Journal

About

"Journal" is a single-player adventure game with an intriguing story of a young girl's journey facing the responsibilities of childhood. The game features hand-painted splendid graphics, an awesome soundtrack, and tackles the theme of memory reliability. Developed by Richard Perrin, with art and writing by Melissa Royall, it promises a highly emotional and thought-provoking experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 514 reviews

story174 positive mentions

replayability4 negative mentions

The game features a beautifully hand-drawn art style that enhances the storytelling experience.
The narrative is emotionally engaging, tackling themes of loss, adolescence, and personal growth.
The soundtrack is well-composed and effectively sets the mood throughout the game.

The choices made by the player often feel meaningless, as they do not significantly impact the overall outcome of the story.
The pacing can be slow, with some players finding the gameplay repetitive and lacking in depth.
The protagonist is often unlikable, which may hinder players' ability to connect with her journey.

story
680 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
5%
The story of the game is a poignant exploration of adolescence, loss, and emotional turmoil, told through the perspective of a young girl navigating her troubled life. While the narrative is rich with relatable themes and beautifully presented through unique art and music, many players found the storytelling confusing and the character choices to be largely inconsequential, leading to a mixed reception regarding its overall impact. Despite its flaws, the game resonates with those who appreciate deep, personal storytelling, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “For a story told using paper cutouts, the beguilingly simple distraction-less game mechanic elevates the art of storytelling.”
- “The basis for its drama may be as old as time, but the story manages to freshen it up by focusing on a different kind of consequences, as well as by refusing to add any sort of superficial silver lining to them.”
- “It's a beautifully told story, a rather poetic experience.”
- “Unfortunately, the storytelling is confusing and leads to frustrating situations where the choices given lose their significance, for example when the player has to make decisions before they have the information to make them.”
- “The muddled plot leads to a story that doesn't really go anywhere as they leave out details for pretty much everything, such as her parent's divorce, her grandmother's sudden change of behaviour, and the package you have to pick up from the post office.”
- “I wanted so badly to be drawn into the beautiful artwork and somber soundtrack which seem so ready to compliment a deeper story than we've become accustomed to, but it all fell flat.”
graphics
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
46%
4%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique hand-drawn art style that many players find enchanting and atmospheric, effectively complementing the narrative. While some critiques mention issues like graphical glitches and a perceived immaturity in the art, the overall aesthetic is praised for its ability to evoke emotion and enhance the storytelling experience. Despite occasional performance hiccups, the visuals are generally regarded as a standout feature, contributing to the game's charm and immersive quality.
- “The artwork is perfect for setting the atmosphere of the game, and toes the line between beautiful and brilliantly unsettling.”
- “Has beautiful hand-drawn visuals and a soothing soundtrack.”
- “The unusual premise and the beautiful hand-drawn children’s storybook graphics are worth the price of admission alone.”
- “A failure to emphasize is written all over the artwork.”
- “Also, for a game not very graphically intense, the lag that happens when you change location is quite a surprise.”
- “There was also this strange graphical glitch where the entirety of the text was replaced with these rotating and shifting characters that looked like the text was glitching out to the nth degree.”
gameplay
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
76%
8%
The gameplay is primarily focused on walking around and engaging in dialogue, with minimal interactive elements or puzzles, making it feel simplistic and repetitive for some players. While the narrative and emotional depth are appreciated, many reviewers found the gameplay lacking and not justifying the game's price, leading to mixed feelings about its overall value. Those who enjoy narrative-driven experiences may find it worthwhile, but it may not appeal to players seeking more complex gameplay mechanics.
- “For a story told using paper cutouts, the beguilingly simple distraction-less game mechanic elevates the art of storytelling.”
- “I liked the main character (and her adorable beret, despite what one of the ending songs might say about them) and found the gameplay smooth with no pacing issues.”
- “Gameplay is pretty straightforward and it's not hard to know where you are supposed to go.”
- “Bad art, bad gameplay, bad cutscenes, poorly written... I'm quite used to bad walking simulators, but this one is like an emo fanfic.”
- “There's not much to the actual gameplay other than talking to people and making choices that won't affect the ending.”
- “I want to recommend this game, I really do, but the gameplay detracts from the story too much to actually make me want to tell someone to sit down and play it through.”
music
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the emotional atmosphere and complement the storytelling, with many reviewers noting its soothing quality and effective mood-setting. While some found the soundtrack to be exceptional and memorable, others felt it was merely adequate, with a few critiques pointing out that it could detract from key moments in the game. Overall, the combination of music and art style creates a nostalgic and immersive experience, though opinions on its standout quality vary.
- “The soundtrack is just so well mixed to drive the mood exactly where it needs to go; every day has its own sound that builds to an epic crescendo as the week progresses.”
- “The music in this game (and the finale, in particular), is truly great at setting the tone.”
- “The art is beautiful, the music is soothing, and the story is great.”
- “Along with that, the music was just... okay.”
- “Even the big, momentous reveal feels mundane and ordinary because of the music.”
- “I have played much better adventure games, with better stories, gameplay, soundtrack, etc., and for less money.”
emotional
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional narrative, tackling themes of loss, trauma, and personal growth in a heartfelt manner. Players report being moved to tears by the story, which resonates with their own experiences and evokes a range of emotions. While some critique the game's technical execution, the emotional impact and storytelling are consistently highlighted as its strongest aspects, making it a compelling experience for those who value narrative over gameplay.
- “Like To The Moon, it is story-rich, tackles an emotional human subject in a moving way, with a wonderful use of symbolism, and has a beautiful soundtrack.”
- “I can definitely say that the game struck me on an emotional level; it pretty much nailed how much it sucks to be in middle school, having friendships go down in flames, a parent abruptly bringing someone new into the picture, and trying to handle the loss of a loved one.”
- “Overall, Journal gave me a lot to think about, and even made me cry a few times because it stirred up some incidents from my own past that I too wanted to redo.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
20%
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many players noting that once the story is completed, there is little incentive to play again, as interactions do not significantly affect outcomes. Some achievements and trading cards provide a slight reason to replay, but the consensus is that the game lacks substantial replay value, making it more suitable for a sale purchase rather than a full-price buy.
- “There's definitely a bit of replayability in this game too.”
- “This gives the game some replayability.”
- “Not much replay value but I would share it with friends.”
- “Grab it when it's on sale, because the price is pretty high for the very short 2-hour length and zero replayability.”
- “The only issue is that once the story is completed, there isn't much replay value, as interactions don't seem to affect the outcome at all. In fact, the only reason to replay would be to try to achieve a 100% completion of achievements.”
- “In short, it is a fairly average title. Without replayability, you're probably better off spending your money on another title or buying this only when it's on sale.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The game's atmosphere is masterfully crafted, blending beautiful yet unsettling artwork with a poignant soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience. Reviewers highlight a pervasive sense of doom and unease, effectively reflecting the game's exploration of real-life issues through its simplistic art style and character development. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both emotionally impactful and cleverly presented, contributing significantly to the storytelling.
- “The artwork is perfect for setting the atmosphere of the game, and toes the line between beautiful and brilliantly unsettling.”
- “I thought this presentation was clever, and added to the immersive atmosphere of the game.”
- “There is a sense of doom lingering throughout the game that hints toward something tragic, which is also expressed via a gradual shift and general sense of unease in the atmosphere and setting of the game.”
- “Change of atmosphere will tell you that something is not right, your mum will send you to a special place, and you will uncover the truth.”
- “Soundtrack is not bad, it is actually good; even as background music, it helps to create the right atmosphere.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted by its clever use of self-deprecating jokes, particularly in a hidden ending that many players found amusing. While the visuals and voice acting are praised, some felt that the voice work was underutilized, as only key parts are voiced. Overall, the humor resonates well, with comparisons made to the comedic elements found in the Portal series.
- “The game also features a second, hidden ending which turns self-deprecating humor into an art form.”
- “Interesting concept, nice visuals, good voice acting that was not used enough (only important parts, which are written in the journal, are spoken by one actress), short story with a very funny alternate ending (that reminded me of Portal 1 and 2's ending songs).”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
Character development in the game is uneven, with only the final 20% providing significant growth for the protagonist and some supporting characters. However, the overall narrative struggles to connect with the character's journey, and the use of stereotypical designs detracts from the depth of the characters.
- “With that being said, the remaining 20% of the game brings much needed character development to the protagonist as well as some of the other characters.”
- “While the world and the character designs follow the mentality of the girl after this big moment in her life, it doesn't feel like the story relates to it in any way.”
- “It is also not helped by the stereotypical character designs employed to illustrate these other people, faceless or not.”
- “With that being said, the remaining 20% of the game brings much-needed character development to the protagonist as well as some of the other characters.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches such as interrupted conversations, misleading interact prompts, and unclear text displays. Players have reported that these bugs contribute to awkward and frustrating controls, detracting from the overall experience.
- “There were a host of glitches in the game, from conversations cutting off randomly, to the interact button appearing over things I couldn't interact with, to certain text just being a ton of random letters (although, I think that was intentional, but I don't know. It was never explained in the story).”
- “The ugly: awkward, buggy controls for such a straightforward game!”
- “There were a host of glitches in the game, from conversations cutting off randomly, to the interact button appearing over things I couldn't interact with, to certain text just being a ton of random letters (although, I think that was intentional, but I don't know. It was never explained in the story).”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users noting satisfactory gameplay and performance scores, while others express concerns about inconsistencies that affect the overall experience. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be a work in progress, with room for improvement.

Buy Journal

3h Median play time

4h Average play time

3-9h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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