Critical Play – Walking Simulator
This week I had the opportunity to try out Journey, a game available in the Apple App Store. I was pretty excited, as I hoped to find the game rather meditative and allow me to just be mindless while accomplishing various tasks via walking.
In Journey, you begin as a clothed character in the desert. There are no further instructions; the player is left to uncover their goals and motives for themselves, rather than having the plot uncovered immediately. However, the simple controls make it easy to dive into the game. You press on the left side of the screen to move forward and the right side to change your viewpoint; there are no other controls!
The game relies heavily on aesthetic — the beautiful backdrop keeps you intrigued in uncovering more of the terrain. Furthermore, without any explicit instructions, you can recognize your general goals as a result of the aesthetic. Even from the first moments, the player recognizes that their ultimate goal is to get to the mountain/volcano in the distance. Additionally, necessary checkpoints are made visible by bright beams of light, drawing the eye of the player and helping them shape their journey. This is a fantastic example of a spatial story, where the environment is creating immersive storytelling.
The primary component of fun in the game is the sense of discovery — as the players continues through the walking narrative, they uncover more scenes and hidden gems in the seemingly barren desert. The game helps you keep aligned to the mission by having strong gusts of wind push you in the right general direction, preventing you from getting too far off track. Additionally, while I did not personally experience this, I also learned from reading articles that one component of the game is companionship, as you can actually come across other players who are also wandering the desert (although you cannot communicate.)
Overall, I did not necessarily have the meditative experience I expected, as I was frustrated when I was stumped about where to go next. Nevertheless, Journey is a beautiful video game that strikes the balance between subtle messaging and an entirely aesthetic experience. I see why it has gotten such great reviews!
