Such a short game. A simple game. A game made with a singular purpose: To give the player a journey. And what a journey it was.
It feels almost like a musical, the sands shifting under your feet as your character pads along. You see a vast, empty world. Ruins. Nothing but sand. Off in the distance, the mountain peak. Your destination. Your journey. And you know, that's where you need to go.
The sand under your feet feels and looks almost... alive, as you move through it. You come to a steep slope, with ruins strewn about in the sand. You know what must be done, and begin your surf through the quiet desert.
Along the way, you see another person. You're surprised, you thought you were alone in this vast world. You realize now that you're part of something greater. There is something more. You want to find your answers. You want to reach the end of your journey, to discover what you're missing. To discover the link.
As quickly as you met them, you discover that your traveling companion is gone. You don't know where they went, you don't know how they left, but somehow you know that you'll never see them again, and all you can hope is that they've gained something through their time with you.
The path is getting more rough. It's harsh. You can see your destination, looming overhead, taunting you, telling you that you won't make it. But you know that you will. You must. Your journey won't be for naught. You'll accomplish what your predecessors could only dream of. You'll make it to the end, no matter the cost.
After a long trip through the depths of a ruined temple, you come to a tower. As you stare up at it, you wonder how you could ever make it to the top, when suddenly another person begins floating above you. You follow them as they lead you to a half-ring of statues. Quizzically, you activate them. You're surprised as you see something that can only be described as a sparkling gas fills the room. Unable to resist the temptation, you jump in only to discover that it allows you to float. You chirp your thanks to your sudden friend, and quickly find a similar set of statues a bit higher up. It continues this way, with grand creatures coming to life as the gas fills more and more of the room. You bounce your way along jellyfish, they send you soaring higher and higher to heights you could only ever dream of until finally... you reach the top of the temple.
You watch as more of the history of your predecessors is revealed to you, their tragic tale being painted before your eyes.
Once outside of the temple, your journey kicks into high gear again. You dash and slide down another massive mountain of sand, gathering up the shredded tatters left that give you the power to glide through this world. And as you reach the bottom of the mountain, you see why you were gathering them. The slope ends with a jump, and sends you flying. You fly. You feel like you'll never touch ground again. It's glorious, and you never want it to end.
But all too soon it seems, it does end and you must begin your trek anew, your spirit invigorated as you can once again see your destination, closer now than ever before.
(Now, as it's getting a bit late and I think I've already misplaced a few of the tracks to their in-game locations, I'm going to skip a bit)
The climate has noticeably changed. Where once there was sand, now there is snow. You're getting higher and higher. Approaching your destination. The end of your journey. You can see it, still in the distance. It seems so far away. But you must keep going. You must reach... the end... you must discover the answers... all of your questions must have answers...
You're so close. You've made it past every obstacle. There is nothing left now to stop you, except the mountain itself. Making your way with another person, you keep warm in the frigid heights, and you know it won't take long now. You're almost there. You've almost reached your goal, you've almost reached that place which seemed so far away only hours ago. Bolstered, you push on.
The air is getting colder. You're moving slower. The warmth of your companion isn't helping anymore. You notice ice forming along your robes. You look up at the looming gaze of the mountain, and inside of you, somehow you know. As the wind blows you back and forth, you become separated from your companion. Frantically you try to look around, he's falling behind. But you know that you can't go back for him... not now, not when you're so close. You must push on. Everything seems... so... close... your companion collapses. You try to push on, but all strength leaves you. And as you fall to the snow, the last thing you see, is the peak of the mountain looming overhead.
You awaken. It seems like it's been an eternity. You gaze around yourself. This isn't the last thing you remember. Your scarf... it seems longer than you remember. Is this the mountain you were climbing? In your heart, you know where you are though. And as you trudge through and beyond, your eyes feast on glory and splendor that you could never have imagined before. You leap into the air. Astounding creatures surround you on all sides. You feel free. You're liberated from the shackles of your lonely existence, and you fly as you had only dreamed of before. You've made it. Your journey is finished. You were compelled to make your way, and make your way you did. It seemed like forever, that hike up the mountain, but now it all rests far in the back of your mind as you soar through the clouds, soar above beautiful waterfalls, see gorgeous architecture that reminds you of the ruins you had seen through your travels. And finally you come to... the mountain. All around you, things seem to get quiet. You land softly. There is a long chasm, and a bright light at the end of it. You begin walking. This is where you were being led. This is where you needed to go. This... is where you will get your answers.
And so you walk toward the light.
