10 Shocking Video Game Twists You Never Saw Coming

7. Journey - The Fate Of A Civilization

In my opinion, Journey is as close to a spiritual experience as a video game can get. It had a profound effect on me during and after my playthrough. I feel like I played the entire game with my jaw laying on the carpet in front of me. This is because Journey's method of storytelling is so nuanced and beautiful, that you feel you're watching a grand painting fill itself in as you play. There are no words in Journey, nor are there health bars, mana levels, notifications, or other characters. How does Journey tell a story with no words or characters? It's simple! It shows instead of tells.

Through highly stylized artwork, the player comes to understand that his or her civilization became divided, and created autonomous war machines that eventually destroyed all life. The player learns that the thousands of stone markers they float past are actually the graves of those who have died in the massive civil war. Theories abound regarding the actual setting of Journey, with some players believing the cloaked figure is actually deceased, and Journey itself is referring to the journey to the afterlife. Whatever Journey's true meaning is, the feeling of immense loss and sorrow at the realization of a decimated civilization was piercing and memorable, and it serves as a parable for the destructiveness of greed in everyone's life.