Guide: Your first journey

Hints and Tips for your first Journey, while trying to avoid saying too much about the game.

The 3 Intro-to-Journey-Guides / Why count journeys?
Especially on your first Journey you are probably overwhelmed by what's going on. So it's perfectly natural to come back for a second Journey or more, to explore the levels more and maybe work on getting the Trophies (not obtainable on Epic/iOS version, still doable though).

Even after getting a 100% there is much more that you can discover, but we will talk about that later.

You will start Journey like a child; you might not know what to do or what's expected from you. Just walk on - often the camera will show you the way, and the wind on the sides of the level will tell you where you cannot go (you are still free to explore as far as possible).

Everyone learns about things in Journey at a different time, and it's possible to see or learn some things earlier or later in your Journey career. A first Journey is best experienced "blind", this guide gives hints for before or at the start of your first Journey. Lean back and feel Journey.

These guides are made to help newcomers explore the game, without spoiling the details. Information about the game is put in spoiler tags.

The narrative arc of the game is designed to explicitly follow Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory of narrative, or hero's journey, as well as to represent the stages of life, so as to enhance the emotional connection of the players as they journey on together.

Items and creatures in the game have hidden meanings that match Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory of narrative.

Hints for a great first Journey:

 * Reserve about 3 hours' time. The game was made to be played through within one evening/length of a movie. If you are totally into the game you probably don't want to leave, because you forgot to go to the shop or prepare dinner. Depending on factors like exploring, solving riddles or simply just enjoying the view, it can take from a very fast hour and a half to a relaxed three or more hours.  Some people have a fast first Journey and immediately jump into their next one, some spend the whole day/evening exploring.
 * It is recommended to "turn off your phone" and start your Journey relaxed and focused. Some people start looking at the watch to "expect the end of the game", thus creating some stress ("Should I go faster or slower?"). The answer is: forget about the time and just do what you feel like doing. Slow or fast, everything is okay in Journey and you can always come back for a slower or a faster run.
 * Invite a friend to experience the game with you and make it a special event
 * Once you have finished and see the credits, watch them till the end until you see "new Journey". It's part of the story!
 * Once you have finished and see the credits, watch them till the end until you see "new Journey". It's part of the story!

Settings
Recommendations / Tips before you start your Journey:

These are based on the thought "Journey is a console game", since it first came out on PS3.

If possible


 * Connect your TV to the device


 * Use a controller (even possible on iOS), movements might be smoother and some things easier to control. It might pay off later to get used to playing the game with a controller (if you want to know every bit of the game).
 * PC-SMALL-75x43.gif has options to check which buttons are used and changing them, especially for keyboard users checking button assignment is recommended.
 * play Journey with a headset/headphones at least once

The start of the game, the first level, is perfect to check how the game looks on different settings to get the best out of it.


 * PS3-SMALL-75x43.gif PS4-SMALL-75x43.gif PlayStation
 * Gives you little settings to adjust your game graphics
 * Stick to the settings of your TV/monitor, try the presets. Some settings are more eye-friendly, some are more for the cinematic effects etc.


 * PC-SMALL-75x43.gif PC version
 *  Warning:  If you change your graphic settings in game, a bug might appear later in the game. Might be caused by MXAA changes. Simply quit and restart the game after you are happy with your graphic settings. In the second level on entering: the sky would appear black, in a later level you might have a hard time to navigate because you can not see properly where you are going, due to the bug.
 * has in-game graphic settings, still worth trying the TV/Graphic Card/Windows settings. Higher contrast and brighter colors can make the sand even more sparkly. Advanced: Information on how to tweak your graphic settings.
 * some people say the sand settings on low make the sand look more grainy, thus more like sand.
 * if using mouse and keyboard, you might want to lower mouse sensitivity. If you got problems controlling the direction you are going to or flying, maybe the camera moves too fast. It's not a shooter game where you have to quickly check 360° :)  The game often forces the camera to a certain direction, it can happen that you overrule it accidentally and maybe missing a hint that the game wants to show you (on later Journeys resisting the camera is even recommended for exploring)



IOS (mobile) version

 * Headphones are recommended, journey has beautiful sound :)
 * Journey is a high intensive game, so make sure to close all apps before beginning to have the best experience
 * Air play with journey can sap up lots of charge on your device - have a charger with you (If your apple device is older, don't charge it while air-playing to avoid the device getting too hot, but that problem should be fixed in newer hardware)

After the Journey, further links

 * How to play guide for Journey overview about controls and settings.
 * Chirp, Scarf
 * You will see the CMATW when you finished your first Journey.

Go on with next guide
Guide: 2nd-5th Journey The guides are separated to give you the chance to choose the spoilers you'd like to read. Of course you can read the Guide: 6th Journey and onwards as well.

The next guides contain tutorial videos on connection with other players and the Guide for Newcomers (those that keep on travelling).

More links on what to do with Journey and why we travel over and over again for many years and do not intend on stopping playing the game.