Comments on: Experience the Journey

By: RiverCreek

RiverCreek — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:47:13 +0000

I was so fasinated with the advertisement trial clip minigame in Home. I loved the sad music, the song of the wind and the mystical atmosphere. I found myself being disappointed when it ended. I wish there had been more.

I am definatley going to re-search so that I may obtain the full version. I want to continue my emotional admiration of this game.

By: ElSkutto

ElSkutto — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:18:54 +0000

For those who haven’t checked out the Journey Home space and completed the minigame, I highly recommend you do. The reward is a giant-sized statue, in addition to the cloth companion you get when you first enter the space.

I played the heck out of Journey this past weekend, obsessed with collecting all the trophies and earning the maximum “embroidery” level on my charater’s cloak. It took a few hours, but I enjoyed every minute of it. This is one of the rare games that my girlfriend actually looked up from her laptop to watch, and she was completely enthralled by what she was seeing.

Seriously, is there anything more breathtaking than the scene where you’re surfing sideways down the long arched corridor, with the sun-framed mountain scrolling by in the background? Simply amazing.

By: Orion_NGC1976

Orion_NGC1976 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:03:18 +0000

Femaelstrom, thank you for posting your impressions/experiences in the Journey Home space. I haven’t really spent much time there (and I was alone), being too occupied with the game. Thanks again for your observations.

By: Femaelstrom

Femaelstrom — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:29:50 +0000

I have a different take, and it’s based on the ‘Home’ space. First, it is so very atmospheric. I love the sights and the feel it resonates with. The arid land and rushing sound of wind and the occasional bell are hypnotic. There is a sense of lonliness and solitude in the midst of so many people. There are some odd challenges to the public space. There are no abilities such as ‘wave’ or ‘sit on ground’. There are no gamer tags or speech bubbles, so that each echo-like hello in the harsh wind has the eerie potential of being answered or go unheeded. I have actually made friends here, amongst them, our own terra-cide.This process is made more difficult when trying to figure out which avatar we are truly talking to. I have had to work out signs to identiify myself sans I.D. tags. Signs like being the slowest walker, or fast spins, help others around me determine who I am in this oddland. I did have an odd event happen here. I went to meet somebody there and when I arrived, as usual I could’nt find the person I went to meet. I stood for a moment and walked up the person I thought would be them. It was. That is real odd in this place. I love it. I just wish there was a personal space that mimiced this one. I would probably never leave.

By: Orion_NGC1976

Orion_NGC1976 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:53:58 +0000

It is a unique experience and everything I know about you, Burbie, I am sure you will love this game.

By: Orion_NGC1976

Orion_NGC1976 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:52:06 +0000

I hear ya, Ted. It is going to be a hard one for me too to not play the game for a whole week. And yes, it is amazing how quickly you empathize with your companion in the game and help and wait for each other. Now I just need to find that elusive flower in the desert.

By: ted2112

ted2112 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:53:32 +0000

I haven’t played a game in a really long time that has so captivated me like Journey. It’s also amazing to me how much you end up caring for the nameless players you meet in the game. In all my Journeys, both I and the other player would help, wait and make sure the other got through, it’s a wonderful lesson in empathy. The only problem I have with the game is earning that last don’t play the game for a week trophy, I can’t seem to stay away!

By: Burbie52

Burbie52 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:25:32 +0000

This sounds like something very different in gaming. I got Flow a long time ago when it was offered for free and played it through, finding it to be a different type of game i hadn’t experienced before. Great read Orion.

By: Orion_NGC1976

Orion_NGC1976 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:34:12 +0000

Thanks. I don’t think you will be disappointed in the game.

By: Orion_NGC1976

Orion_NGC1976 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:32:02 +0000

Thank you for your comments Terra. You described it perfectly that the length of the game fits perfectly in the Flow Zone between being a chore to replay and being too boring to replay. I want to play it every day after work.

I pay more attention now to the symbol that represents the person’s name. I use this to identify when a new companion arrives and so I can match it to the ID name at the end that is displayed with the symbol. I do think that not knowing the ID of the person does force you to focus on the individual more and makes the experience more immersive.

There are a lot of details in this game that enhances the experience, when you pay more attention to these details.

Thank you for mentioning the gold accent on the hem that changes. Great observation.

By: Godzprototype

Godzprototype — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:34:23 +0000

It sounds like patience. I have yet to buy this game but if this game is offering that kind of experience, that would be something rare in games and these article descriptions that Orion, Gideon, Terra, and HearItWow have given about this game certainly qualifies as an experience.
Again, I need to get this game.
Great article Orion and Gideon!
I’m sold on it.

By: Terra_Cide

Terra_Cide — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:39:14 +0000

I am in love with this game, and this company.

They are offering gaming experiences that I would almost swear are tailor-made for me, and people like me -- people who want more out of their games beyond the typical shoot/beat/hack-em-ups (like innovative storytelling and beautiful scenery, just to cite a couple of examples), but don’t have days upon days of free time to invest in a game in order to feel like they’ve completed it. And who crave a game that begs you to replay it often. No, it’s not nearly as long as you’d like it to be (perhaps therein lies its magic?), but it’s not so long that the thought of replaying it isn’t perceived as some mountainous chore.

I’ve yet to obtain Flow, but I do have Flower and Journey, and they both exemplify this.

And the “ships in the night” journeying you partake in with fellow gamers who are nameless until the end credits seems to symbolize a type of Utopian ideal as to what online gaming ought to be.

(Also, interesting observation I made whilst playing it last night: ever notice how the gold accent around the hem of your red robe changes after a few replays? Very subtle way of telling how often a person has played the game, and what accomplishments they’ve achieved.)