Back in 2012, Thatgamecompany's Journey took the indie game scene by storm when it launched on the PS3. Players take on the role of a robed figure in a desert, given the simple goal of reaching the very top of a mountain, shown in a cutscene at the very beginning of the game. Along the way, players will face a variety of obstacles throughout their trek, advancing through a variety of biomes and environments that impede their progress. Despite that, fans and critics have described Journey to be a relaxing, zen-like experience that is an emotional, wordless, and captivating adventure.
Within the vastness of the desert, players are automatically paired up at random, where they can travel together across the different locations in Journey. However, players can only communicate via a musical chime sound, which can help indicate where to go, what to do, or express a certain emotion when certain obstacles are conquered. While a simple system, this allows players of Journey to form an emotional bond with the anonymous players that they meet. According to the game's creator Jenova Chen, this social aspect of the game was inspired by FromSoftware's Demon's Souls.
In an interview with IGN, Chen outlines all of the details that went into creating this system. He was first frustrated by games like FarmVille that didn't emphasize the "social" aspect, where it was more focused on crop trading, as opposed to the emotional exchanges between people. Roughly around the same time, Chen was playing through and was fascinated by how Demon's Souls' multiplayer system worked. Even though it was limited, it gave players a sense of community through the messages players left as well as the ghosts seen while playing, which provided support and guidance throughout the dangerous world.
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Chen described how Demon's Souls and by extension the Dark Souls series feels very hostile, where everything in the game aims to kill the player. He stated that Journey puts the player in a similar situation, where the game makes the player feel very small in comparison to the world around them. Journey's wordless structure also encourages players to band together to explore the world, as without voice chat it created a silent environment where players can only communicate using the chime button.
Chen notes how the community still gathers around to replay the game together every year, in order to not only re-experience the beauty of the game, but to also help new players. With Journey celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Chen states he's looking forward to the community gathering again to celebrate the momentous milestone too.
Journey is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, and PS5.
Source: IGN