Rozefire - Journey
I can see it as a metaphor for life; you learn to walk, fly, and talk, with no apparent objective except to venture forward to see the world. You experience the playfulness and freedom of youth with these vast deserts you surf through without a care, then the troubled times in dark caves where you can be knocked right off your feet if you’re not careful. Then there’s the golden years, where you use your knowledge and experiences to guide you out of the darkness, but soon you’re reaching the end of your life in the snowy wastes of the final ascent. You can’t fly anymore, it’s getting harder to move, and the only thing you have left, maybe, is your companion. And is the ending about death? Enlightenment? Rebirth?
I’ve played through Journey two times now and by far, this is one of the most tantalizing games I have played. The lack of online mics, and the diminutive and clear cut goal set in this title brought me back to a time when I gamed in silence in the early 1990’s. Journey leaves a strong sense of solitude lingering in you but that feeling is enveloped with pleasure.
When you do run into other players online though, only being able to communicate with sound and light, the game enchants you. Journey, though truly short, which may make hard core gamers run away, is a title everyone should play enebriated or with abstemious glee.
