I had played!  I try to do this with every game I play. I posted a new thread this time because I saw no fitting thread for it.

[pinkrobot_pb]

It either grabs you or it doesn't. Much like any other work of art I suppose. And there are plenty of people who did not enjoy the game, many times for the same reasons you gave. "Not enough gameplay" for example. Many threads can be found online by people who even after multiple playthroughs could not see the attraction or indeed, wanted more gameplay. I personally think the game would have suffered from a pool or darts mini game, but that's just me

 

I enjoyed Journey for what it was trying to be. That does not mean I think more games like these should be made, like many other people who loved it are saying. But I do think many developers and game designers can use it to learn some lessons about how emotions can flow naturally from gameplay and do not have to time and time again be enforced on players using articifial elements like cut scenes. I can't be the only one who frequently rolls their eyes at them, or just drinks his coffee or talks to his cats while patiently waiting for the game to continue.

Edited November 22, 2017 by pinkrobot_pb

[Jounochi]

Yeah, this game is very overrated.

 

My main issue with the game was that very early on it becomes very apparent what the story is about.  I was hoping for a deep thought provoking game, but got a game that told an old story in a new way.

 

Appreciated what it stands for, but VERY overrated.

[wtru9]

Sure, I agree that if the gameplay is looked alone in isolation it's mediocre at best. What I find so good about the gameplay is that its minimalism complements the minimalist presentation and style of the game as a whole. I personally feel that if I were having to stop and spend more time thinking about the controls in more challenging puzzles some of the immersion that was so key to my enjoyment of the game would be lost.

 

Something else I'd like to note is that I too had the experience of completing the game with a companion for most of the adventure like many others who have posted here, once with another novice like myself as we just focused on making it through the game trying not to lose one another, and another time with someone as the white cloaked character who guided me through all the collectables. Both times it felt like a truly personal experience that only me and that other random player could share, yet coming on here and finding out how many people had such similar experiences highlights to me what a good job the developers did in making something so universally personal. Because of that personal interaction this is a kind of experience that could only ever be offered by a video game.

[MMDE]

1 minute ago, wtru9 said:

Sure, I agree that if the gameplay is looked alone in isolation it's mediocre at best. What I find so good about the gameplay is that its minimalism complements the minimalist presentation and style of the game as a whole. I personally feel that if I were having to stop and spend more time thinking about the controls in more challenging puzzles some of the immersion that was so key to my enjoyment of the game would be lost.

 

Something else I'd like to note is that I too had the experience of completing the game with a companion for most of the adventure like many others who have posted here, once with another novice like myself as we just focused on making it through the game trying not to lose one another, and another time with someone as the white cloaked character who guided me through all the collectables. Both times it felt like a truly personal experience that only me and that other random player could share, yet coming on here and finding out how many people had such similar experiences highlights to me what a good job the developers did in making something so universally personal. Because of that personal interaction this is a kind of experience that could only ever be offered by a video game.

 

I found the co-op experience rather frustrating, which is a common relationship I have with this developer team. They try to simply everything to the point where it's just not good anymore. There's a reason why it's normally not done, and it's not because they can't, and it's not like it's done that well in this game either. What is frustrating is how you need to keep together, how easy it is to lose the other player, how difficult it can be to find someone, how poorly it works if you want to co-op with a specific person etc.

 

Honestly, when I first started playing the game, I wanted to connect to someone I had planned to connect with. Instead, I connected with someone else, and this other person I wanted to play with connected with someone else as well. Like every single time I connected with someone, it just ended up as a rush and I wasn't able to sit back, relax and just take in the game. It just became frustrating and annoying. I ended up being both happy and annoyed when someone connected. Working down on a trophy and people messing around in my game and generally ruining my experience.

 

As I said, I think they just took this idea from Dark Souls, and it was already so much better done in the Souls games that it gets kinda ridiculous to bring it up as a positive for this game when I don't think it contributed anything to my positive experience of the game. In fact, I might have preferred the game without it.

 

And the minimalist way of telling a story... Not sure there was much of a story to be told in Journey, but again, the Souls games was able to provide a deep story and lore at the same time as it is minimalistic.

 

The question is, can you do good minimalist gameplay?

 

I just don't think the game succeeded doing much other than gliding through some different and colorful worlds, and it's not like the game even there didn't have it's frustrating moments and hard stops in the otherwise soft flow. Examples of this is when you gotta go activate some things to progress, over and over. When there's nothing fun, challenging or exciting about it, it just feels like a chore. The monster flying above, you can try to hide, get bored and waste some time or just walk around it, get bored and waste some time. Really much of the same result, but walking around guarantees no mistakes, no needing to do it again, and it's so effortless. The snow blowing your way is just another boring chore.

 

I get it, it's supposed to feel like a struggle or something like that. I don't care, it just felt like it was wasting my time. Bored me with chores.

[BG_painter]

@MMDE you know, our conversation actualy made me want to play the game again and i started trophy hunting Flow again stacking in my ps4 list. i didn't remember how i felt trophy hunting it in ps3 long ago, but doing it again in ps4 felt really good . I guess we come to the conclusion that trophy hunting is a very personal and unique thing to each gamer

[Leaderboards]

I really liked finding another player in the middle of the desert and then we made it all the way to the end together.

 

I think the game does well what the developers intended it to be and they succeeded. 

 

It's a journey nigga >:) The answer lies within you...

Edited November 22, 2017 by TurdFlingingApe

[KingGuy420]

I hate linear, narrative driven games... Normally.

 

There was just something about Journey that I loved. I loved the atmosphere that it built. I was actually emotionally invested in the hero, which NEVER happens for me. Seriously, I never get emotionally invested in characters, but when he was freezing to death on that mountain near the end, I actually got choked up. For a game to get me that emotionally involved is a feat unto itself. And yeah, it might've been short but that allowed for great pacing, a practice that has all but died in most recent games.

 

I've replayed Journey about 20 times and there's definitely more in the future. It's a bummer we're not getting Sky but whatever.

 

Like I said, I normally hate linear atmospheric story driven games, so I don't knock anybody for not liking it, to each their own. I guess the ultimate question here is why do you feel the need to knock others for liking it? Seems a little petty if you ask me.

[Too]

I was super hyped for Journey, as I liked Flower a lot. I played not too long after release, when I had a bit too much going on, so I had to split it over two sessions between a few days and made the mistake of playing offline because I didn’t want it “spoiled”. Bad call. I regretted not going all in on my first time, but immediately played again, and then again, and now since 2012 have probably completed the journey 60 or 70 times.

 

It was just a profoundly affecting experience for me, for different reasons. Its narrative hit really close with my grandfather’s too recent passing, and it just reminded me so much about his life and struggles and how he always seemed  happy despite me knowing he was never quite able to live out his dreams. And around this time a great friendship started deteriorating owing to mental illness, and the simple companionship system was a true warmth.

 

In its earlier days on PS3, Journey didn’t allow the system itself to keep track of who you played with, only briefly showing their names after completing your journey. It was so very fulfilling traveling with someone for so long, helping them discover new secrets and vice versa, and reaching your destination with that one pilgrim you have been with since the bridge was the greatest reward. I had to start keeping a journal of who I played with, quickly trying to sketch out the glyphs of pilgrims I encountered and matching them to the names at the end so I could thank them and occasionally befriend them. I did the same in those all-too-common situations during apotheosis where you and your companion separate and disconnect, and it was so genuinely heartbreaking crossing the threshold alone after so long with someone that I was always compelled to reach out afterward.

 

The best part is, everyone was so inviting. Not just with the aforementioned helping hands, but in wanting to share the experience afterward and reaching out too. It was a breath of fresh air after a decade of playing online video games in hostile communities.

 

Journey is not for everyone, but I do strongly feel it is the one game everyone should play at least once. It has been my favorite game to share with all my non- or never-playing, my casual, and my super hardcore gaming friends and family. Even if it doesn’t click, you’ll come away with something and it’s a fun game to discuss even if you didn’t really have fun playing. Journey is the one video game I can’t wait to share it with my kids too.

 

It has a forever spot as one of my all time favorites. If it’s not anywhere near yours, that’s perfectly alright. All that matters is that you gave it a chance and formed your own opinion. At the end of the day I can only hope you have a different game in your life to share and discuss that gives you the joys Journey has given me.

Edited November 26, 2017 by Super Glamicom

[James_Tonto]

I think it's safe to say, that Journey is a great experience. It's all about that titular journey. The game is really pretty, some parts of the game, were downright gorgeous. What I think it does well, is set a tone, without resorting to dialogue. The game uses its levels and music, to let you experience various emotions. There are tense moments, moments of joy and discovery, moments of awe etc. It's one of those games that you are honestly better off, just trying and see how it makes you feel. Just know the game isn't all walking, there are simple puzzle and platforming in there as well, and there are parts, where you use the wildlife, or have to resist the elements too.

 

These are just my basic observations of the game. I'll go more in depth, once I finish off the game, more fully. I.e, track down the trophies, and see if hunting them down, changes my opinion in any way.

Edited December 6, 2017 by James_Tonto

[MMDE]

11 minutes ago, James_Tonto said:

Just know the game isn't all walking, there are simple puzzle and platforming in there as well, and there are parts, where you use the wildlife, or have to resist the elements too.

 

Just barely. I don't think it's worth mentioning TBH.

[Eyjabria]

I liked Flower and loved Journey. I enjoyed the art, animation, music, character design and environments in Journey. The Traveler was very sympathetic and it was intriguing to decipher the backstory through the murals. Getting a companion stick with me and care for me was an incredible and touching experience. A stranger who I journeyed with rushed to aid me after a monster had thrown me into the snow, chirping to me and keeping me warm to be able to keep going towards a common goal. Finding out the meaning of the shooting stars in the beginning of the game and in the murals was nice. 

 

The gameplay was not traditional and I'm glad it wasn't. I'm tired of games with "70+ hours of content" which largely consists of meaningless repetition and needless filler content. Journey's length was perfect to demonstrate the idea and story of the game, include some variation in the gameplay and introduce you to a world where you don't need a common language to work in cooperation with another. 

 

A refreshing and powerful emotional experience. Easily one of my all time favorite games. My husband was watching me play and afterwards he bought us Journey Traveler scarves. 

[belovedklowny]

On 11/21/2017 at 10:30 AM, MMDE said:

Sure, it's [Journey] a fun little thing to play through once just to experience it, but that's it. The game lasts for a couple of hours, so there you go. Your time is probably better spent on a movie or something, but there's trophies for as long as the servers are up.

 

Since it's debut in March of 2012, between the ps3 and ps4 versions, I've taken close to 2000 Journeys. To me, Journey is much more than a pretty game. To each his own, I guess...

[Nikola]

A great experience YES. Something else? 

I wouldn’t know 

Edited March 31, 2018 by Nikola

[Neef-GT5]

I suppose we all see what we want in a game - to me, Journey was one of the greatest gaming experiences ever. It’s that good... ?

[Dr_Mayus]

It is funny this is one of the few games I have not gone for 100% in because I am almost afraid my Journey won't be as good as my first run.

 

I played the game solo the first time and just got lost in the world. I beat it in one sitting and by the end it was one of the few games that had me tearing up. Then when the last "level" comes I was actually happy and excited to see where I had ended up.

 

No game really has ever done that for me and that is why Journey is easily in my top 10 games on the PS3 (I really need to do that list one day).

[Remilia Scarlet]

Journey has a gorgeous presentation and a solid foundation but I personally found it overwhelmingly boring.