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I have played journey, all the way through, exactly once. I knew nothing of the game besides the prior work of its creators and its visuals going into it. I ca

I have played journey, all the way through, exactly once. I knew nothing of the game besides the prior work of its creators and its visuals going into it. I can safely say it was one of the most impactful experiences (not gaming experiences, but generally speaking) I've ever had in my life. The game thematically boils down some of the most complex and dense topics -- relationships, life, humanity -- into a perfect collaboration between story and gameplay. <spoiler stuff>I ended up partnered with an individual (man or woman, I have no idea) who began as a mentor, guiding me through the game, which has no real instruction to it. You grow to feel so thankful for this person. They're infinitely patient as you miss their cues. They don't scold you or make you feel stupid. They can't. As we sailed down the ski section, in all of its visual glory, it was like experiencing a dream in which you have a profound connection with someone who only exists in your mind. You don't want it to ever end. And at the end, you push each other forward. You refuse to give up. You struggle. You endure. Like surviving some ordeal with another, you share a bond no one could possibly understand. The game then reveals itself to you through metaphor. The end is all at once serene, beautiful, thrilling and grows large in your throat. I know it's just a game, but can't I learn something from it? That person was real. They were there. With me. Guiding me, taking care of me, letting me care for them. There's nothing more pure, and the game nails it.</spoiler stuff> After all that, playing the game again seemed like it could only cheapen it. The developers give you additional stuff to play through for, for those people that might complain about its brief length, but for the rest of us who understand, it was something you just can't taint.

Zikes 13y ago
You've summed up my feelings toward the game better than I ever could, even the part about only playing it once which I could never really explain before. I don't want to get off topic, but there are only two other games I've played that have had that sort of emotional impact on me, To the Moon[1] and Gone Home[2]. In the case of Gone Home in particular, the impact was such that I actually felt a good deal of sadness at knowing that most of the people I know will never experience the story and message of that game, and I wound up buying it for two of my friends. [1] http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/ http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/ [2] http://thefullbrightcompany.com/gonehome/ http://thefullbrightcompany.com/gonehome/
- kposehn 13y ago
  Another game that has had similar impact on me is Coma, by Thomas Brush: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/541124 http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/541124 Note: I tried to post this to HN, but apparently Newgrounds links are DOA
- dclowd9901 13y ago
  It's taken me a great deal of time and a large amount of consideration to distill my feelings about journey into language that well-enough eloquates how I felt playing it. At the end of the game, I truly felt like I had had a transformative experience. I would be embarrassed of it if it wasn't so true. In regards to gone home, I really really wanted to like that game. I wanted it to be more. Not gameplay wise, but in what it aspired to tell us about the human experience. The resolution of the story felt so cheap and derivative, I could barely believe it was the same game that I had been playing up to that point, with its multifacted characters and spotlight on the ennui of the American family. The end just felt like a lazy wrap up of an ABC Family movie, and it was so disappointing it poisoned the entire game for me.
woebtz 13y ago
I recently played through Journey as well (my first time), but only learned that there was a multiplayer component after watching the making of/commentary video. It was a pretty game and I enjoyed it, but I struggled to find the impactful experience that others had had after it was over. I suppose my experience would have been different if it had been with another player.

Zikes 13y ago

You've summed up my feelings toward the game better than I ever could, even the part about only playing it once which I could never really explain before. I don't want to get off topic, but there are only two other games I've played that have had that sort of emotional impact on me, To the Moon[1] and Gone Home[2]. In the case of Gone Home in particular, the impact was such that I actually felt a good deal of sadness at knowing that most of the people I know will never experience the story and message of that game, and I wound up buying it for two of my friends. [1] http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/ http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/ [2] http://thefullbrightcompany.com/gonehome/ http://thefullbrightcompany.com/gonehome/

kposehn 13y ago
Another game that has had similar impact on me is Coma, by Thomas Brush: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/541124 http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/541124 Note: I tried to post this to HN, but apparently Newgrounds links are DOA
dclowd9901 13y ago
It's taken me a great deal of time and a large amount of consideration to distill my feelings about journey into language that well-enough eloquates how I felt playing it. At the end of the game, I truly felt like I had had a transformative experience. I would be embarrassed of it if it wasn't so true. In regards to gone home, I really really wanted to like that game. I wanted it to be more. Not gameplay wise, but in what it aspired to tell us about the human experience. The resolution of the story felt so cheap and derivative, I could barely believe it was the same game that I had been playing up to that point, with its multifacted characters and spotlight on the ennui of the American family. The end just felt like a lazy wrap up of an ABC Family movie, and it was so disappointing it poisoned the entire game for me.

woebtz 13y ago

I recently played through Journey as well (my first time), but only learned that there was a multiplayer component after watching the making of/commentary video. It was a pretty game and I enjoyed it, but I struggled to find the impactful experience that others had had after it was over. I suppose my experience would have been different if it had been with another player.