<!--
	Title: (PC Players) Journey
	Author: Neil Randall
	Source: Game Players, v1(5)
	Date: November 1989
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<figure class="float-right-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-1.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption><em>Journey:</em> As the game begins, both the text and the graphics set the stage for the story.</figcaption>
</figure>

Infocom, too, is taking advantage of the much-improved graphics
hardware found in more of today's PC compatibles. *Journey* is Infocom's
second major venture beyond its signature text games.
The first was *BattleTech*, a long, complex, science-fiction role-playing
game, certainly an impressive debut. *Journey*, a fantasy game, is
much less complex, and is more strongly tied to Infocom's text adventure
tradition. In fact, it's simply an illustrated text adventure
with a menu-based user interface.

<figure class="float-left-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-2.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>Inside the Provisioner's Shop, you'll notice a map tacked to the wall. The provisioner claims it's useless.</figcaption>
</figure>

Although the differences might seem cosmetic, the menus significantly
change the way this type of game is played. In the old Infocom
text adventures, you typed instructions which the program would
interpret and execute (assuming it could figure out what you were
talking about). Typing in the sentence-length commands was a
frustrating experience for some people, but it also meant that your
choices were practically unlimited. Since you could type virtually
anything, you had to analyze the situation and determine what was
the *appropriate* thing to type. With menus, however, your choices are
limited to what's on the list and are often completely obvious. The
Scout command, for example, appears on the menus only some
of the time. When it does show up, it's usually appropriate to choose
it.

<figure class="float-left-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-3.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>This scruffy-looking fellow, Minar, wants to join your party. It's up to you to decide whether he'll be an asset or a liability.</figcaption>
</figure>

Frustration thus disappears. With it, however, goes some of the
puzzle-oriented charm of the old Infocom games. But experienced
players must realize that *Journey* represents a completely new kind
of game, and that in some ways it's not a game at all.

<figure class="float-right-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-4.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>Minar *does* prove his worth as a O scout. From a ridge, he spots a col- ^ umn of smoke that seems to be
	coming from a hearth or a campfire.</figcaption>
</figure>

Like Activision's *Portal*, released a couple of years ago. *Journey*
is more like a novel than a text adventure. Yes, you make choices,
but if you make the wrong choices, you'll find out fairly quickly. Your
goal is not to decipher puzzles, but rather to find out how the story
ends. In other words, it's quite like reading a novel.

<figure class="float-left-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-5.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>This poor wretch may be suffering from old age, battle fatigue, and
	cataracts, but he's still capable of offering some perceptive insights.</figcaption>
</figure>

The enjoyment derives from the story rather than the game.
And *Journey* boasts some of the best interactive fiction writing ever.
Most of the text consists of well-written narration, something
rarely seen in text adventures.

<figure class="float-right-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-6.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>It's a good thing you're a good swimmer — after plunging into this lake, you discover a hidden entrance
to a cave.</figcaption>
</figure>

The illustrations are another
source of enjoyment. The MCGA version of *Journey* offers several
extremely attractive pictures, each accompanied by descriptive prose.
The next step in this genre will be to integrate the graphics with the
game play (somewhat like Mindscape's *Deja Vu* series), but
for now these well-executed illustrations are strong additions.


<figure class="float-left-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-7.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>Inside the cave, you must cast a glow spell to find your way
	through the darkness.</figcaption>
</figure>

The story itself is fairly straightforward. You must journey outward
from your home town, trying to find out why the world has
changed. Quickly, you discover that an evil being is responsible for
the problems, and you have to collect three precious stones to save
the world. One belongs to the nymphs, another to the dwarfs, a
third to — why not find out for yourself?

<figure class="float-right-narrow">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-8.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>At this stage of the game, the 2 map finally seems to come in
	handy—or does it? Nobody else seems to think so.</figcaption>
</figure>

One of the more pleasant (and helpful) features of *Journey* is the
stories narrated by various characters. As your quest proceeds, you
will often notice a menu option which allows you to hear another
story. Select it, and one of the characters will explain something
you've just discovered, usually in the form of a tale. This is the kind
of thing that happened to the hobbits in *The Lord of the Rings* —
something fantasy buffs have sorely missed in interactive fiction.

<figure class="float-left">
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-9.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>Hiding is the better part of valor 3 when this frightening creature shows its face.</figcaption>
<p></p>
<img src="/public/img/articles/gameplayers-review-journey/journey-screen-shot-10.jpg" alt="A screen shot from Journey">
<figcaption>Astrix, the Wizard! But don't get too anxious — your quest isn't over yet.</figcaptioN>
</figure>

All of this emphasis on the story has its price, however. If you
judge the worth of an adventure game by how long it takes to finish,
you may conclude that *Journey* is lacking. Thanks to its menu
system and helpful hints, the game can be completed in a single weekend.
With *Zork* or *A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, it could take
hours just to get through the first three or four obstacles. Those
games burned a large number of brain cells. *Journey*, by contrast, is
much less mentally demanding. But we think Journey's tradeoff
is successful. Furthermore, it points toward a possible future of this
genre. If interactive fiction is to be worth our attention, it must incorporate
the same qualities that keep people reading novels. In other
words, it may evolve into a storytelling medium rather than a
gaming medium. Journey is an important step in that direction.