Date played: July 23rd
Platform: PS4
Session fun rating: 10/10
Journey is out on PS4, and since I own it on PS3, I got it for free!
I fell in love with this game the first time I played it, and it's just as good the second time around. I wanted my daughter to experience Journey with me, so we sat down and started the game together. One thing that's great about Journey is that there is no text or speech, which makes it easier for my daughter to grasp fully.
After the first few sections of the game, I met another player. That's the real magic that makes Journey so good. The rules of the interaction are simple. We are strangers. We don't see each other's names or PSN profiles and there is no voice chat. The only way to communicate is with character movement and a sort of "chirp".
Something very special happened with my partner. After a breathtaking sand surfing sequence, we jumped down from a big cliff. I spotted a piece of cloth on a high platform and floated to it. My partner didn't see it and when he tried to jump up to it, it was just too high. A long chirp refills the other player's jump meter, so I tried to boost him up there by filling up his meter as he jumped up, but it wasn't enough to get him to the platform.
That's when I had one of the most unique experiences in my gaming life... I went up a nearby slope and got onto a rock. My partner looked over but didn't move, I felt like the person was confused. I called him over by chirping a few times. He came over and understood that I wanted him to jump from a higher platform, so that he keeps his momentum and has enough height to reach the cloth piece. In a stroke of genius, he chirped three times at regular intervals, exactly like someone would count "1,2,3". On the fourth beat, we both jumped at exactly the same time. I did a long chirp mid way through to boost him up there and he got his piece of cloth! We celebrated by quickly chirping together as we moved on to the next area.
Non-verbal communication is a very tricky thing, no matter what the environment is, be it in person, in a car, in a crowd, in music, in film or in theater... To have it work so well in a video game is an incredible feeling. Unfortunately, about midway through the game, I had to stop playing, it was my daughter's bedtime. I had a feeling of loss as I left my partner alone in the world... I hope he found someone else to complete his journey to the peak of the mountain.
Platform: PS4
Session fun rating: 10/10
Journey is out on PS4, and since I own it on PS3, I got it for free!
I fell in love with this game the first time I played it, and it's just as good the second time around. I wanted my daughter to experience Journey with me, so we sat down and started the game together. One thing that's great about Journey is that there is no text or speech, which makes it easier for my daughter to grasp fully.
After the first few sections of the game, I met another player. That's the real magic that makes Journey so good. The rules of the interaction are simple. We are strangers. We don't see each other's names or PSN profiles and there is no voice chat. The only way to communicate is with character movement and a sort of "chirp".
Something very special happened with my partner. After a breathtaking sand surfing sequence, we jumped down from a big cliff. I spotted a piece of cloth on a high platform and floated to it. My partner didn't see it and when he tried to jump up to it, it was just too high. A long chirp refills the other player's jump meter, so I tried to boost him up there by filling up his meter as he jumped up, but it wasn't enough to get him to the platform.
 |
| I wish I could have completed the journey with my partner... |
Non-verbal communication is a very tricky thing, no matter what the environment is, be it in person, in a car, in a crowd, in music, in film or in theater... To have it work so well in a video game is an incredible feeling. Unfortunately, about midway through the game, I had to stop playing, it was my daughter's bedtime. I had a feeling of loss as I left my partner alone in the world... I hope he found someone else to complete his journey to the peak of the mountain.
