Journey

Very artistic and relaxing, interesting approach to video games, I think it deserves a try, it wasn’t so remarkable for me though, and not my type of games, 5.5 out of 10.

it was super cute, but i wish there was a way for us to chat, or at least see the name of the people we're playing with (BEFORE the end) lol. i played almost the whole way through with the same person, and theyve clearly played before. helped guide me around :)

First perfect game I've ever played, genuinely such an incredible experience.

The person I met along the way and completed the game with was also awesome and they drew a heart in the snow at the end and I nearly cried it was so sweet

Genuine 10/10 game, really really really recommend it to anyone looking for a chill multiplayer game that looks incredible!!!

Loved to play this game. Loved to meet some companions. It was quite a journey.

I really enjoy this game. It's beautiful and the music does really well in setting the atmosphere in each area. It's short and sweet but easily re-playable.

I downloaded this game with the intention of playing it with my friend so that we could journey together. I'd read online that you can try to end up in the same zone at the same time, finicky but possible.
However, the game is intended for you to play with a stranger and when I came across a stranger in the first multiplayer area, chirping and jumping around excitedly together, I found the charm in the intention of this game. And we stayed together for the entire journey. My friend and I were in a voice chat together, each with our own travelling companion as we continued on, and it was FUN.
I found myself having a wonderful time, barely able to communicate with my travelling companion outside of our musical chirps but we still felt incredibly connected. If one of us fell, the other would wait or come back to collect them, when we succeeded on a puzzle we would both chirp together happily, and when the game got a little tense or the journey felt tough - the chirps from my companion felt like they were spurring me on.

This is a beautiful game where you feel inexplicably connected to someone you may never meet or hear from again. Yet you two always have that journey you shared together.

It is also wonderful in the way that you can take the journey at your own pace. You can explore to your hearts content and wander through the desert and if the stranger paired with you instead wants to go off on their own, they can. You will find someone else eventually who may want to explore or travel just as fast as you. They may stop to take a break and then you'll meet someone else again further along. The sentiment of it being your journey while being easier/more enjoyable with others (through the charging of your scarf) is really well done imo.

Highly recommend this game and I think I'll come back to it from time to time.

I don't often leave reviews. But, I hated this.

What I thought this game was, was a cool "skiing" movement system through an interesting desert biome with fast paced movement that would feel good to navigate and control. (What is depicted in the trailers).

That is not at all what this game is. This game is a BRUTALLY boring walking simulator, where I quite literally held my control stick forward and walked in dense snow (with literally nothing to see, not even art) for minutes at a time, no interesting biomes, no interesting landmarks, no interesting mechanics, no interesting....anything.

I'm pretty sure the subplot is just a metaphor for the journey through life, but my god even my real life is more entertaining than this game was. I hated this...I truly hated this.

This is an experience, a beautiful one. However, it is a bit too short/simplistic and skew too much on the "artsy" side. It didn't quite click for me, but for some people this probably resonates much more than it did for me.

How do you describe a game without words, when you can only use words?
Well, "wow" is all there is.

Short and sweet, nothing but abstract artistry and beautiful music.

This game is an experience of its own.

There are very few, and i mean it, veeeeery few games that soothe me in a way Journey did.

This was already too many words, it's a very unique game, unique in many ways.

The game is very interesting, I played it for first time on PS3 but it was a 100 times more fun on steam

I just started playing it, I like the music and the relaxing world, anything is just a bit different. If you enjoy some calm playstyle it is good for you.

It's been long due that I wanted to play Journey, and I was committed to start this year with a great game.
And damn, was I right.
The art direction, the music, the animation, even the subtle controller interactions, were so intricate and detail, even tho the art style seems so simple. All of it takes you on a immersive Journey of struggle, tragedy, and perseverance.
Figuring it out in the end that your little companion of your tribe is a real person was so heartwarming, because all the interactions we have with that little figure, rising together above the struggles, is a perfect bonding experience.
Just trying to communicate with sounds and gestures was so fun. I just hoped that my friend would've played until the end to see the amazing finally.
One small note that I wish was different was the constant fade to white in cinematics and changing levels. It's very hard on the eyes and not the most accessible experience for people with eye disabilities.

Overall, after 13 years of existing, Journey is still an amazing journey. Small, but sweet. Completely recommend.

Came into the game not knowing it was co-op. I found a guy who looked just like me, thinking it was some kind of Easter egg or something, but slowly realized it was another player. We made it through the whole game, helping and guiding each other on this journey.

Once in the snowy mountain, he got pushed off a bridge by a strong wind. I thought he was done for, but while contemplating this, I got pushed off the bridge too. I quickly discovered that it had another passage underneath, but he wasn’t there. Feeling a bit down, I decided to press on—and to my surprise, I found him a little further ahead, still pushing toward the snowy mountain’s peak. We reunited at last and finished our journey together, walking into the light.

An awesome experience—it wouldn’t have been nearly as good if it were a single-player game.

People say that this game is amazing, beautiful, with great music and concepts and it Truly is

I really don't know how to feel about this game on one hand it does invoke wonderment but at the same time it almost doesn't feel like it goes far enough do to how fast you progress through the environment. This makes it so you never sink in far enough to truly make me fall in love with the game.

Beautiful game and soundtrack, though it's very boring and i don't get the story at all.
But i won't give it a negative review as it does what it's supposed to do, just not my type of game.
If you want a beautiful game play it but don't expect it to be fun or interesting.

Short, timeless, visually stunning with an amazing soundtrack, and more of an artistic game than anything else.
Thank you "Zignewton", for enhancing the experience. It was absolutely worth it.

Just finished it, and all I will say is that, Noxvel buddy, I don't know who you are but I am proud of you for making up through that difficult windy stairs. Keep it up man and I hope you have a good life.

I absolutely love this game, have for many years since it came out on PlayStation. I will say... I would very much like to see them release fl0w on Steam. Would be lovely to have here as I'm not much for console anymore and my PS4 is ready to go to a graveyard.

Still a really good experience in 2025. Its simple and engaging mechanisms give a really good flow to this game.

I expected more from the game in terms of puzzles and abilities, as it felt like I was just walking in a straight line from point A to Z. Overall, it was a short and enjoyable experience.

10/10 just finished my first gameplay of this. it was wonderful and calming.

idk why im not finished it in one sitting, at the first level when monster appear i quit, i was with a companion but the next day when i load it, they gone. it is scripted or it's a bug?

This game is one of the most underappreciated gems on steam. I wont go to much into detail that might spoil game play. It's simple in design and linear. There's secrets and the option to play with complete strangers albeit no direct way to communicate using any language anyone is familiar with. This game does not have much replay value but rest assured, it's an experience that will stay with you.

What a beautiful experience. Journey is how life is. Wonderful but hard. This is a masterpiece. The music, the cinematography. You'll finish the experience in two hours. You'll want to relive the experience again.

lovely game, even after several play-throughs! keyboard and mouse controls are a little janky, but it does warn you that it's best played on controller so i can't hold that against it. super cool form of multiplayer, only interactions really come from helping each other. defnitely worth playing!

perfect example that if the game looks amazing and has fantastic music, it doesnt need to be long or have perfect story

It's my first time ever playing a pc game. I'm glad and thankful for "Journey" as it has left me in awe with a deep feeling of warmth in my heart!!!

This game put simply is a masterpiece. Dear Player 17, Thank you for being apart of my journey.

Review of base game + all achievements:

Journey was an absolute cinema-worthy game. I didn't think of myself as enjoying those types of games, as I like to keep my brain active, but being on this "journey" and witnessing this environment as well as enjoying it with other players was truly amazing. I think they did an amazing job with the communication system, as it'll allow anyone to communicate with others with no language barrier; just you and this person experiencing a game together or alone.

With that being said, I'll give this game a 7.3/10. I've rated it that high because of how good it was; however, with the replayability and the length of the game, I'd say it's more like a 5/10. But from a solid first impression where everything is a mystery, I'll have to give it that 7.3/10.

I didn't understand it and it made me cry but i don't know exactly why.

Simply beautiful!

this game has stunning visuals and an overall really enjoyable gameplay. the only downside to the game is that you cant really play with your friends but making random friends with the people you meet is just as enjoyable.

Very pretty, great music, even better people. Great Game

This is a game you just keep coming back to. From stunning visuals, enticing game play and a soundtrack out of this world, ThatGameCompany really knocked it out of the park with this one. I know the game well enough now to run through the whole story in about an hour and its so much fun using my chime to alert other players to points of interest in the game :)

If you want a (mostly) relaxing game with only the smallest amount of danger (there are these robots that will hunt you in one area of the map, but if you can avoid their light they don't hurt you at all) this is the game for you!

I don't normally leave reviews, but had to make an exception for Journey. This game is simply amazing. The soundtrack, visuals, and story are nothing short of outstanding. Such a simple concept, but has made a lasting impression.

And to my companions I met along the way: I'm sorry I didn't know you were real :( I wish we could have traveled further together.

I've played this game before on the console from a friend and it was such a beautiful experience, so I was excited to get to play it again; it was just as fun if not a little more on pc, meeting other journey players was a lovely surprise I had no idea about and added so much to the game as a whole. It gave the whole game feel so much more to it with the crossing paths and singing/speaking to each other in game as much as one can!
Always recommend this game fr its such a beautiful experience to go through and yes it is short, but finding all the glyphs and exploring the vast world feels relaxing and fun to do, especially when you meet other players in passing and stick together for a while. Very replayable and relaxing - a rewarding experience

Definition of the word Journey: "an act of travelling from one place to another."
Now amplify the experience of travelling a million times and add majestic scenery, unforgettable music and the chance of meeting random players and you'll get the "Journey" of a lifetime.
The music has a special place in my heart as I had the privilege of attending a live orchestra that played some of the tracks.

Dear person I left behind, I had no idea you were real. It was beautiful to sing and soar with you though. I shall return and maybe we meet again, or another fellow player.

Wonderful and deep game. The whole storytelling: "show not tell" is here. The game does not guide you by the hand, text hinting where to go, you have to figure it yourself.

I came into Journey thinking it’d be a nice, slow visual experience I could chill out to and play for a bit. I did not expect this game to have online functionality or for me to meet someone to take my journey with. As we stuck together throughout the whole game, interacting in the small ways we could, it left an impression on me to where I feel it elevated my enjoyment of the experience, sharing it with my newfound buddy.

Visually striking, sonically sound, and tragically heartbreaking, it was tough to leave my newfound pal after we’d finished our journey.
Definitely worth picking up this short but relaxing story.

Yes, I would recommend this game to anyone, even if you aren't good at extracting nuance. If you're looking for a relaxing game with great atmosphere that just about anyone of any skill level can play, then this is the right game for you.

Despite this game being fairly short, I really enjoyed the few hours that I spent playing this game. In a gaming era where games go into the double-digits for hour counts, it's very refreshing to this as an option.

Compared to every other platformer that I've played, none of those games has managed to properly capture scale like Journey. When you start off this game, it appears that your end goal-the peak of the mountain-is a very large distance away, with the mountain appearing very small from your point-of-view. But as soon as you start picking up the pace, you soon start seeing how much progress you make. And this progress is conveyed in a multitude of ways: such as cutscenes that contextualize where you are story-wise, beautiful fixed-camera shots that show your avatar in front of the mountain, in which you can see how much bigger it is compared to you, or even down to the more subtle aspects like the color of the environment changing to depict the area you are at or the environment showing entities from earlier in the game to show familiarity. Everything the game employs does help create a sense of wonder upon seeing a new area.

And to add on to that is how the game rewards you. Again, unlike other platformers, you aren't immediately given validation for your labors until the very end of the game, but that doesn't mean there aren't subtle treats sprinkled in, like beautiful scenic shots of your environment encapsulating the scale that I mentioned earlier. The whole time I felt liked I was walking through a painting.

While this game isn't difficult in any sense, being that there is no death mechanic or any major punishments for failing any platforming, I think that this game benefits from the lack of it. The whole idea of this game is scaling up this seemingly insurmountable mountain, but ultimately growing closer and approaching to your destination; it's about appreciate the journey (no pun intended), and the artistic and emotional tools that the developer employ to keep you connected to this world. So to have skill-based challenges that necessitate focus on an individual section, would keep your attention away from the environment as a whole.

However, there was one thing that did bug me, and that was the second to last act. With finally reaching the base of the mountain and starting to scale the snowy environment, I was expecting a beautiful and scenic trek upwards. However, I was only met with a pretty empty road. While it still had the same color and mood as the rest of the game, being sandwiched in between the walls of the mountain at all times made it difficult to appreciate the scenery and, as I mentioned before, scale. Yet, if you pay attention and pick up on what the theme of the game is, it does make sense.

Good short little game, more of a movie feel over a game but if you could do something like this on vr on a consistent episodic basis it would be very cool.

Oh, my goodness gracious ! This game....
Bought it about a month ago with a plan to play it on New Year's Eve. Well, It is New Year's Eve :)
My thoughts:
Well, as I can recall there was only one game before this one, which made me shed quite a number of tears like this one as a seasoned gamer with some 35+ years of experience.
At beginning of game I had thoughts that game developers are not from Earth. Like, It is strange feeling. :)
Music in this game which is following visuals/atmosphere is top-notch. BRAVO!!!
There were few game crashes. I think it is understandable, game is bit old and my OS and Hardware is quite advanced.
Regardless, I highly recommend this game, It may not be for everyone. It is not Shooter, looter as I got used to play :)
I will play it again soon and this time I will take my time to explore it more.
Mature players probably will enjoy it the most.

I'm really torn on this review, as the game is actually pretty good value for its price if you enjoy what it has to offer. However, in a sea of praise I thought I'd offer perspective on why my overall experience with it was pretty lukewarm.

The Good:
Amazing visual design
Symphatetic sound scape
Running into another player on your journey is fun and organic
The speedy travelling sections capture that feeling of skiing downhill or gliding through the air, they're great

The Bad:
You're never really sure where the save points are, so playing it piecemeal is always a risk of having to repeat a section, which I think lessens the experience

The Rest:
Everything else is ok, serves its purpose but leaves me a little cold

I bought Journey because I'd heard all the praise for it from over the years, and how it's an unmissable experience. When I stumbled upon the fact that it had arrived on Steam, I decided to give it a go. If I hadn't heard the praise, the store page wouldn't have been enough to convince me to get it. Still, I was curious, I explored and wanted to see all there was to see, but I rarely felt really engaged with the game. Often times the way you progress through a section frustrated me, not because it was difficult but because it was slow with not much to do. Taking in the visual design was great and I feel enriched by it, but there's not that many details to set your eyes on and I think just watching a playthrough would have done the same.

Overall, if you feel drawn to Journey you are very likely to enjoy it a lot. If you're like me and think about getting it because you've heard how exceptional it is, consider if the visual style is enough value for you or if engaging gameplay is a must.

So first this game is REALLY short, I felt like I went a little slow and still finished it in an hour and a half. Second it shows why games don't need achievements and that they add nothing. Third, it was actually really good, took a short time to get into it but really beautiful and shows how games can be art. Very much worth experience but maybe get on discount unless you consider an hour or two worth the price.

★★★★☆ (4/5)

it's nice how i went into this thinking i'd be playing solo, until i met other characters in-game not knowing they're actually real people playing with you. no dialogue whatsoever and you can't chat you solely communicate through music notes and even that was enough; the ending came and that was when the title made sense.

An experience that I can't do justice to with just words. I can at least say that it's in my top 3 games of the last 10 years and I wonder why the hell it took me so long to try it.

Just experience it !

One of my all-time favorite experiences. I still remember fondly seeing footage of this game for the first time back in 2011, and waiting until its March 2012 release date to buy it day-one on PSN, because I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

After revisiting it recently, I can safely say it is a timeless mood-piece, one that will keep enchanting and provoking deep thoughts about life, discovery, fear and purpose to anyone that is lucky enough to stumble upon it.

It also helps that the game will never stop looking gorgeous and sounding amazing, due to its stylized aesthetic which brought Matt Nava to my attention, and a brilliant award-winning soundtrack by Austin Wintory.

Once you're done with this one, I highly recommend playing Abzû, The Pathless and eventually Sword of the Sea (once it releases) by Giant Squid - which Nava formed after he left thatgamecompany.

SHORT

LONG

I didn't understand the game at first. hell I still don't know what the story is about but i can say i had never played anything like it. The desert atmosphere and finding collectibles and getting to the next area was fun but when i got to the underground passage and i finally found another traveler the whole experience changed. I had seen some before but they all turned to dust when i approached, however this time they stuck around and actually responded to what I was doing. Going through that passage and the temple together was a special feeling but then i stuck around for some collectable and they went on ahead and i lost them. I don't know why i felt sad, the game suddenly became about finding another person instead of finishing the level so when i got to the summit i just sat there hoping someone else would come along. It took some time but finally someone else was there and everything just felt better. I didn't care about finishing the game anymore just enjoying the moment together. That feeling of trying to reach the summit in the middle of a storm with a random stranger was truly unique. Journey made me feel something no other game had and I think it's worth experiencing at least once.

I didn't know what to do at first, but once I started moving, I got drawn in. The music and sound design for this game are nice and calming, and absolutely perfect for this type of game. I bought the game for the art, but stayed for the music.

If you need a game to play to help clear your mind, I recommend this game. It's not a long game, but it's the right length for this style of game.

it's one of those games where you just had to be there. i wrote a research paper about this game for my media arts minor on how players impose death within virtual worlds without death mechanics. it kind of won a spot at our undergraduate research consortium.