Journey



Journey is an exclusive PlayStation 3 game by Thatgamecompany that is distributed over PSN and was released on March 13, 2012. The player plays as a robed person journeying towards a distant mountain through a sandy desert. The game has a multiplayer component, in which players can interact on their journey and assist each other. As of May 29th 2012, it has become the fastest selling PSN game ever.

Gameplay
The players take the role of a robed figure traveling through a desert towards a large mountain. The player is not given any instructions on how to play the game or what the game's goal is, nor any map of the game's world.

There is no spoken dialogue besides the chirping call of the player, and the cutscenes are shown without any words. It is up to the player to interpret the storyline of Journey, leading to many theories as to what exactly is taking place.

Multiplayer
If the player is playing online, they can encounter other players while on their way, called companions. However, players cannot speak to each other (neither via voice nor text), nor are identified by any username, gamertag or avatar. They can communicate only via a wordless shout, and have symbols on the front of their robes, so players can identify whether they have already encountered a given fellow traveler or not. They can, however assist each other.

According to the game's designer, Jenova Chen:
 * "it's about two strangers who meet online. They don't know who they are or how old they are. All they know is, that is another human being."

Items
Items that players can find in the desert include pieces of cloth that they can fly on for a short period of time. There are also magical items and ruins including Glowing symbols, Ancient Glyphs, and Cloth Creatures. Easter eggs from other thatgamecompany games are a Hidden Desert Flower and a Mysterious Creature.

Collectors Edition
Journey Collectors Edition is the first retail disc release for thatgamecompany. It features Journey as well as the studio's previously released flOw and Flower and more. It releases August 28th, 2012 for the PlayStation 3.

Features

 * 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Journey
 * Creator Commentary play-throughs of all three games
 * Three exclusive mini-games from thatgamecompany
 * Concept art and screenshot galleries for all three games
 * Original soundtracks for all three games
 * PS3 dynamic themes and wallpapers
 * PSN avatars including 8 exclusive new Journey avatars never released before
 * Official game trailers and developer diary videos
 * Reversible cover art
 * One month trial subscription of PlayStation Plus

thatgamecompany has stated the following: "Another great feature included on the disc are the three exclusive mini-games born out of a thatgamecompany tradition: the 24hr Game Jam. As the name implies, each game was created by us, start to finish, in 24 hours. So for the first time ever, thatgamecompany’s mini-games, Gravediggers, Duke War!!, and Nostril Shot, will be available to play outside of our studio."

"We share these mini-games as a “thank you” to our players for supporting us over the years. In case the names didn’t already give it away, these mini-games showcase thatgamecompany’s lighter side with madcap competitive multiplayer action. We hope you sincerely enjoy their silliness as much as we have."