Are video games art? This question has been debated many times, and I don’t think there’s a simple answer. Just as with movies, there’s a definite distinction between unique, original pieces of cinema, and highly formulaic commercial crap whose only purpose is to make a buttload of money and sell plenty of merchandise. As the gaming industry has advanced over the years, the increased cost of development and distribution means we’re seeing a lot of re-used ideas and long-running franchises. After all, this is a much safer route to take when one flop could mean the end of your company. However, with the rise of digital distribution, smaller developers have a chance to work on unique projects that would otherwise never see the light of day.
This brings me to Journey, a PSN game made by Thatgamecompany, developers of the highly original Flow and Flower. Journey does not stick to any established formulas, and it very clearly states that, yes, video games can be art.
You begin your adventure in the desert. No dialog guides you, and no path is laid out to follow - all you see is a mountain in the distance. While it may appear that you are free to travel wherever you wish, you are in fact being cleverly guided along the adventure with subtle visual clues: Shapes rise over the horizon, giving you something to head towards, and this is all you really have to go on. To talk much about how the game is actually played would spoil the discovery, so I’ll keep this review fairly short, but know that nothing is explained to you as you make your pilgrimage across the lands - you’ll have to figure out what to do by yourself. Or will you?……
For you see, you may not be alone on your travels, and this is the aspect that elevates Journey from an artsy adventure into a truly inspired piece of original gaming. I realize that I’m being slightly cryptic here, but this is yet another element that deserves to be discovered during play, and I would be doing you a disservice to explain it in too much detail. What you should know, though, is that no two playthroughs will ever be quite the same, and this certainly gives Journey plenty of replay value.
Another aspect that will keep you coming back are the stunning visuals. It must be said that this is one of the prettiest games of recent years, and you’ll want to enjoy the beautiful views and breathtaking set-pieces more than once. This is combined with a wonderful orchestral soundtrack, creating a game that sucks you into it’s magical world in mere minutes, not letting you go until the journey is complete.
Of course, you travels can’t go on forever, and this is something that should be mentioned. What I mean is, Journey is a single-sitting adventure, lasting only about two hours from start to finish. For many, this is not a problem, especially if you plan on playing it through more than once. However, I also understand that some may feel ripped-off if they purchase a title in the afternoon and see the credits rolling before it’s even suppertime. In all fairness, though, anyone who feels ripped-off by this aspect would probably also feel cheated because you don’t get to kill anything in Journey, or level up your character, or sit in the back of a Hum-Vee operating the turret while your online buddy takes the wheel! Besides, do all good games have to be long (Portal…)?
So if you’re the type of player who only likes games with big, butch marines, online deathmatches, and tea-bagging, you may want to stay away from Journey. Spend your time doing something better, like watching the new Transformers movie or listening to that crappy, generic pop music that always seems to be playing in trendy clothing stores. I’ll sure you’ll enjoy yourself a lot more. If, on the other hand, you’re tired of playing the same formulaic blockbusters over and over again, and count Braid and Limbo as two of your favourite titles from recent years, you’ll definitely want to check out Journey. It’s beautiful, it’s original, and it’s certainly going to be the first game I mention when asked if video games are art.
