"A Spiritual Voyage"

After an unknown time of me owning this game on my PS4 (likely around 7-8 years), I finally sat down and decided to play through this game that people just couldn't seem to stop talking about during the 2010's. I had become a bit more familiar with this style of game having played "Abzû" before, and I knew that it would be a bit difficult trying to separate my thoughts on that game from this game considering they have similar artistic goals and gameplay structures. While my time with this title was short, I can definitely say it was a great experience in its own right due to its amazing art aesthetic, great soundtrack, simple yet focused gameplay loop, and solid story.

The game starts you out in a mysterious desert where you take control of an unknown shrouded being. You're free to explore this huge area at your own will, but there is a large beacon of light emanating from a mountaintop in front of you which draws you to want to trek towards it. On the way you'll see some incredible sights while exploring a mostly linear path, but the game never feels too constrained due to its amazing art design and clever gameplay system.

"Journey's" world seems larger than it actually is due to a great combination of proper scene scaling, rich color palette, and a fantastically diverse soundtrack. Vistas seem to stretch out into the horizon despite being simply rendered, and the game shifting the camera angle to showcase your character's scale against the background was jaw-dropping and effective. The music renders some beautiful orchestral moments, ranging in energy from bombastic climaxes filled with diverse drums and strings to soothing and atmospheric violin segments. It has tinges of folk and ceremonial tones and promotes the themes this game explores very well.

Gameplay is pretty simple - you can jump and glide, and your character can project a sound sphere that interacts with limited objects in the environment. While very stripped back, the pathing (or lack thereof) of the game helps it feels more open-ended than it actually is. Objectives are never highlighted besides the main goal of reaching the mountain, and it's up to the player to figure out where to go. While these areas are generally obvious, there is a sense of exploration and discovery that offsets the more limited mechanics of the game, allowing one to become immersed in its interesting themes of religion.

This game is definitely themed with some sort of amalgamation of religions in mind. It appears inspired by Eastern environments but has tinges of Western and Eastern belief systems. There is no narrative that outright explains this, but the inspirations are definitely here on display. The game explores the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation throughout the character's journey, and it also deals with moments of doubt, hope, and even elements of megalophobia (fear of large objects/animals) and some instances of perceived Lovecraftian-like anomalies. It's a great combination, and it feels neatly strewn together for its very short runtime.

However, the short runtime fits perfectly with this game because it says everything it needs to say within its parameters. The gameplay is definitely limited, but it didn't lead to an experience that felt like it dragged on too long or too slowly. This is an example of a great video game - established themes, consistent gameplay with proper pathing, and a beautiful presentation. There isn't a need to have bloated gameplay mechanics, humungous budgets, or sharp AAA graphics. All you need is a sense of style, substance, and a single goal in mind - to present a compelling adventure, or in this game's case, a journey.

Final Verdict: 8/10 (Great)

Reviewed on Aug 04, 2022


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