Earlier this year, a small company known as thatgamecompany released a downloadable title for PlayStation 3 named Journey. The story is very simplistic; you wake up one day in a desert with a large mountain far away. With no other clear motivations, you embark on a trek across the landscape in order to achieve your one purpose. This is arguably one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. The art style feels like you are just walking through a canvas. Everything looks like it’s been painted onto the screen–bright, vivid.The gameplay is simple, but not insultingly so. You use the analog stick to move, you press a button to jump, a button to speak…and that’s about it. This may seem like the game is being too limiting, but Journey is not so much about being in control of everything and doing what you want to do, but more about moving along a single path. Just follow the road that the developers have laid out for you.

 This game also incorporates online multiplayer. While wandering through the desert world, you might come across another player, and you aren’t able to speak to them. The lack of speech in this multiplayer really makes the gameplay so much more unique, and you really do grow connected to this unknown player the game has randomly paired you up with. If you wish, you could even traverse through the whole game together, which is definitely recommended.

Now unfortunately, the game is very short. Since Journey is a downloadable title, it isn’t as long as a normal game, lasting up to about 2 hours at most. On one hand, the game may leave you baffled and wishing to see more, but on the other hand, the game does manage to offer a satisfying conclusion, and is meant to be played through in a single sitting, so you can experience the game in its entirety. The visuals are beautiful, the concept is brilliant, the gameplay is simple, and the game actually manages to touch you on an emotional level. This isn’t just a game, it’s an experience. For the lack of a better term, it is indeed a journey.