[Iridescent]

I was playing through Journey the other day and started thinking about how other people with different types would interpret it. It'd be fun to hear everyone else's experiences and compare 'em, so, share away.



I was overwhelmed by its' beauty and played the entire game with my mouth widde open and nearly cried 3 times in the space of the hour and a half it took me to first complete it. I remember sweltering in the heat of my stuffy room in the desert sections and freezing (Due to turning on the fan) in the snowy parts because, for some reason, it made me feel even more like I was there. When one of the flying creatures soared down on my partner and sent them flying, I rushed over to his/her side and started mashing the O button. And when he/she was battling the winds, I waited for them to catch up. At least, I did with my first partner. I've been less patient with every other, unable to form a "bond" with them, as such. I loved sliding down the sand dunes in particular, but my favourite part would have to be the underwater temple, it inspiring me to want to paint something similar on my bedroom wall, something I probably won't get around to doing for quite a while. I found the 2D cinematics boring and adored their 3D counterparts detailing the character(s) progressing. I never really thought much about the story. It took 2 playthroughs before I even realised that the ruins below the bridge segment were actually pieces of the creatures near the end, and even then I didn't really care. The ending never really made me think, I just dismissed it as the character fulfilling a biblical pilgrimage and ascending to a typical Christian heaven. And overall, I'd conclude that it's easily my favourite game of all time, it managed to pull on my emotions and transfix my eyes to the extent that I'm not sure I'll ever find anything more beautiful. Hell, it affected me more than District 9 and Million Dollar Baby put TOGETHER did, and that's saying something.

Edit: Oh, and I'm an ISFP btw.

[MrMagpie]

Journey is absolutely one of my favourite games, as tends to be the case with all games I play that are able to keep me mentally entertained - the world of Journey is not only beautiful, it's unique and interesting - while also eliciting that rare visceral emotional reaction in me. From the moment I began playing, I was already attempting to form a general idea of the world and minimalist story of Journey, which I could then pick apart and understand and interpret. I actually didn't realize that the other Wanderers I had met along the way were other players until the end of the game when their names popped up on my screen, but of course the knowledge only added to the amazing depth of feeling that Journey is able to arouse in me. One of the best things about Journey is the way it has of pulling you in, even in the absence of many of the traditional aspects of video games like weapons, monsters, or someone or something that must be saved.

I was disappointed to hear of your interpretation of the ending, however. Have you played the game again? If you do, it should become gradually clear to you that the form and intricacy - and eventually color - of your cloak and scarf evolve and change as you return to the Wasteland and help others along the way to the mountaintop. Far from being a 'biblical pilgrimage', the story of Journey is one of the traditional Buddhist Boddhisatva - one who attains Enlightenment over many lives and chooses to continue the cycle of reincarnation, returning to the world over and over to help others on their Journey.

In final summation, though I think we appreciated very different things about it, I would agree that I don't think I'll ever find a game more beautiful than Journey. : )

[Iridescent]

I was disappointed to hear of your interpretation of the ending, however. Have you played the game again? If you do, it should become gradually clear to you that the form and intricacy - and eventually color - of your cloak and scarf evolve and change as you return to the Wasteland and help others along the way to the mountaintop. Far from being a 'biblical pilgrimage', the story of Journey is one of the traditional Buddhist Boddhisatva - one who attains Enlightenment over many lives and chooses to continue the cycle of reincarnation, returning to the world over and over to help others on their Journey.

I never thought of it like that. I think I might've jumped to conclusions, viewing the star at the mountaintop and the Middle Eastern setting as something attempting to be deep, but ending up as a cliche, like the majority of movies/games I've watched. But if you think about it, if everyone plays as a representation of Boddhisatva, guiding another Boddhisatva through their Journey and eventually returning to the start to guide along another, then, isn't that the equivalent of "The Chicken or the Egg?". Does each Boddhisatva view their accompanying equivalent as someone more helpless than themselves, someone that only they can guide, therefore possessing a sort of inherent God Complex? In that way, is it a representation of Buddhism's belief in reincarnation, its' subtle message being that there is no definite meaning of life? (Apart from finding a random person lost in the desert and dragging them to the top of a mountain for the lulz.)

[MrMagpie]

Well, to be more clear about the mechanics of Journey, returning to the Wasteland and playing the game over isn't what allows one to transition and develop - and neither is escorting other Wanderers to the mountaintop. In fact, it is the very act of exploring and learning new things in one's Journeys that allows one to grow and change - just like in real life. If I may continue the Buddhist metaphor, why does the Boddhisatva return to the cycle of reincarnation? To aid his less fortunate brothers and sisters? It is nothing nearly so Christian nor so concerned with self-righteousness. The Boddhisatva returns to the cycle of reincarnation not only to provide others with a sense of direction - to be the light on the mountaintop - but also to further grow and learn himself - to be the Wanderer in the wasteland.