Journey (1983 video game)
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Bally Midway |
| Products | Arcade video game |
Journey is an arcade video game launched by Bally Midway in 1983. This title was created to leverage the popularity of the rock group Journey during the early 1980s, coinciding with their tour across the United States.
The game incorporates digitized images of the band members Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Steve Smith, Jonathan Cain, and Ross Valory.
Gameplay
Using an eight-directional joystick and a single button, players aim to recover the band's stolen instruments scattered throughout five different planets.
Each stage consists of five distinct minigame challenges followed by a bonus level. Players navigate the band's Scarab Vehicle to various planets to choose a minigame. Within each challenge, a band member—depicted by a black-and-white photo superimposed on an illustrated body—must overcome obstacles to reclaim their instrument and return it to the vehicle.
Gameplay is accompanied by synthesized clips of Journey’s music, with "Lights" playing during the selection phase.
- Steve Perry: Maneuver through swinging gates to reach Perry's microphone, then shoot at descending gates. Background track: "Don't Stop Believin'."
- Neal Schon: Fly with a jetpack inside a cavern, avoiding or destroying rockets to reach Schon's guitar. Background track: "Chain Reaction."
- Steve Smith: Leap across floating drums, turning them blue before collecting Smith's drum kit to attack enemies. Background track: "Wheel in the Sky."
- Jonathan Cain: Descend ramps while clearing hurdles to obtain Cain's keyboard, then shoot incoming foes. Background track: "Stone in Love."
- Ross Valory: Jump between telescoping platforms to reach Valory's bass guitar, then destroy platforms and evade projectiles. Background track: "Keep On Runnin'."
Upon completing all minigames, a bonus round features the band performing for extraterrestrial fans. Players control a roadie tasked with preventing fans from reaching the stage; failure results in instruments being stolen and increased difficulty. The music loops an excerpt from "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)."
Colliding with obstacles or enemy projectiles causes loss of a life and returns players to the minigame selection screen. The game concludes when all lives are depleted.
Development
Although the characters possess cartoon-style bodies, their faces are rendered as black-and-white photographs taken during the band’s tour. This photographic technique was developed by Ralph H. Baer and initially intended for a different game where high scorers could display their own photos on leaderboards and as character heads. However, that project failed location testing due to inappropriate player conduct.
Reception
In its June 2007 edition, Game Informer placed this title at number nine on its list of "Top 10 Worst Licensed Game Ideas (ever)".
See also
- Journey Escape, another video game featuring Journey