Demo blazes a trail to The Journey Home

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Meditative side-scrolling platforming adventure coming later this year to PC on Steam

Some near-death survivors say that in their final moments their lives flashed before their eyes. Others claim to have been enveloped by brilliant, colourful lights. Perhaps it's something like The Journey Home, an upcoming side-scrolling adventure by Belgian husband-and-wife developer Joey's Entertainment, which fuses together a whole lot of both. 

There's no overt plot in this game. Rather, the entire experience is meant to be a journey "beyond the boundaries of time and space." For one elderly man named Walter, his search for "answers to the questions that haunt us all" can "only be found by going within." For players that means venturing into an "ever-evolving world where environments materialize and dissolve around you," the protagonist continually shifting ages "from young to old, and from old to young." As you travel between fantastical locations and those seemingly grounded in important places and people from Walter's life, you'll need to use your "telekinetic powers to interact with objects, structures, and living creatures" in order to solve the "surreal puzzles" and physical obstacles along the way.

Blending the "atmospheric environmental storytelling of INSIDE with the deep emotional resonance of Journey," this game is anything but a standard adventure. A controller is required and there's no dialogue, no inventory, little narration, few brainteasers demanding logical solutions, and only a "minimalistic" interface. Instead, The Journey Home is a highly linear experience, keeping you constantly on the move. One minute you'll be gliding through a psychedelic light show accompanied by soothing New Agey synth music, the next you'll be ascending a forest on giant fungi or using your "pulse mechanic" to "non-verbally influence and interact" with certain elements in your surroundings. 

There's some light platforming involved, as you'll "climb, swim, walk, run, jump, push, and swing your way" through each surprising landscape, the dynamic camera following your movements automatically. But there is "no need to travel alone" anytime you can "hitch rides with ethereal fireflies, giant birds, luminescent jellyfish, or take control of a flying car." You can technically die from collisions or misplaced jumps, but the controls are forgiving and failure is just a minor setback to the nearest checkpoint to try again, as the focus here isn't on fast reflexes or physical prowess. The gameplay mechanics are intended more as a means to propel you through a story by USA Today bestselling author Sophie-Leigh Robbins that raises "profound questions about life and death." 

The full version of The Journey Home isn't far off, expected later this year, but you can take your first steps right away as a playable demo is available now on Steam. Console versions are also planned, though they'll follow sometime after the Windows PC debut. 

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