I had a fleeting interest in "Journey" for quite some time. Before playing this, I'd enjoyed indie games like "RiME" and "Fe" a lot, and I've heard that games like those may not have existed without "Journey" (in fact, many previously said that "RiME" pretty much wore the "Journey" influence on its sleeve, and now that I've played both, I can see it). So if nothing else, "Journey" seemed like a game that had quite an impact on several modern games, specifically several indie games today. Recently, it became free on the PlayStation 4 and morbid curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to give it a shot and see if I could feel the influence it had on games like "RiME" and "Fe." And I most certainly did, but...is it wrong that this game left me somewhat conflicted? Did playing games like "RiME" and "Fe" beforehand warp my perspective on "Journey," given that I'd already experienced what it had to offer in other titles? I'm not sure, but I definitely walked away from this feeling conflicted.
Don’t get me wrong, "Journey" does a lot of things amazingly, specifically in regards to its art design. This game has been talked about quite a bit in how it pushes the "gaming as an art form" debate, and I can totally see why: the visuals are absolutely stunning, the sweeping landscapes are quite a wonder to behold, the score is pretty beautiful, and there are plenty of genuinely thrilling moments here. The writing and the way it's presented with no words is fantastic as well, I think the game is perfectly accessible and easy to get into, and I think the way it uses multiplayer - where you come across a player that's randomly connected to your game - is really intuitive and adds to the emotion that the game works to elicit. I can absolutely say that "Journey" is fantastic, and it's something well worth experiencing. In fact, you'll probably be talking about it a lot even after playing through it once.
All that said, though, the game is held back to me because, while it's a fantastic "experience," I can't say it's great as a "game." In fact, I'm not sure I can even totally categorize it as a "game." There's interactivity to it, sure, but the gameplay as a whole is very minimal, and I think that can be its biggest pratfall. The developers were clearly more focused on the artistic wizardry and sophisticated storytelling with this game, which is fine, but I'm personally a "gameplay first" player, and when the gameplay doesn't stand as tall as the sophisticated story, I think it falls a bit short. I get it: it's called "Journey" because, of course, it's not about the destination, it's about the "Journey," and that's fantastic. But with the lack of interactivity, short length, and overly easy gameplay, I found myself wondering if all of this could've worked well as an animated short project - or as a stage orchestra with the visuals of the game playing in the background - as opposed to a game. And, while I didn't want my praises and critiques to be comparisons to "RiME" and "Fe," since it's important to judge the game on its own merits and not by comparison, I want to bring them up for a minute; I think the reason why I enjoyed those games as much as I did is because, yes, they are also great experiences with beautiful art design, but I personally also felt engaged with the gameplay in both of those titles. I felt like they both remembered that they were games just as much as they were experiences. With "Journey," though, it's all about the experience, and the gameplay feels tertiary to it all, unfortunately.
Overall, I wanted to love "Journey," and honestly, as an experience, it's fantastic. Hell, the artistry of the game kinda makes me want to go back and play it again. But, from a gameplay perspective, it doesn't match up as well, and it doesn’t feel like the "masterpiece" that I had been told it was. Gameplay aside, I definitely recommend that you, if nothing else, experience "Journey" in some way. If it's by way of watching a YouTube video, watching a friend play it, or just doing some general research on it, I absolutely recommend you experience the game. Just make sure to know thyself and what you like in a "game" before picking up a controller and playing it.
Final rating: 7 out of 10 "Good"