This hands-on includes discussion of the beta, and as such may contain spoilers.
Journey, away from the hustle of E3 and in the comfort of your own surround sound headphones, is an altogether more somber, melancholic experience. The tale is a sad one, told in retrospect and reflection rather than the present tense, the mood deliberately downbeat and the progression punctuated by exposition, the story handed down by mysterious characters and coded glyphs alike.
Without a comprehensible word spoken, much like thatgamecompany‘s Flower, Journey manages to evoke a range of emotions rarely seen in the medium.
[drop]And this isn’t something it peppers sparingly: the player’s first tentative steps on the sand are filled with raw excitement, your first call is an desperately lonely one and the first time you learn how to jump – your scarf a transparent energy bar – is somewhat magical. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Journey is intoxicating, casting a spell over anyone brave enough to pick up a controller and play it for themselves.Of course, the same could be said about the aforementioned Flower, and perhaps even Flow, the studio’s debut PlayStation 3 title. And whilst we have no doubt that there won’t be any shortage of people wanting to get their hands on Journey, it’s also ignorant and naive to suggest that the game will suit everybody – it might be the most accomplished game from the studio so far, but it’s still going to need a gentle nudge to grab the attention of the masses.
Ironically, that’s precisely what this Beta could actually achieve – get enough people to play this and enough will be tempted by it when it releases later in the year. Sadly, this European Beta isn’t technically a demo, and its numbers are few.
Regardless, it’s here, and it’s brilliant – and at least anyone reading this is already interested enough. So, what does it consist of? Well, it feels dishonest to classify Journey’s levels as such, but there are clear dividers in place (large gated exits, in the whole) and there are two of those in this sampler, so technically (ignoring the way the last area is cruelly cut short as the fog literally lifts on proceedings) there are three main areas to explore.
Each feels remarkably different in style and scope, and each shows off the game’s subtleties rather nicely, from the deliciously innocent beginning section (complete with trademark overlaid ‘controller tilt’ instruction) through to the intriguing ending, the player will learn to move, discover how to extend their scarf, build bridges from cloth to repair a huge broken structure and follow dancing, dragon-like sand creatures over vast dunes.
[drop2]All the while, the overwhelming sense of juxtaposition prevails. The landscape is vast and the ruins are ancient, but your prescence is temporary, a flitting blip on an otherwise enduring, age-old abandoned expanse. Aesthetically, too, your shrouded character couldn’t be more distinct, the burnt reds and oranges of the cloak (to which you become strangely possessive and protective) standing out against the muted shades of the desert.The art design is simply exemplary, the graphics beautiful.
Aurally, too, Journey’s simply sublime. Through a decent set of speakers or, as I said originally, headphones, the complexities of the wind and the gentle notes of the cloak are wonderful – the music’s generally sweeping and orchestral, but there’s one area in the Beta where it builds and builds, bringing in drums and other percussion as your actions click into place. Presentation wise, Journey is nigh on flawless.
The Beta’s not long, you can dash through it very quickly, but Journey’s a game that’s meant to be savoured, and rushing to the end will not only mean you’ll have missed many secrets, you’ll also have missed the point. There’s nothing more satisfying than finding everything there is to find in an area before moving on, and doing so will considerably extend the game’s core length. And of course, playing Journey with a partner, whoever they might be, is even more enjoyable.
Journey’s the natural follow on to Flower. As different in flavour as possible, but similar enough in design to justify the ‘sequel’ monicker – that alone should be enough to ensure you don’t miss out, and having run through the Beta a couple of times already, we now can’t wait to get our hands on the final version.
Details of how to enter the European Beta are expected very soon.
online4ntagonist
very eager to see this first hand. there’s way too few of these around if you ask me. a breath of fresh air after all of those boring copycats. until Skyrim that is, after that, there’s nothing :)
Erroneus
Woo just got an Invite, I wonder how many they send out.
Jimster71
I’ve also just got an invite. I enjoyed flower but I think my wife played it more than I did. Will be interesting to see what she thinks of this as she isn’t really a gamer as such.
TSBonyman
I’ve avoided reading most of the article , but that last paragraph is all i need as reassurance, thanks Alex!
KeRaSh
I want this so much right now…
tonycawley
I’ve read all the comments in this article and every other article about this game. It’s great so many people are looking forward to this so much, hopefully it’ll sell well and that will keep innovative new games coming. I think I’m the only one who just doesn’t get this game though. I watched a 10th minute YouTube gameplay video and it just looks boring as hell. Still, I thought that about flower too but enjoyed that so you never know I guess.
SpikeyMikey23
It looks fabulous, but I dont know it if it for me. Someone on twitter was in the beta and they said it was just plain boring. That puts me off but I’ll still give it a try as long as its not priced silly.
retro_
Boring no, peaceful yes.
R4U Eldave0
Not usually a fan of these arty-farty games but you never know this one may win me round. This article has definately sparked my interest anywho :)
BrainDiver
I ache for this game. Thatgamecompany are genius, pure and simple and I will buy this no matter what.
BAZ1307
Downloaded Beta, deleted Beta 5 minutes after installing.
Every time I get up to the part at the top of the hill and it pans out and shows ‘Journey’, I slide down the hill and my PS3 freezes.
It’s not fair as this is my most anticipated game of the year. It saddens me to see that it hasn’t even been tested at all before being released as a Beta for people to download.
nofi
Works fine for me, not a single hiccup. Wonder what’s causing the crashes, but then that’s why it’s a Beta and not a demo…
BAZ1307
Yeah I understand it’s a Beta, but surerly they would’ve at least tried it themselves before allowing everybody else to go in and explore with the Beta?
Maybe something has just gone majorly wrong with my download… I’ll try downloading it again and report back. :)
BAZ1307
Still doesn’t want to work for me. This time it crashed after about 15 minutes of playing and getting past opening a big gate. :(
I hope they bring out a patch before the Beta expires, I just really want to get into this wonderful experience.
TSBonyman
I just loaded it up and there’s a patch, version 1.02 , 68Mb..might be what you’re looking for..
cc_star
Yup, 3 crashes out of 3 for me
Downloaded the patch, nothing but perfection
TSBonyman
It’s wonderful, I didn’t realise they could make sand look so beautiful..
Only thing now is I haven’t yet figured out how to access the online.. any hints..? :)
TSBonyman
Ah, I’ve figured it – should have signed in to PSN BEFORE starting beta.
seniorfrito
Dangit man. What do I have to do to get an invite? I was an early adopter of Flower, I’m a yearly subscriber of Plus and still have a yearly sub for Qore. I mean for Pete’s sake my PS3 theme is the stationary Journey theme. I’ve been wanting to test this out since I heard about it. And there’s people who are getting in who think it’s a beta is about getting to play the game early.
Sitorimon
God its just beautiful. I just wander around not doing a lot and feeling like I’m learning about the world, the character and still investing emotionally in it all. The online element’s interesting as I had someone else running around like a fruitloop and I just sat on my scarf and watched. So many ways gamers can play it. Awesome!