Sony Computer Entertainment America's Santa Monica Studio and thatgamecompany in collaboration with Bluecanvas are proud to bring you The Art of Journey, a behind-the-scenes exploration of the ideas and visual development that went into the critically-acclaimed video game. Written by Journey� Art Director, Matt Nava, the book shows the stylistic influences, narrative devices and game design goals that made Journey what it is. Inside, readers will discover the thoughtful evolution of the Journey game's landscapes, cut-scenes, and much-loved robed traveler. The Art of Journey comes bound as a debossed, hardcover book filled with gorgeous concept art, intricate pencil drawings, and 3D models printed in full color on art-quality paper. Additionally, the book pushes the boundaries of traditional print with its "augmented reality" feature, powered by the Daqri 4D platform. By downloading the free companion app for Android and iOS devices readers will be able to point the camera of their smartphone or tablet at special images and see animated 3D models appear straight from the game. You can test this out by downloading the "Journey AR viewer" and using it with the image from theartofjourney(dot)com, on "The Book" page. It's a truly unique and innovative way to more fully experience the artwork of Journey. The book also includes fan art inspired by the game and a promo code to download the Journey Original Soundtrack from the US PlayStation Store.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
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Journey is one of the most beautiful games this year, one that I really enjoyed playing. It's quite an experience journeying through the haunting landscape, ancient ruins while listening to the enchanting soundtrack.
This artbook is a great companion for the game. It's a 188-page hardcover with nice paper. The art and illustrations are created by Matthew Nava who's the art director at thatgamecompany. He's also the one who art directed the earlier game Flower.
Collected within the book are the concept art for the game with character and creature designs, environment paintings, architecture designs, and even a section on fan art. There's lots of commentary throughout.
The art is as beautiful as the game itself, of course. But with the book you get to see more such as the discarded concepts, e.g. the evolution of the main character design from a more realistic to a stylistic one, unused buildings, locations, etc. The architecture designs are wonderful, with influence from Greek, Islamic and Japanese blended with mystery and an otherworldly feeling. It's interesting to study the use of colours in the game which has a very limited palette and yet can look so good.
One unique feature of the book is its use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology. It's one where you scan the pages with your mobile phone or tablet camera and a virtual reality 3D image pops up into space. It's used to good effect here. For example, for the AR version of one tower in the game, you can turn your camera around it to see it from different perspective, and if you look closely through the windows you can see things moving inside. Very cool. Same with the page on the character designs where the characters will pop up and you can see them move.
Also included in the book is a coupon code to download the soundtrack of the game via the PlayStation Network. Journey: Official Game Soundtrack cost over ten dollars by itself.
This is a marvelous artbook, even if it is rather pricey.
(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
This artbook is a great companion for the game. It's a 188-page hardcover with nice paper. The art and illustrations are created by Matthew Nava who's the art director at thatgamecompany. He's also the one who art directed the earlier game Flower.
Collected within the book are the concept art for the game with character and creature designs, environment paintings, architecture designs, and even a section on fan art. There's lots of commentary throughout.
The art is as beautiful as the game itself, of course. But with the book you get to see more such as the discarded concepts, e.g. the evolution of the main character design from a more realistic to a stylistic one, unused buildings, locations, etc. The architecture designs are wonderful, with influence from Greek, Islamic and Japanese blended with mystery and an otherworldly feeling. It's interesting to study the use of colours in the game which has a very limited palette and yet can look so good.
One unique feature of the book is its use of Augmented Reality (AR) technology. It's one where you scan the pages with your mobile phone or tablet camera and a virtual reality 3D image pops up into space. It's used to good effect here. For example, for the AR version of one tower in the game, you can turn your camera around it to see it from different perspective, and if you look closely through the windows you can see things moving inside. Very cool. Same with the page on the character designs where the characters will pop up and you can see them move.
Also included in the book is a coupon code to download the soundtrack of the game via the PlayStation Network. Journey: Official Game Soundtrack cost over ten dollars by itself.
This is a marvelous artbook, even if it is rather pricey.
(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
I am a digital artist and ever since I first played this game I wanted to take a look at the art behind it. This book does not disappoint in that respect. It includes doodles, sketches, completed concept pieces, to final renders for the game. Giving you a good idea of what went into each part of the game. It's really thorough. It also includes some cool augmented reality aspects if you download the app to view it. A good touch, but not necessary to enjoy and appreciate the amount of quality work that went behind this game. The fact that most of the artwork was done by one person is amazing, and the book presents this persons work really well, and is quite inspiring.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the process of the artistic design behind a great game, or wants to see the amount of work that goes into making games. This book is a must have for anyone interested in video game art books as well.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the process of the artistic design behind a great game, or wants to see the amount of work that goes into making games. This book is a must have for anyone interested in video game art books as well.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Vikki P.
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a really beautiful book, that's for sure. Hefty, too. It's hardcover book with a book jacket. The book itself is a deep red/maroon color, and there is a picture of a Journeyer standing in front of the mountain (in the style of the murals from the game) stamped in gold on the front cover.
The pages are very high quality - read very heavy/thick and semi-glossy. I thought the pages in a couple of my other artbooks (Uncharted 2 and a couple of Udon books) were nice, but The Art of Journey's outclasses them.
As far as content goes, this does not disappoint. The book is neatly divided into sections (Character, Creatures, Landscapes, etc), and a GORGEOUS two-page spread separates each section. There are complete renders, digital paintings, sketches, artist commentary, and the last few pages feature some delightful fan art.
If you have a smart device, you can use it as a sort of artbook companion. Download an app called "Journey AR Viewer" from the App Store or Google Play and use its AR functionality to view 3D models of on characters or buildings on specific pages.
I wish I had pulled the trigger on this back when Jenova Chen and Matt Nava were signing this! It would've made the $60 a bit more justifiable. The only reason I docked a star was because of its price. I suppose you can subtract $5, since the book includes a PSN code for the Journey Original Soundtrack, but I feel like $55 is still a high price point, especially at less than 200 pages. For comparison's sake, The Art of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (The Art of the Game) from Ballistic sells for $65 (Amazon ~$40), but has 269 pages. Udon's Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive sells for $50 (Amazon ~30), but has a whopping 397 pages. I guess the AR functionality, hardcover, and page quality drove the price up.
The pages are very high quality - read very heavy/thick and semi-glossy. I thought the pages in a couple of my other artbooks (Uncharted 2 and a couple of Udon books) were nice, but The Art of Journey's outclasses them.
As far as content goes, this does not disappoint. The book is neatly divided into sections (Character, Creatures, Landscapes, etc), and a GORGEOUS two-page spread separates each section. There are complete renders, digital paintings, sketches, artist commentary, and the last few pages feature some delightful fan art.
If you have a smart device, you can use it as a sort of artbook companion. Download an app called "Journey AR Viewer" from the App Store or Google Play and use its AR functionality to view 3D models of on characters or buildings on specific pages.
I wish I had pulled the trigger on this back when Jenova Chen and Matt Nava were signing this! It would've made the $60 a bit more justifiable. The only reason I docked a star was because of its price. I suppose you can subtract $5, since the book includes a PSN code for the Journey Original Soundtrack, but I feel like $55 is still a high price point, especially at less than 200 pages. For comparison's sake, The Art of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (The Art of the Game) from Ballistic sells for $65 (Amazon ~$40), but has 269 pages. Udon's Valkyria Chronicles: Design Archive sells for $50 (Amazon ~30), but has a whopping 397 pages. I guess the AR functionality, hardcover, and page quality drove the price up.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music to match the art
Having the music to listen to while reading the Art of Journey enhances the experience. It iis a match made in heaven.
Published 9 days ago by Holmes Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superbe Ouvrage
Arrivé avec 8 jours d'avance j'ai re�us mon bien en parfait état et ce livre est une merveille ! superbe illustration et très complet !
Published 12 days ago by Sylvain
5.0 out of 5 stars
The art in videogames
A must have, a beautiful book from the most beautiful videogame i ever see. The videogame become art.
Thanks to thatgamecompany
Thanks to thatgamecompany
Published 21 days ago by Jose Alfonso Iglesias Soltero
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best gift!
I received this as a holiday gift from my husband and I loved it. I really enjoyed using the app on my Iphone. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Heidi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book.
A great, thorough examination of the art and design process behind one of last year's best indie title. Read more
Published 1 month ago by PickyPriestley
5.0 out of 5 stars
For a huge fan like me this book expands and enriches the overall...
I love a good art book, lots of designs and detail in here. The AR stuff is too cool, there are only 4 or 5 AR parts in the book, but even without them the book is incredible. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andrew Helps
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic Journey
The Art of Journey is an excellent read that will enhance your experience with the game itself. With fantastic insights into exactly how each aspect of the game was chosen, from... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Demitri Christou
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Incredible!!!
An extremely high quality, perfect art book to a perfect game... People, please support thatgamecompany so we can continue to be gifted with their creations!
Published 1 month ago by FAUNA
5.0 out of 5 stars
Right On Time
The Book arrived within the period I was told it would. It came packaged very well and is everything and more than I expected. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeremiah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible!
This book is amazing! It's a fantastic journey through ummm Journey. I was kind of shocked to see the original ideas of the main character, the evolution was a beautiful process. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brady Thomes
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