Journey originally launched for PlayStation 3 in 2012. The game was an exclusive to the console, and it blew the minds of players around the world. With the Xbox 360 being arguably more popular during that console generation, it got swept under the rug as a phenomenal indie game for Sony fans only. However, the game made the move to PlayStation 4 and iOS, and eventually PC with the Epic Game Store. While it’s been an exclusive wherever it’s been available for so long, the game is now going to hit the biggest PC marketplace, Steam.
If you’ve never experienced Journey, it’s hard to describe exactly what it is. It’s a game that you need to play through a few times before you can get the full ending, and understand the story that’s been unfolding before you. What begins as an initially lonesome trek towards a tower in the distance quickly becomes something more. It’s in the tiny details that you probably don’t notice that the game shines, and for those aspects alone it’s definitely worth giving a go.
My favourite thing about Journey is the stealth multiplayer that can occur. As I mentioned, you’ll be trekking towards a tower in the distance across a giant desert. you’ll uncover pieces of architecture and old technology that tell the tale of the civilisation that used to exist here, but ultimately you won’t understand everything until you get to the end. Occasionally you might be joined by another character, one that looks exactly like you, but definitely isn’t you.
This additional character is someone else playing the game. They’ll be just as surprised to meet you as you are to meet them, and together you’ll help each other get through the current playthrough of the game. For an experience that seems to be built to be so lonely, it’s odd to find that there are these moments of interaction, some of which can be the most powerful experiences you’ll have in games, even though there’s no chat functionality.
The game launches on Steam on June 11, and I have no doubt that as soon as it does there will be mods for turning it into something even more epic. Wishlist it here.
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