Blog Quest 1: Emotional Contagion - Journey

Of the many games that I have played I'm glad to say that most, if not all, were enjoyable and in some way made me happy to have played them. But of these games I enjoyed, I can only truly say that one game managed to truly touch me and make me feel something I have never felt in a game.

Journey by thatgamecomapny, whose games include the ethereal flOw and the thought provoking Flower, is hands down the most emotionally gripping game I've played to date.

Journey is an adventure game, driven by story, exploration and platforming. The game takes place in an ostensibly endless desert. In the distance we can see a large mountain and its peak is glowing. As you move towards the mountain you eventually discover that you are the last of a lost civilization and you are its only hope of restoring it. The story is presented to you using only visuals and music, no words whatsoever. This allowed me (and probably other players) to interpret the story for ourselves and discover our own personal meaning for this game.

Everything in this game meshes together so well that it truly feels like a single piece of art. The visuals, music, story, and gameplay were all very compelling, and quickly allowed me to immerse myself into the world of Journey. Everything feels organic and real, and it makes you believe that you are indeed a part of this world. The visuals are beautiful and lend themselves well to the game's story and soundtrack.

This is one of my favourite scenes in the game. The stylized nature of the graphics combined with the amazing lighting captivated me. Sometimes I would just stop and look around just to admire the scenery.

The music is a paragon of music in games; the music on its own tells a story and perfectly reflects what is happening in game. At any point in the game, I could close my eyes and know what was happening around me.

The gameplay is very simple and includes mostly platforming, with progress being shown by the length of the player's scarf which also determines how high a player can jump. The story in Journey follows the Hero's Journey story framework as described by Joseph Campbell, but the way in which we experience this journey, and play through is very organic, and doesn't feel forced.

But even with the immersive aesthetics of the game, there is one thing that took me completely by surprise; the multiplayer. When I first started the game, I was on my own, fully immersed in the world and determined to achieve the the goal bestowed on to me by my people. Then out of nowhere, I heard a faint noise. It was similar to one of the noises my character was able to make. I followed the noise and looked around. And there they were, floating through the sky. They were just like me; another one of my people. But not like the quest-giver - large and dressed in white - but like me, dressed in red and much smaller.

I met this companion early on in the game and we had an unspoken mutual agreement to stay with each other. At that point, I began to care more about keeping my new friend alive than I did simply trying to get to the mountain as fast as possible. We tackled everything together, and we never moved on without the other. It became a cooperative experience, and I think my favourite thing of all was the fact that our communication was limited to just one button. We only had one real word to say, but that was all we needed.

When one of us got lost, the other would simply make enough noise until we found one another and continue moving forward. It got especially nerve-racking in the levels where danger was present, as we were being attacked and neither of us knew how to protect the other. We would try to coordinate our movements so as to not be seen by our enemy, but sometimes we would lose each other in our attempts to get past our enemy. When this happened, whoever had gone forward without the other would come back to guide the other to safety. Even though it was dangerous to back track and take the risk of being hit, we felt it necessary because it was our journey, and we weren't about to leave a fellow member of our civilization behind.

These stone monsters would fly around scouting the area like helicopters. The amount of tension one experiences here is reminiscent of some horror games.

As we neared the end, we reached the point of the Master of Two Worlds as described by Joseph Campbell and I lost my companion. They had fallen behind while I swiftly moved ahead unaware of the fact that they weren't with me anymore. When I reached the final point, the peak of the mountain, I waited. I was so worried that they had disconnected, or that they had quit because they thought I purposefully left them. We had started our journey together, and I didn't want to finish it without them. Finally, I watched as they glided down from above, landing beside me and the snow puffed up slightly and I could tell we were both relieved to see each other. We finished the game together and it was done.

This was my first and only playthrough of the game, and I loved it. The game itself was so beautiful, but I never expected that when another player entered my world that I would care so much to finish the game with them. I think the fact that the game had made me feel like I was the last of my civilization, and then to find that there was actually another just like me made that bond between this anonymous player and I seem even more important than I would have ever imagined. While I was playing, my only thought was "This person is like me. We are the last of us. It is up to us to save our civilization. We cannot lose each other again, and so we must stay together and finish this together," and I believe this feeling was mirrored in my companion that played with me.