Journey is a gorgeous game. The art style is soft and airy, matching the floating sliding movements of the player. Rereleased for PS4 it received fantastic reviews last generation, and holds up on next gen consoles well. But is Journey a walking sim?
I had problems considering Journey a walking sim for many reasons. First and foremost the walking aspect is a core feature, but can also be skimped on once you grasp the gameplay. If you want to travel quickly you can forego walking and float around the environment instead. For some platforming areas it is necessary that you need to spend time in the air, not walking. When you are on the ground you usually slide like snowboarding more than walking in the environment. The second issue I have is the camera. As a third person adventure you take in the grand scale of the world, but don’t ever feel like you are part of it, just moving through it. Despite this I felt a lot of agency towards my character after moving through the environment.
All in all journey is a contemporary masterpiece. It blends the fun of racing and open world games, with slight platforming and collecting. The main character is a memorable protagonist that will remain in my memory for a long time to come.
