Journal

81%
Game Brain Score Based on 257 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Journal Game Cover
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"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.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

81%
Audience ScoreBased on 257 reviews
story87 positive mentions
character development3 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautifully hand-drawn art style that enhances the storytelling experience.
  • The soundtrack is well-composed and effectively sets the mood throughout the game.
  • The narrative explores deep themes of loss and personal growth, resonating with players on an emotional level.
  • The gameplay is simplistic, with limited interactivity and choices that often feel inconsequential.
  • The story can be confusing and disjointed, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the protagonist's journey.
  • The game is quite short, lasting only about 2 hours, which may not justify the full price for some players.
  • story340 mentions

    The story of the game is a poignant exploration of adolescence, loss, and personal growth, told through the eyes of a young girl navigating complex emotions and experiences. While the narrative is rich with relatable themes and beautifully presented through unique art and shadow puppet interludes, many players found the storytelling to be muddled and at times confusing, detracting from the overall impact. Despite its shortcomings, the game resonates with those who appreciate deep, emotional 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 behavior, and the package you have to pick up from the post office.”
    • “The story is simplistic and seemed to have no point.”
  • graphics76 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique hand-drawn art style that blends beauty with an eerie atmosphere, effectively setting the mood for the narrative. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and its emotional resonance, some have noted technical issues like lag during transitions and a simplistic design that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the visuals are praised for their charm and creativity, contributing significantly to the game's storytelling experience.

    • “The artwork is perfect for setting the atmosphere of the game, and toes the line between beautiful and brilliantly unsettling.”
    • “The graphics and voice acting are good, but it's the story that makes this game shine.”
    • “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.”
    • “The graphics look far too immature, almost as if they were trying to weigh down the heaviness of the story itself with puerile artwork.”
  • gameplay50 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, primarily involving walking around and engaging in dialogue, with minimal interactive mechanics or puzzles. While some players appreciate the focus on storytelling and emotional connection, many criticize the repetitive nature and lack of depth, making it feel more like a visual novel than a traditional game. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a secondary aspect to the narrative, which may not justify the price for some players.

    • “For a story told using paper cutouts, the beguilingly simple distraction-less game mechanic elevates the art of storytelling.”
    • “I find the gameplay mechanics, story, and premise mesh together into a solid presentation.”
    • “The gameplay itself is fairly smooth and reliable, and area transitions occur quickly without any long delays or interruptions allowing the story to continue at a fairly rapid pace.”
    • “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.”
  • music50 mentions

    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 beautiful composition and effective mood-setting qualities. While some found the soundtrack to be merely good or fitting, others highlighted it as a standout feature that elevates the overall experience. Overall, the music is described as soothing and memorable, contributing significantly to the game's artistic and narrative depth.

    • “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.”
    • “Even the big, momentous reveal feels mundane and ordinary because of the music.”
    • “Along with that, the music was just... okay.”
    • “I have played much better adventure games, with better stories, gameplay, soundtrack, etc., and for less money.”
  • emotional36 mentions

    The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional narrative and thoughtful storytelling, resonating with players on a personal level and often evoking strong feelings such as sadness and nostalgia. Many reviewers highlight its ability to tackle complex human emotions and experiences, particularly around loss and personal growth, making it a poignant and impactful experience. While some noted minor shortcomings in gameplay, the emotional depth and connection to the characters are consistently regarded as the game's strongest aspects.

    • “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.”
    • “Journal explores emotions and situations which many people find hard to cope with, and takes you on a very emotional journey.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    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 minor reasons 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.”
    • “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.”
    • “No replay value.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is masterfully crafted, blending beautiful yet unsettling artwork with a poignant soundtrack that enhances the storytelling. Players note a pervasive sense of doom and unease, effectively conveying real-life issues through simplistic art and character design. Overall, the immersive atmosphere, marked by emotional depth and clever presentation, leaves a lasting impact on players.

    • “The artwork is perfect for setting the atmosphere of the game, and toes the line between beautiful and brilliantly unsettling.”
    • “The atmosphere is perfectly crafted to this end, and the ending brought tears to my eyes.”
    • “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.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The game incorporates humor effectively, featuring self-deprecating elements that elevate its narrative, particularly in a hidden ending that resonates with fans of the Portal series. While the visuals and voice acting are praised, some players feel the voice work could have been utilized more throughout the story. Overall, the humor is noted as a standout aspect, contributing to an engaging and amusing experience.

    • “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 development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is uneven; while the protagonist and a few others receive meaningful growth in the latter part of the story, the overall narrative struggles to connect with the character designs and themes, which often feel stereotypical and disconnected.

    • “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.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches such as interrupted conversations, misleading interaction prompts, and unclear text. Additionally, players report awkward and buggy controls that detract 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, it was never explained in the story.”
    • “The controls are awkward and buggy for such a straightforward game!”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth gameplay and solid performance, while others have reported issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be a work in progress, with room for improvement to enhance the overall experience.

    • “The optimization in this game is top-notch, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware.”
    • “I was impressed by how well the game runs; the developers clearly put a lot of effort into optimizing performance.”
    • “The balance between graphics and performance is perfect, making it accessible for a wider range of players.”
    • “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
    • “Despite its potential, the lack of proper optimization makes it nearly unplayable on mid-range systems.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that even on high-end hardware, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
3-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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