#38
Change YoY: -2 My Rating: 9.1 / 10
One of the games people often mention when the games-as-art discussion rears its weary, repetitive head, though admittedly there's a good reason for that. Journey was something quite different from just about all other video games I had ever played when it first released back in 2012. In an industry often dominated by fast-paced and loud action games, Journey took a completely different approach to everything, being a contemplative and quiet title in a sea of endless noise. Not only telling its story mostly through images and the world itself, but also creating an online multiplayer component where it was literally impossible to directly talk to the other people playing the game with you. It created a unique atmosphere that let the players take their time with the game, rarely pushing them forward to the next big set-piece as so many other games have a tendency to do. Rather, it let everyone set their own pace through the beautiful and varied environments, from the starting desert to the snowy mountaintops near the end.
That is not to say Journey is in any way difficult or complicated. Your goal is explicitly clear from the start, and there's ever really only one way forward, but the point of the game was never to overcome difficult challenges or figure out challenging puzzles. Rather, all you were asked was to experience the journey itself, and that's all that was ever needed. It's a wonderful, peaceful trip across deserts, caves, and snowfields, and while other games have since come that have tried to emulate the style of Journey, none have quite captured its serene, calming atmosphere as effectively as it did over a decade ago now.
