It took me no more than four hours to complete Journey. While I wasn't left with an empty feeling of disappointment at the end, I was expecting it to take longer. I also would have liked to see more non-linear gameplay involved. For a game that's seems supposed to be allowing the player to find your own way, it really is highly structured and your path is never really unclear. It progresses smoothly from one stage to the next, and if you get lost there are friendly creatures there to guide you along the way. The player is not really encouraged to really explore the world around them once the initial awe of the visual beauty wares off.
I played the non-online collectors' disk version. This mean that I never encountered any life outside of two groups: the friendly nonverbal creatures made of red cloth that appear in various sizes and shapes, and the hostile robotic flying dragon things, which will attack if they notice you but can't actually harm you, though they do eat the friendly red creatures sometimes. I think it would have been nice to see at least a few more passive creatures, because beyond the ones I just mentioned plus the protagonist there is literally no life, not even plant life.
The environment is one of the most beautiful gaming worlds I have ever seen, even as a desert. Still, I think it would have been nice if it was laid out more like a sandbox type game like Minecraft as opposed to a Super Mario World structure in 3D. The world also could have used more variety. I understand that when it's a desert there isn't a whole lot of variety to be had, and the developers did a good job making the world seem bright and interesting despite the fact that it's a desert. Still though, most of the real variety is provided through either change in time of day or weather. I wasn't expecting it to jump from desert to tropical rainforest to pine grove, but they could have thrown in an ocean or oasis or scrublands or something like that. And instead of having the ancient city so evenly interspersed with the desert environment, I think I might have liked it better if large settlements were something to be stumbled upon and thoroughly explored.
The soundtrack is relaxing but not really spectacular. It could also have used more variety.
Beyond all that I really don't have any complaints. It is a highly satisfying gaming experience for one that only lasts a couple hours and involves no violence on your part. I would recommend it for anyone who has had a really bad day and needs to seriously unwind.
I played the non-online collectors' disk version. This mean that I never encountered any life outside of two groups: the friendly nonverbal creatures made of red cloth that appear in various sizes and shapes, and the hostile robotic flying dragon things, which will attack if they notice you but can't actually harm you, though they do eat the friendly red creatures sometimes. I think it would have been nice to see at least a few more passive creatures, because beyond the ones I just mentioned plus the protagonist there is literally no life, not even plant life.
The environment is one of the most beautiful gaming worlds I have ever seen, even as a desert. Still, I think it would have been nice if it was laid out more like a sandbox type game like Minecraft as opposed to a Super Mario World structure in 3D. The world also could have used more variety. I understand that when it's a desert there isn't a whole lot of variety to be had, and the developers did a good job making the world seem bright and interesting despite the fact that it's a desert. Still though, most of the real variety is provided through either change in time of day or weather. I wasn't expecting it to jump from desert to tropical rainforest to pine grove, but they could have thrown in an ocean or oasis or scrublands or something like that. And instead of having the ancient city so evenly interspersed with the desert environment, I think I might have liked it better if large settlements were something to be stumbled upon and thoroughly explored.
The soundtrack is relaxing but not really spectacular. It could also have used more variety.
Beyond all that I really don't have any complaints. It is a highly satisfying gaming experience for one that only lasts a couple hours and involves no violence on your part. I would recommend it for anyone who has had a really bad day and needs to seriously unwind.