Before diving into the exploration of Journey, I was a bit reluctant to continue playing the game as the genre is not of my appetite. However, as the story progressed I did appeciate the artwork and both the stillness of most of the environment, yet the complexity of the story being told.
In Journey, walking expresses the story of an ancient civiliation through the character’s pilgrimage. The game’s simple features of holding down to move and unique abilities such as flying and enchanting by tapping, provides for a design where players can be captivated by the emotional element of the game. The space that is tapped into the design allows for the story to communicate meaning, using the physical layout of the world to manage pacing and progression while teaching the player how to interact with the environment.
The progression of the story is throught pacing. Because the player moves at pre determined speeds, the design gives player the opportunity to fully absorb what is in each district. For example, in the beginning of the game, the walking feels expansive as the player moves through sun drenched ruins, setting up for an emotion of perhaps curiosity (and stress for those of us who do not like expansive worlds). As the player moves toward the desert hills, the physical feeling of walking changes to gliding through the sand or perhaps flying in the wind, providing a sense of joy and delight in such actions. The story of walking is one where hardship and perseverance are kept in mind, leading players to sometimes feel the lived experience of the character as they go through harsh terrain.
To speak a bit more on the aspects of space design: the mountain with a beam of light serves as the ultimate Landmark, a constant visual goal that provides orientation. No matter where the player is, the mountain (in the featured image) indicates how far they have come and how much further they have to go.
The Paths and Edges guide the player towards immersing the player into experience while keeping the storyline moving. Districts, such as the subterranean tunnels or the sand dunes, create distinct chapters in the story, each with its own emotional tone. Nodes, which can be represented by the meditation spots act as narrative progression where a pause allows player to visually understand. the fallen civilization. These elements allow for an enacted story to be created, where pre determined events are provided but active exploration is needed to be part of such experience.
Another design of the game which I liked was the simple mechanics of walking, without needing a tutorial. The puzzels themselves are not difficult and do add value to the experience. Most importantly, the act of walking provided vital information to continue understanding of the pilgrimage.
When speaking on violent games such as BattleFront 2, we can begin seeing a change in mechanics. For example in BF2 the primary mechanics revolve around shooting and combat, which give the player the sense of satisfaction as defined by the Self Determination Theory. Players can begin feeling skilled and powerfu by defeating opponents and completing objectives (bonus points if you are at the top of the leaderboard, so you also get that competitive nature). In the game, violence is the only way to advance the team’s objective.
Journey is fundamentally different by focusing on Relatedness. With no ability to harm others, the designers provide a framework for a dynamic of cooperation, between you and the environment. This lack of violence transforms the experience into one of fellowship and reciprocity (cute). In my view, we are provided an emergent narrative that arises from the expansive world and your interaction with it. With that being said, it does seen that many “violent” games have goals of destruction, and Journey’s approach is appreciated in providing a narrative mechanics of walking that tells a story in itself.
