On Monday I played a game called Journey by That Game Company and published by Annapurna Interactive. I played it via Steam, as it was on sale there, and it took me only about an hour and a half to complete a successful play-through. The game is targeted at players that enjoy more exploration based or atmospheric games, not those that want to hone mechanical skill or follow a deep complex narrative. This is not to disparage the game however, as this lack of complexity allows the game to focus in on the design elements it does prioritize, and in those it succeeds marvelously.
Journey is a game defined by its simplicity. The game has no hud, no health bar, it doesn’t even have any overt objective or directions. You start in a barren dessert with your only guidance being some nondescript markers at the top of a large hill. From there, the game effectively guides you by first presenting you with what seems to be your overarching objective, a giant mountain with a beam of light emanating from its top.
With this established, the game continues to guide the player in its unique, subtle way by placing various ruins and shining lights throughout the otherwise mostly empty desert. These features grab the players interests, and thus through nothing but environmental design, the game tells the player the path they need to take. In fact all of Journey’s design elements are communicated through environmental storytelling, as there is no dialogue or even text(except the start menu and credits) to give concrete instructions or story. This sets Journey apart from many other walking sim games, which tend to have some sort of overt narrative or explicit goal to keep the player motivated. This lack of guidance, although it may be a bit confounding to new players, serves to immerse the player completely in the game world, as with no distractions or extra elements, the player can fully take in the beautiful world as they explore and progress through it.
Other, more narrative focused, walking sims
left: The Invincible, middle: Firewatch, right: Death Stranding
Where many walking sims focus on the aesthetic of narrative, Journey’s simple mechanics lead to the dynamic of the player exploring this mysterious world, combined with the beautiful world and amazing soundtrack lend the game to the aesthetics of Sensation and Discovery. However there is another aesthetic this game evokes via a element I have not yet mentioned. Journey actually has a multiplayer component, although that fact is not at first obvious. While progressing through the game, you can randomly encounter other players who are likely attempting to progress the game, same as you are. As you continue to progress through the game, you can either continue with one other player, staying together throughout(which is what I did), or separate at some point, and likely encounter others later in the game. The unique thing about Journey’s multiplayer is that there is no identifier or even any means of communication other than a singular ping feature. This meant I went through almost the whole game with another person, working together, overcoming challenges, and eventually reaching the mountain top, without ever knowing their name or even really talking to them. Despite this, the game still effectively creates the aesthetic of fellowship by using certain game design patterns for building friendship such as spontaneous encounters and a shared objective to motivate players to progress through their journey together.
Multiplayer in Journey
In summary, Journey lets walking tell the story by giving you a rich, beautiful world to explore, establishing an overarching objective, and letting you encounter other players along the way, all of which are united in the same objective. Thus journey creates an immersive, atmospheric experience that makes walking of all things an entertaining experience.
