Try to describe Journey to someone and make it sound fun - it's certainly a challenge. If you didn't know what thatgamecompany were capable of, Journey is a game that just shouldn't work. Released for the Playstation 3 in 2012, Journey was a contender for many Game of the Year awards, despite its modest budget and that it is simply an indie title. It's a testament to thatgamecompany's prowess as developers that the experience of playing Journey sticks with you long after you have finished. Players take control of a robed figure, and your only task is to get to a mountain way off in the distance on the far edge of a seemingly endless desert. Using a similarly simple control scheme to Flow and Flower, one button press will make you jump, another will make your character emit a musical chime. There's nothing complex going on aside from some very simple puzzles that allow you to progress to the next area. What makes Journey truly unique is its attitude to multiplayer. When moving through each area you will be partnered with another human player. You will not know their name, where they're from, or be able to communicate with them in any way except from your musical chime. It creates a bond unlike seen in any other multiplayer game. When playing you will often find yourself doing nothing but making chimes and running around with your anonymous buddy. Visually Journey is stunning, taking an almost cel-shaded look, the visuals enhance the simplicity and bring the experience together. It is a game about this simplicity and collectively it makes the ending even more stunning and poignant. Anyone who isn't moved by this game might possibly be dead inside. Do you agree with this list? What games do you love to switch on, kick back and relax to? Let us know in the comments.
John loves everything to do with video games, television, movies and comic books. He currently writes for WhatCulture in between fighting crime as a masked vigila....I've said too much.
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