I firmly believe that it is only a matter of time before the validity of video games as a legitimate art form is fully recognized by society at large. Just as there is no longer any question that the movie and/or TV industries can produce great works of art, so too shall it someday be acknowledged that the same is true of the video game industry as well. And when such a day comes, I also fervently hold to the idea that the titles of Thatgamecompany will stand as shining examples of the medium’s continued growth into a true art form. So it comes as no surprise to me that Sony would release the three games that compose the studios output to date in a single retails collection. It is a great way after all for Sony to give some added exposure for a group of games that are often held up as some of the highest examples of game development by both critics and consumers alike. Yet the question remains: does the Journey Collector’s Edition match the quality of the games it features or is this one trip best not taken?

Honestly, I could go for page after page, discussing and dissecting the games (Flow, Flower, & Journey) that compose this collection. Still, this a game review and not an art discussion or a history lesson, so I will try to keep the discussion of the games that lie at the heart of this collection relatively short and to the point. And in that context, if I had to give a hard number to each game, I would rate Flow as an 8, Flower as a 9 and Journey as a 10. While Flow is great game, it also is much more straightforward in both its ambition and execution than its sister titles. This in turn makes its weakness like fairly simple and straightforward gameplay and a short running time harder to justify. Again, Flow is by no means a bad game but it also is not necessarily in-and-of itself nearly as memorable as the titles that follow it. It remains a lovely game that nonetheless never really crosses that line between game and something more.

Flower by comparison is a much stronger title than its predecessor in perhaps every way except one. It is a deeper experience, on multiple levels, that has more layers and room for interpretation. It also features some of the most achingly beautiful visual moments I have ever encountered in a video game. When I feel really stressed out or mentally exhausted, Flower is one of a very small handful of media (including the movie Spirited Away and, of all things, the short comic story Astro City: The Nearness of You) that I can turn to for a guaranteed ‘emotional recharge’ as it were. To me, it is a very personal experience only marred by one major problem: control. Flower went into development at a time when Sony was pushing the motion-control aspect of its Sixaxis PS3 Controller in a big way and as such players direct the in-game action mainly via tilting said controller in different directions. To be fair, at its best this method of control does help the game achieve a genuine feel of flight few games have managed to match and/or top. But at its worse, it is a control scheme that makes the more precise movements required by the game at times far more awkward than they otherwise needed to be. In a game all about giving the player a sense of freedom and control, the lack of precision often just feels wrong. It is a far cry from ruining the game or anything (the fact that I have played through Flower from start to finish literally a dozen times since it was released should make that clear) but it is something that stands out every time I give the title another whirl.

Enter a microscopic world of wonder and danger in Flow.

And then there is Journey. As far as I am concerned, this is about as close to a genuinely perfect experience as any game I have ever played has managed to achieve. Does that mean I think that Journey is a game that will appeal to everyone? No, of course not, but for those who are prepared to give the game a chance, what they will find is a remarkable experience all but guaranteed to stay with them long after the credits have rolled. Also, unlike Flower, whose narrative was really more abstract than anything else, Journey is telling a specific story that has both a beginning, middle, & end and a mythology (if one fairly open to interpretation) to further back it up. At the same time, Journey is also telling a tale that operates on many levels, from its recreation of the aspects of the heroic journey as defined by Joseph Campbell in his now seminal book The Hero with a Thousand Faces to the way it explores the very cycle of birth, life, and death itself. There is a lot to take in during Journey’s relatively brief runtime and it is the kind of story that only opens up more with subsequent playthroughs. If Flower is a game that speaks to me mainly on an emotional level, then Journey is one that excites my mind every bit as much as it does my heart.

Indeed, Journey truly is a culmination of everything Thatgamecompany have been working towards since the company was founded back in 2006. If Flower sometimes was more of an art piece than a game and Flow was the opposite, then Journey strikes a perfect balance between these two points. Journey never loses sight of the fact that it is a video game and those who crave the trials and showmanship that makes up one aspect of gaming will find examples of both throughout the title to satiate that need. For the especially hardcore, try completing the Temple level of the game without lighting any of symbols; it is possible but only with the help of a fellow player. And since it is impossible to either select a specific player to join up with you or communicate directly with the one currently playing alongside you, that in in turn makes such an accomplishment no mean feat indeed. At the same time, Journey also has artistic aspirations that go beyond simply inducing players to reach the flag at the end of a level. When I finished Journey for the first time, I had to simply put the controller down and spend the next twenty minutes or so processing the experience I had just undergone. This is a game of undeniable power, to the point that its final section managed to reach me on an emotional level few games (or works of media period if it comes to that) have ever managed. Everything about Journey works in-sync to create this greater whole; from level design to controls to visuals to sound and music, it all comes together in a way few games can match.

Flower casts players as a gust of wind who must reclaim the beauty of the natural world via flower petals.

There is no question then in my mind that every PS3 owner owes it to themselves to add some version of these games to their library as soon as possible. However, does that mean that this particular collection should be that version? And what about people who already own one or more of the games that make up the Journey Collector’s Edition? Should they be rushing out to buy this collection as well? In order to answer that question, we first need to take a closer look at the contents that make up this thirty dollar purchase. First of all, of course, there is the matter of the three main titles themselves which are literally the exact same versions of the games that players can also purchase and download from the PlayStation Store. And when I say exactly, I mean to the point that players must fully install the games onto their PS3s as opposed to playing them off the disc itself. Nor have there been any changes or additions made to the games; the versions of Flow, Flower, and Journey included in the Journey Collector’s Edition are identical down to the smallest detail to their previously released iterations.

So what about the Journey Collector’s Edition is new? For one thing, the collection comes with three never before released games designed and developed by Thatgamecompany as part of a 24-hour game jam. While fairly simple experiences overall, these games offer a fun look at a different side of Thatgamecompany than is perhaps often presented to the general public. This the studio with its metaphorical hair down as it were and if nothing else, these games serve as examples of just how good of game designers the people who make up the studio really are. The collection additionally features various trailers, a plethora of concept art and screenshots, soundtracks for each of the main games, and the previously released developer diaries for Flow and Flower. Also included is a never-before-released forty-five minute making-of documentary about Journey recorded especially for this collection. This last item in particular is very well made and more than just the standard fluff-piece that such productions (regardless of the medium being examined) often end up being.

The light on the mountain top beckons. Alone or with a companion, prepare to make a remarkable Journey.

By far however, the stand-out bonus features included in the Journey Collector’s Edition are the developer commentary tracks. Recorded for each of the three main games, these commentaries take a different approach as the one employed in games such as Portal and Portal 2 i.e. brief optional audio snippets that can be played while players progress through a run through of the game in question. Instead these commentaries play out over live recorded footage of the developers themselves playing through the entirety of each game in a mix of styles half-way between a Let’s Play and a standard film/TV show commentary track. Featuring multiple participants, these lively and engaging commentaries are as informative as they are entertaining and they easily match the best of their counterparts recorded for other mediums over the years. The fact that they also play out over the entirety of each game also allows those who participating on the commentaries to go in far greater depth and detail than generally seen in the aforementioned Portal commentaries. I also believe the tracks will end up being great tools for those who wish to learn more about the production side of gaming and any budding would-be developer (whether a programmer, art designer, musician, or whatever) owes it to themselves to listen to these commentaries at least once.

As an example of the kind of content covered in the commentaries, a big part of Flower and Journey (and to a lesser extent Flow) is the deliberate lack of interface the games employ and the way the gameplay of these titles is built around directing player interaction with a minimum of on-screen directions and/or other such hand-holding. It is an approach also employed to great effect by other developers such as Valve in the Portal games (particularly outside the testing rooms) or thechineseroom in Dear Esther and I have always been fascinated by it. And sure enough, it is also something touched on throughout all three commentary tracks, often in great detail. I feel like there is still nowhere near enough documentation on the various creative aspects of game design in general (particularly from the game makers themselves) and especially in comparison to the increasing troves of such information available for film and TV in this post-DVD era.

Hundreds of pieces of concept art, such as this early design of the travelers in Journey, are included in the game.

And while not every game ever released necessarily has the kind of depth or breadth to call for such details, all three of the Thatgamecompany titles that are the focus of this collection most certainly do. If the argument is to be made that Flower and Journey stand as examples of the artistic potential of the video game medium, it is good to see the kind of documentation and testimonials that would go hand-in-hand with such classification now exist. The fact that they are also highly entertaining does not hurt matters either and honestly these commentaries are almost worth the price of admission in-and-of themselves. They are the single biggest argument for purchasing the collection even if one already owns all three games featured there within.

Which brings us back to the central question this review must answer: is the Journey Collector’s Edition worth purchasing? For anyone who has yet to purchase any of the games included in the collection then the answer is a simple one: yes, absolutely. Thanks to the extras and various sundries included plus the price of the overall package, this is clearly the definitive grouping of three games that should be required purchases for everyone who owns a PS3. This remains true even for those who own only one of the games, but if one already has all three titles in their library then the answer starts to become more complicated.

The three mini-games included in the collection are very different from both one another and the standard Thatgamecompany title.

Since the versions of Flow, Flower, and Journey included in this collection are completely identical to their PSN releases, what it really comes down to for people who already own the games are the extras the collection features. And while said extras are both plentiful and high quality in nature, I am not sure they constitute enough of an incentive for anyone who does not have either a deep interest in the behind-the-scenes process of game development in general or Thatgamecompany in the specific. Even so, this release still stands as one of the most respectful and thoughtful compilations yet released for a game/series of games. Like the games that it collects, the Journey Collector’s Edition sets a new standard for game releases from the perspective of those of us with an interest in how games are made. And even for those who do not, it remains the best way of getting one’s hands on three of the most unusual and unique titles to ever grace the PS3.

A copy of this game was purchased by Blistered Thumbs for the purposes of review. The reviewer spent approximately 8 hours playing the various games and/or viewing the bonus material included.

Also, feel free to follow the reviewer on Twitter @bigred_13 please if you feel so inclined.

Journey Collector's Edition Review

By Shaun K.

Does the Journey Collector’s Edition match the quality of the games it features or is this one trip best not taken?