Sony’s Play At Home promotion has made developer thatgamecompany’s Journey available for free to all PlayStation 4 owners. But time spent on a game is still a form of cost, so PS4 users might be wondering if the free game is any good. Luckily, Journey is a wholly unique video game that everyone should experience, especially when all they have to do is hit “Download.”

The Play At Home initiative is Sony’s way of encouraging social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with Journey, the company is offering a free download of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, which includes remastered versions of the first three Uncharted games. Unlike Sony’s usual free game offerings, these two titles don’t require a PlayStation Plus membership to download, so every PS4 owner can grab them while the initiative is active.

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The WHO has recommended playing video games to ensure people are stimulated while staying indoors, but with near-infinite game download options available, even a free game needs to be good to warrant a playthrough. Here’s why Journey is absolutely worth the time.

Is The Free PS4 Game Journey Any Good?

In the old “video games as art” debate, few games make a stronger argument than Journey. Take a screenshot at nearly any moment, and it will look like it was deliberately constructed to be displayed that way. There is no dialogue in Journey, so the game’s entire story is told through its visuals and music – which happens to be the first video game soundtrack ever nominated for a Grammy Award. Journey’s story isn’t a grand tale by any means, but it’s still best left unspoiled. The simple, titular journey can have a disproportionately complex effect on many of those who experience it, making some players cry without really knowing why.

Journey’s surprising emotional impact is its main draw. It’s not a game that’s worth playing because of its deep lore or complex mechanics (though its seamless, wordless multiplayer is still among gaming’s most unique). What makes Journey special is how it conjures emotions in a way that would be impossible in another medium. Players feel connected to its world and its playable, scarf-like protagonists because they’re playing it. It’s worth experiencing because there’s simply nothing else – game, movie, or otherwise – like it.

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Journey doesn’t demand much from players to have that experience, either. It has few fail states, no real difficulty spikes, and it’s only about two hours long. That brief run time may have upset some players when it had a $15 price tag, but it works in Journey’s favor when the game is free. All PS4 owners need to play a game like no other is an internet connection and two hours, and Journey is well worth that relatively small investment.

Journey first released for PlayStation 3 on  March 13, 2012, and has since been ported to PlayStation 4, PC, and iOS.

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Camden Jones
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Camden Jones is one of Screen Rant’s gaming features editors. He loves video games, but he’s even more interested in the people who make and play them.

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