In the past week or two I stumbled across Journey Stories and it reignited that feeling I had when I first played the game. The feelings of sheer joy, angst, depression and elation. No other game has been able to make me feel this way in the space of 2 hours. What an incredible achievement that is for a game.
As such, I decided I wanted to earn a white cloak as soon as I heard that you could have one! So last night, I sat down on the couch and decided that I would put some hours in towards achieving it. I had no idea the events that were to unfold…
I began my quest and a red, small cloak appeared. we tumbled around the first level as I tried to show them some of the orbs scattered around the first large light bridge area, but he had his own agenda. He fixed the bridge all on his own as I was off exploring and i chirped at him to see if he would meditate with me at the top to celebrate…no luck.
The next level I grew restless and wandered off to the right of the pink sand dunes - I had never been over there and, boy, was I in for a surprise! In the distance, I spotted a tiny something that caught my eye. As I drew nearer it appeared to be a small flower! I chirped at it, and it chirped back :) Then suddenly, something flew out of the sand and out jumped a glorious white cloaked figure with a flowing scarf as long as I’d ever seen.
We chirped at each other and I knew I had to follow this surprise guest, White Cloak. He took me onwards over the dunes to the first set of ruins. I decided to test him - I flew up as high as I could on top of the ruins and sat down…of course White Cloak followed and sat next to me. For a couple of minutes, we meditated together in peace.
For the next hour or so, he guided me on a magnificent journey. How took me low and high, places I never knew existed - to every mural and every orb.
He took me on one of the best Journeys I have had; it was almost as if he was waiting there in the sand for some inquisitive little red cloak to come along so that he could guide them and nurture them. When we walked through the valley together, it was almost as if he knew that as soon as I landed again - there would be a white cloak of my own waiting for me. What a great experience and so unexpected. That is why I love Journey.
It felt like Fate.
By now, I’ve played this game too many times to even count, but never has it made me as emotional as it did today.
I started out so carefree; jumping between chapters, trying to find red cloaks in need of guidance or company. For a while I just drifted and swam through the tower level, because I find it so beautiful, occasionally guiding someone to the ancestor at the bottom, sharing in their joy as they discovered it for the first time. After a while, I decided to move onwards, and I headed toward the mountain. Since I was alone, I took a seat on top of a rock just outside the temple doors, waiting patiently as the cold slowly caused my cloak and scarf to freeze.
I was eventually joined by a fellow white cloak, who ran up to me, chirping, and I quickly joined them. We chirped with joyful voices, and I was happy to share this last struggle with someone. We kept each other from freezing as we made our way up the snowy mountain and it felt good to not be alone. At one point, I was struck down by a guardian, but it didn’t matter, because my companion waited for me, and we journeyed on. Weak chirps escaped from me as we climbed higher and higher, our steps becoming heavier and slower. My heart even stopped for a brief second as my companion, followed myself, fell into the snow, lifeless. I have seen it so many times before, but that moment still makes my heart break.
Then, we were reborn. Soaring through the sky, we were reunited, chirping with relief and happiness, surrounded by light. I was awestruck. And my friend seemed so happy, flying so high, chirping so carefree, and I thought to myself: “I’m so happy to end this game with someone like you.”
And then I lost them.
I don’t know how it happened. I thought that maybe I had gone too far ahead too quickly, so I stopped on a ledge to wait for them, chirping all the while so they would see me. But they didn’t come. I went on, thinking that maybe they were actually ahead of me, and I hurried to the top. As I soared through the yellow light toward the very top of the mountain, I thought of them waiting there for me. But as I drew nearer, I realized that there was no one there.
I waited for them, sitting in the snow with an ever sinking feeling in my gut. I waited.
They never came.
I didn’t want to finish the game alone, so I went to get my scarf back, and quietly sank back down through the light and the mist again. I went further down, as far down as I felt comfortable with, and then I just stayed there. Swimming through the white mist, looking up at the sky, and every now and then stopping to look around for any sign of life.
For all the times I have played this game, I have never had such an experience before. I wanted to cry, and yet I felt so peaceful. I wanted to cry because I knew that this stranger had probably already forgotten about me, but that was okay because that’s what life is like. And as I stayed there, I thought about how beautiful everything still was, and how much I still loved being there. How wonderful this world was, after all, even as I was alone, and how much I wanted to stay with that feeling and remember it.
Eventually, I headed back up. I rode the cloth whale as it chirped it’s deep, melancholic condolences, and then I soared through the yellow light once more. My mind was blank and quiet as I slowly started walking toward the light. Part of me wanted to stay behind, to keep waiting, but another part of me knew that I should move on. And so I did.
Even as I’m writing this, I feel emotionally charged in I way that I can’t really explain. This game has changed me, but I can’t quite explain how. One thing I do know for sure: my love for this game, and the people who play it, is endless.
Today I finished my final project for school and as reward for that, I sat down in front of my TV to play journey - the first time in weeks, almost months.
I imagined a nice, relaxed and funny time, but I wasn’t ready for what expected me. I’ve met a fellow white traveller in the bridge area and it seemed like it was someone who knew the game, but was playful and not rushing it, what I really appreciated.
We always waited for each other and were playing around, no hurry and no limit. While sandsurfing, we always were in sight and crossed each other several times, we enjoyed the beauty of sunset at the most atmospheric part of the game.
Further down, I was wondering, if we could get to that famous glitch where you could see the sunken city, so I chirped at him and since we both knew how to tandem fly, we flew as high as possible - and get stuck in a glitch indeed, but not the city, we were stuck in the cliff! We tried to escape the same way we’ve come and explored the area a bit - we were chirping and running around some minutes before we figured out how to get out. fun fact: you can skip the first story part in the cave by finding this glitch and then just walk ahead in the cliff - you’ll get out where the light blue area is, right before the part that seems to be like underwater. It was so fun trying to discover new area of that glitch with my fellow traveller, I was very afraid I’d lose him if I wanted to find out what would happen if I just jump off the map. It was worth not trying. We went ahead and he/she even got terrified when I run straight into the stone dragon in the first area where he awakes, I just had to “awww”…
We took the quiet and safe way on the left the whole area and so we made it, in the last area over the dragons to the exit of those caves.
When we reached the tower, I wanted to try again if we could fly on top without getting any of that glowing-flow-stuff to work, but I didn’t knew if my companion would get what I wanted to do - but for my surprise, he just followed me all the time. it was really impressive to see the big dragon in his room at the top swimming his circles again after all this time…
When we reached the top, I really thought about showing you the mystical creature, but since he didn’t seem to know all secrets of that game, I decided to keep it secret. I’m sorry for that ^^’
The mountain was as cold and icy as ever, but I’ve hadn’t had such a fun time while climbing it since my first journey. We stuck to each other and gave us safety, we waited patiently for each other if one of us got swirled back. the last part of the mountain was also very intense for me… I was looking for this moment since I’ve made the decision not to play this game until I’ve finished that project and I wanted to enjoy this very last level. I wasn’t disappointed at all. We took our time, we surfed over the water, looked around and turned round and round around each other… When we reached the top of the mountain, I was just overwhelmed. I had to draw a heart - even if it became really ugly.
Thank you for sticking with me the first time we met until the last step into the light, for all your patience and your playful play… It was a perfect journey, better than I ever imagined my first journey after such a long abstinence could ever be.
xDarkaxis, if you’re reading this, thank you so much for those amazing two hours we shared tonight.
I’m back again with another long, detail-y story.
Decided to play through again just earlier. I debated for a few minutes if I wanted to take my white cloak or not. I decided I did, because I keep wishing I would find a newbie to take under my wing. I want to be that benevolent white cloak that guides the sweet, naïve, and curious newbie through their first long Journey. Just once.
I got to the bridge and began fooling around a bit. I got the first glowing symbol on the left when I heard the sound of the bridge being repaired. Sure enough, half of it had been finished and when I looked around, I could see the glow on my screen. So I hurried over to it, and found another white cloak getting the second symbol on the left. I chirped and flew over to him…but he ignored me entirely. I chirped and flew around him, and played in his scarf a little, but I got no response from him.
So reluctantly I let him go. I wasn’t going to stay with somebody who obviously didn’t want me there. I sat on a rock and watched him cross the bridge. I waited a minute or so, and then continued on my own into the desert. I released the second set of manta rays, the group of four, when I saw another glow on my screen. Glee! Perhaps a friend this time! Nope. It was the same second-timer in a white cloak I had seen before. Sadness.
I went around, attempting to learn this fast flying thing I had read about and gathering the symbols. I succeeded a couple times at it, but never for long. I began climbing a tower with a symbol on top and another manta ray waiting nearby when I saw yet another glow. This time when I looked, it was a second-timer red cloak, and she was running right towards me and chirping excitedly. I hopped down and we ran around a little chirping at each other. I showed her to the manta ray, and let her release it. We got to the top of the tower, got the symbol and flew out into the desert. We were doing some really good tandem flying for awhile, until we got to where the mountain erupts and a glowing symbol and the fishy scraps land. We got it, and then I decided to try and pull off the role of “white cloak who taught me a lot” by showing her the other symbols. I led the way back south, but we didn’t even make it to the flower before she turned around and started going back. So I gave in and followed.
When we got to the top of the tower, I chirped and led her away from the meditation circle to show her the symbol there. She chirped a few times in a pattern she would use a few times that I quickly understood as a “thank you”. We went down the hill, and I tried to lead her to the first symbol, but she was too far ahead of me to circle back and get it. I decided to just let the cut scene play out instead of jumping to the side and getting the symbol on the pipe…but she went and did that anyway, which made me laugh.
On the next slope she got the idea to follow me, and I showed her the glyph there. When we got into the tunnels, we went through all the kelp, and I pointed out the symbol on the jellyfish. Instead of jumping down off the ledge, she flew across the gap and landed on the small ledge across, so I followed. She sat down. I thought maybe she wanted a “peaceful” spot to quickly get the trophy, so I sat with her.
It was the first time I had ever seen anyone “vanish into dust”. I waited a moment, sad that my friend had left me. I hopped off the ledge and was suddenly greeted by the white glow again. I looked, and there she was! Second-timer red cloak with the EXACT same symbol! She chirped and I chirped back. It was so strange! We went on ahead like nothing had happened, I tried to show her the route I usually take, as it is fairly safe and doesn’t require a lot of flying. I showed her the symbol on the left of the room where two dragons patrol. We flew down the last slope, and it was hilariously anti-climatic when we reached the bottom. Neither of us had been spotted, so there was no dramatic wall of light and glyphs suddenly springing up and repelling the dragons. It was honestly the funniest thing I had ever seen in that game, and it was at the arguably most intense moment in the game!
I showed her to the two little bits of cloth over in the corner. I never spend much time showing people this because there’s no reason for it other than being kinda neat/cute. We went through the tower, and I showed her all the symbols, the wall, and the ancestor there. We looked at the mural together, and we went to the mountain together.
She went to the first dead manta ray in the snow and chirped. I thought maybe she was doing like I do when alone and mourning their deaths, but then she sat down again. I sat beside her, and sure enough, she vanished. I remembered how she was right there when I moved away a little before, so I got up quickly and took a few steps, hoping. I was excited when I heard a chirp and saw a glow almost immediately. Imagine my disappointment when it was a fully decorated red cloak with a teeny scarf who owned that voice…
Still, I resigned myself to join this person up the mountain. We traveled ahead a little bit, and watched the dragon attack the mantas. Then they started chirping up a royal storm. I chirped back. They jumped up and down, I chirped to recharge them. They followed me hesitantly a few steps, then turned around and started to chirp again. I watched them do this for what was probably a minute or more before they sat down and they too, vanished.
I went on alone, and stopped by the light by the bridge. This was where I had met my first friend; I was hoping to meet somebody else. I waited for around five minutes with no sign of anyone, so I went on alone. I went the whole way alone, tackling winds, hiding from the dragons again, and up the hill…alone. I reached the paradise above the clouds and was not surprised to find no one there beside me, yet still I chirped loudly like always before diving to the nearest mountaintop and moving on.
I went through all of paradise by myself, feeling nothing but sadness. The music which usually sounded beautiful made me want to cry. I didn’t play with any of my cloth friends; instead I went straight for the top of the mountain. I got there, and wasted no time in drawing a heart for the friend who was no longer with me. It was probably my best one yet, and my most heartfelt.
After the credits rolled, I took down her name, and immediately sent her a message of thanks, along with a heart. It isn’t quite the same as seeing somebody actively drawing something like that for you, but I couldn’t NOT show her that I loved her for coming with me.
If you ever somehow read this, chapfam4, I want to thank you again for probably my most emotional playthrough yet. I missed you. <3
P.S.
If you are a guy, sorry for calling you “she/her/etc” this whole time. XD
Met such a great fellow white cloak ;u;
We synced up together in the underground tunnels while I was sitting on top of one the war machine statues. We got through that area the usual way and we meditated together where those two tiny cloth are. In the tower area they chirped to me that we were going to get up the tower without activating the water. I’ve only tried doing this about a month ago so I really didn’t remember much of which ledges to fly to so I followed their every move. At one point I lost sight of them half way up and though that they’ve went on without me. I stood there for a little bit looking around, chirping and there they were jumping back down to me to show me the way c:. We continued upward so close to the top but I was flying a bit to low, went right under the stairs at the top when I ran out of scarf energy and started falling to the ground. So my fellow white cloak activated the last wall glyph so I could swim the way back up. I am sorry for my clumsy flying though :c.
We enter into the mountain level and journey on through it without the war machines spotting us and meditated at that one light heat source and the cloth fish are. Collapsing into the snow side by side.
Then right as we went into paradise instead of going forward we flew back to the mountain that is right behind you when you enter. We sat at the top enjoy the view of it all. Chirped to the cloth fish above us to lift us up and we straight up, as high as the game will let you and sang to each other to keep us there dancing in the air. We did this for quit awhile, dropping down then flying back up. Even at one point one fish cloth came all the way up and danced with us. I couldn’t stop smiling haha. Finally we went on all the way to the light bridge but to turn back around to the start to fly around again. And this time when finally move forward again we stopped at the top of the red pillars and other places just to stand together and sing to each other. Sadly I was running out of time to stay and play so I had to hurry things along. When we reached the top and they drew one half of a heart while I drew the other side before we walked to the light together.
Thank you, ChainsawSkillz for the fun in paradise <3
I played Journey for the first time today. I picked up a partner fairly early and spent the whole game with that person…until the end. We somehow got separated in one of the later sections with all the mountains (before you each turn to light and fly to the final path). As I landed on the ledge, I caught a glimpse of my partner. Before I could signal her/him my partner turned around and flew back as if to go look for me. I waited and waited but never saw my partner again. Unfortunately, we never reunited and I had to make the final walk by myself. It was a beautiful game, but sad.
Today, I transcended and had one of the most thrilling journeys I had ever been on. On the Broken Bridge, I found a white robe. They showed me all the glyphs and symbols, though I knew many of them already. I still appreciated the companionship. Every time we found a symbol or glyph, we danced and chirped. Unfortunately, mid way through the game, my lovely companion had to leave. I encountered a few other robes along the way, though none were quite the same as my first companion. RSTBAY, you were a blast. Thanks so much. I hope you see this!
I have a bad habit of starting up Journey instead of just going to bed. I always tell myself I’ll only play the broken bridge area or go as far as the pink desert, but then I find a partner and try to stick with them as long as possible. Eventually my eyes get too tired, and I have to say goodbye. It rips my heart in two to leave them, and I even try to phonetically chirp ‘I’m sorry’ before I sit down to disappear. It only hurts more because I’ll never know who they are.
