The Art of "Journey"

Journey, indie video game produced by Thatgamecompany (besides great video games they seem to also have a great sense of humour), won the hearts of players from all over the world, including myself, with its breath-taking visuals and unique gameplay. I chose to write about this game because I first started playing it a few days ago, and I couldn’t put it down until I got to the end. The story world is immersive and fascinating through its simplicity. You never know what is waiting over the next dune. The premise of the game also intrigues players: you are thrown in a desert without knowing anything about your quest. Soon enough though, your eyes are directed towards the mountain in the distance, contrasting with the sun shining behind it.

With a rather simple art style, it is one of the games that shows best how employing basic colour theory and composition techniques can take you a long way.

Take this image for example:

Journey - Thatgamecompany; screenshot

It is such a simple piece of art, but it somehow managed to take my breath away. It made me linger in the moment instead of charging right back into the action of the game.

It uses only two complementary colours and their tones: blue and orange. The dark blue gives off a surreal, eerie feeling, making the player wonder what mysteries wait to be discovered. It creates expectations and makes them want to continue playing. The orange creates a much warmer vibe, reassuring in a sense. The place where the character stands is still safe, but you must leave it in order to continue your journey.

The lighting also plays a great role in directing the player’s attention to the next checkpoint. The light beam contrasts with the rest of the image, which is darker.

The only fine details in the drawing can be found on the character in the foreground, where the viewer’s eyes are first directed. They are then led towards the light beam, framed by the columns. The character is also the darkest in the image, attracting the player’s attention first.

It also uses the Rule of Thirds: the character is placed where the lines meet, while the altar and the light beam are in the middle of the page.

As for the shape language, the triangular shape of the character indicates dynamicity, rather than masculinity or force, since the character's form is rather small and thin, indicating agility and speed. This way, the purpose of the character (making the journey) as well as the way they move and travel is made clear from the beginning. The triangle shape is repeated in the altar far away. The sqaure shape of the collumns symbolize their stability in the face of the passing time and disaster that hit the old civilization which built them. 

Overall, Journey uses simple forms, complementary colours and lighting in order to catch the viewer’s attention and keep them immersed in the game’s world, while also creating dynamic pieces of artwork.