Studio 1 Related Works Week 4

Work 1: Journey

1) Journey is a 3D third person adventure game about a robed figure travelling through a vast desert to reach the shining peak of a mountain; although a one-player game, other players can be encountered and assissted at points along the journey.

2) The game has no dialogue, instead it relies on its vast and beautiful desert environment, dynamic music and sounds which respond to the players actions and progress, and scripted story events, to communicate themes of wonder and exploration, and control the emotional arc of the story.

3) Despite its lack of dialogue or explicit story, Journey's emotional arc feels familiar, almost like a Hero's Journey; there is a call to adventure at the start (reach the shiny point at the top of the mountain), there are "highs" where the player reaches beautiful summit points or passes through difficult terrain, blood-pumping chase scenes, and "low points" such as when the player crashes through the ground and must work their way back up to the surface. The game is a shining example of an emotional story told without dialogue, and is able to connect well with players through its simplistic and intuitive mechanics. 

Work 2: Gris

1) Gris is a 2D platform adventure game that follows a girl's journey through strange lands, encountering puzzles, platforming sequences, occasionally enemies, and eventually returning colour to the world. 

2) Gris is another game which communicates its story without any dialogue, instead relying on its evocative and detailed visuals and animations, as well as dramatic and emotional score which matches the arc of the story. Through the cinematics, sombre music, and repeating motifs of ruined structures and statues in grieving poses, it communicates themes of grief and sorrow. The world and characters are malleable and animated, often bleeding into each other; it is clear this world is not literal, but figurative. 

3) This game is extremely accessible; there is so much aesthetic beauty in both the visuals and the mechanics; movement feels effortless and baletic as the player jumps and glides through the beautiful world. Although there is danger, death is impossible; the player is safe to engage with the world and themes at their own pace. The lack of specificity in the story, as well as surreal nature of the shifting, animated world, allows the player to interpret the story as they wish.