Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/77744
Gaming ■ ■ ■ ■ ing to fi nd out your purpose, and will discover architecture and artifacts as you explore throughout the world." Th e landscape is sparse yet rich at the same time. "You are in this vast countered along the way. How long the player will journey with his or her partner is up to the players, but traveling with a companion—no matter how temporary—can alter their adventure with unique experi- ences. Whether a person is playing with a partner or solo, there is no option for written or verbal dialog, and the only way to identify another player is through a symbol on the front of the character's robe, rather than through user names. Th e only audible form of communication is a wordless, musical shout. Th e game characters are human-like, although most of their body is covered by cloth; only their face and lower legs are visible. On their journey, players will come across the ruinous architecture universe and you feel this solitude and loneliness, but every now and then you will encounter another person," says Jessie. While on the journey, a person can play alone or with another en- and artifacts left by an ancient, mysterious civilization. To traverse and better explore the exotic landscape, players can walk, glide, or fl y. Th ey start in the desert and end in the mountains, with diverse locations between those points. Before starting Journey, the artists took a trip to the Pismo Beach dunes in California, and returned to their offi ces in Santa Monica with a vision of what the sand dunes in the game should feel like, with their glittering aesthetic. Rather than remain static, the dunes react to wind, as the artists discovered on their own personal journey. "Th e sand had to have the right magical quality to it," says Nava of their virtual ver- sion. "We had many ideas about how to do that, and the trip we took to the dunes inspired how the sand should look and react to players' every step." A unique title from thatgamecompany, Journey relies on visual cues to guide players through the adventure. The game's color palette shifts based on the narrative. June/July 2012 41