Why Journey is Not Worth Your Time

Unique and beautiful, for many people Journey is a small dose of perfection, but if you haven't played it yet then maybe it's not for you. It's been around a while now and the PS4 version has even been available for "free" as part of PS Plus subscriptions.

Journey seems to resonate best with the people that understand what it is, and have the right temperament to appreciate it. I've never been afraid of being cheesy, and just as well because Journey isn't about the action and gameplay, it's about the journey.

In truth the gameplay is mostly walking from one place to another, maybe a few jumps and simple puzzles, but the scenery is beautiful and often mysterious. There's a story but it's hidden and even the wall-painting style cut scenes take a bit of extra cognition to understand.

If the music and art style don't grab you perhaps the online elements will, while exploring you might come across other players, equally as lost, figuring out the game as they go. In a big wide desert it's nice to have that company and if you're the kind of person that gets attached to that companion then you'll get more out of the game. You start to fear for the safety of someone you don't even know the name of, keeping an eye out for their reassuring pings. Towards then end of the game you get a sense of team-working and camaraderie, I imagine the single chimes you can make as shouts of "We will make it together!","Go, save yourself!" and "If you cant walk, you crawl... if you can't crawl..." .
...ok that last one may be a bit long but you get the idea.

If you find meaning in the exploration, the mystery, the art, the ancient civilisation and the accompanying soundtrack then you'll be well set to enjoy the last sections of the game. If you hit the snow and are still wondering when the game get's interesting then maybe it wont be the tear inducing finale that others have experienced.

If you think you might be one of those people and you've never tried the game despite it being more or less free, then don't play it, you'll end up disappointed and confused as to why it is so widely praised.