It's been some time since I played the video game JOURNEY (by ThatGameCompany for Sony Computer Entertainment), so I decided to give it another go today. I was stricken once again by the sheer beauty of the game.

JOURNEY has a single player taking 3rd-person control of a character in a ruined, post-apocalyptic, yet stunningly gorgeous desert world. It is to all intents and purposes an empty world. The environments are dazzlingly rendered, from a vast desert to ruined cityscapes to underground and apparently underwater levels. I say "apparently" because it's not 100 percent clear whether you're surrounded by water or by some magical essence.

Yes, it's a magical world. Your main means of travel, apart from walking, is a limited sort of flight, powered by mysterious cloth-like creatures who charge up the magic scarf you acquire in the introductory level. More magical icons can be found along the way that add to your scarf and increase the time and distance you can stay airborne.

There is no goal as such, other than traveling to a distant mountain which has a mystical light shining from it. The only controls are for walking (left stick), a button for jumping/gliding, and another that triggers your character's "voice". Said voice is in the form of musical notes. There is no dialog in the game, nor any text; the backstory of the world you're in comes from your interpretation of pictograms you encounter on the way. No interpretation is by definition correct, but it becomes clear that a previous civilization caused some sort of catastrophe, and eventually a war that destroyed them.

You can encounter other online players along the way, and help each other. You can charge up your scarves together merely by coming into contact. Communication is limited to the musical chimes you emit and physically walking or flying to attract the other's attention. You can also guide each other to secret bonus achievements.

There is absolutely no combat in the game, and no enemies per se, although there are dangers (and a few moments that are pants-wettingly scary). The game is topped off by Austin Wintory's beautiful soundtrack, which is majestic, mysterious, playful, joyous, tense, and triumphant by turns.

JOURNEY is available on the PlayStation network. Originally a PS3 title, it has since been ported for PS4. And the journey is well worth the price of admission.