
Old Man's Journey is one of those games that’s hard to talk about without venturing into spoiler territory. As a short but sweet experience, it’s the story that takes centre stage here, with the gameplay confined to the audience of the auditorium. It’s definitely not going to be a game for everyone, but does this PC/mobile port deliver something special for those it does grab the attention of?
As the name suggests, you play as an old man whom after receiving a letter in the mail, sets off on a journey. During his voyage, he’ll reminisce of memories that include his wife and family, as well as places he has visited. The entire plot is based around who sent the letter and what was contained within it that sparked the elderly gentleman’s trek.
Not a single word of dialogue is spoken throughout the game, instead plot points and revelations are illustrated by environmental storytelling. It’s a good job that this works so successfully then, because the title comes equipped with an important message. We of course won’t spoil it, but we’ll say that is a sombre but also uplifting tale that is very much grounded in reality. It comments on incidents that many of us have already been through, and will most certainly have to tackle in the future. As its driving force, Old Man’s Journey’s plot is grounded, raw, but most of all, important.

Gameplay comes in the form of a 2D puzzling side-scroller where you’ll never directly control the aging hiker. Instead, you will use a cursor to plot a path for him to follow, but the biggest barrier to this is the avenue itself. You have the ability to move and shape the hills and landscape around you, and this is where the brainteasers come into play. While it’s never especially difficult, the gameplay loop revolves around you forging a path for the weary traveller by shaping the scenery to create a simple road to follow.
Things get slightly more complex towards the back half of the experience as flocks of sheep are introduced that you must manoeuvre around, as well as barrels that must be rolled down the hills to destroy a wall blocking your path, but besides that your interaction with the title remains minimal at best throughout the two hour run-time.
To mix the pace up a little, the senior citizen will hop aboard a train or a truck occasionally to get to his destination quicker. These are welcome changes because you’ll now be moving train tracks into position or roads into place so the mode of transport can progress. And it’s this that gives the most justification to another way of playing, the Nintendo Switch touchscreen. The entire game can be played using just your finger to manipulate the hills in a sensible fashion, but this becomes the defining way to play in these faster paced sections. Due to their speed, it’s quicker and easier to swipe with your finger to slot pieces into place, and thus keep things moving.

It’s abundantly clear then that the gameplay is nothing more than a vehicle to progress the story. While the puzzles themselves are a neat idea, they’re never very difficult to solve or execute. Understandably, this will turn a lot of people away if the literal act of playing the game is what’s most important to them.
What can’t be doubted, however, is how utterly stunning Old Man’s Journey looks. Its art style looks like it has been pulled straight out of a children’s book, with bright and blocky tones really standing out to create some beautiful looking scenes. The vignettes are the highlights though as we take a dive into the aging husband’s past, with jaw-dropping landscapes that wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery. This is then combined with an incredibly relaxing soundtrack, that makes the act of playing the game a very tranquil experience.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for something substantial in the gameplay department, Old Man’s Journey probably isn’t for you. Its main mechanic is neat, but it doesn’t build upon it and due to the lack of any surrounding substance, you’ll be left feeling short changed. But for those that connect with it, Old Man’s Journey will offer up a memorable experience that comes equipped with a meaningful message and a stunning graphical palette.
Comments 39
Senior Citizen's Journey
I like my games to have a bit more meat in them, honestly
The trailer sold me on this. This is something where soemone else's view won't help me as it will likely be a very personal thing how I react to it.
So I will give it a shot, costs less than two pints in the pub!
Digital Novel games ?
I love the concept and these types of games. It's a type of game almost like Opus-- the story is "why" you play. It's going to be a perfect game for me to play between other more demanding games. I'll likely wait first for a sale, then scoop it up.
@MeloMan I also love that the Switch is making it possible for these games to be freed from mobile gaming purgatory.
I’m intrigued. Less and less these days do I need my games to be “all encompassing” and am often content to enjoy a game for its particular standout trait: narrative, design, gameplay, etc.
Though occasionally we get a Zelda, which checks all the boxes. 😎
Passed it up on my iPad, might look into it on Switch... Such is the way of the Switch appeal.
The Switch appeal, with some added risk taking, has introduced me to some surprisingly good but short games, like the escape room-style "Mom Hid My Game!". (Disclaimer: Risk taking not included, must be provided by risk taker)
2 hour runtime? Next!
I’m interested but 2 hours gameplay does seem rather thin even at under £9 maybe this will be a sale purchase
Is this a visual Novel?
As a digital artist, I’m highly intrigued by this. Will likely wait for it to go $5 or less, though.
Yes. It's short but like watching a good movie, this one will stay with you long after the journey's over. Bought it on mobile, will buy it again on Switch, if only to support the developer.
And two short hours of good game play is better than 10 boring ones, or 5 - if most are just fillers, stretching it to be more than necessary.
This one is at least an "8" for me, but to each his opinion.
And at 9.95 usd, it's priced nicely compared to other Switch offering. And certainly better than another twin-stick shooter or another 8-bit wannabe.
A relaxing change of pace from tough as nails games that seems to garner high scores from reviewers of late...
This looks like a walking sim
2hrs total runtime?!!! Thats ridiculous!!!
@JJ286 @lemonjellydude @guamyankee You pay more to watch a 2 hrs movie in the cinema. Would you rather watch Starwars in the cinema than play this old man's game at home?
Charming title but in my view it’s probably only worth the $2 or $3 I paid for it on the iPhone. Can’t see how this one would benefit from being on the Switch control wise and certainly can’t see how it’d gain enough to be worth several times the mobile price.
@JimmySpades It's already been on PC...
It’s £4.99 on mobile . But it’s £9 on switch . It all depends on how u value a video game I guess. £9 is fine for 2 hours I guess but you can get other games for not much more and get way more hours out of them. For example mercenaries chronicles saga has 3 games for £11 I’ve probably already clocked Around 10 hours and that’s on 1 game which I haven’t finished yet. I know they are different games but if you look at it like that old man doesn’t appear to be good value . I don’t think £9 is a huge amount to pay but it’s probably not a game I will Rush to buy at full price knowing it’s so short
I really want to play this but it's cheaper on Steam, so I'll probably get it on there
I was looking forward to this it looks really interesting and unlike some, I love that it is short I don't have much time to complete every game so to have one that is the length of a movie is great.
However, the mobile price of £5 is what we should be paying I am starting to get tired of the overpriced eshop games. I am starting to get a long list of games I'm waiting for a sale on.
It’s less than £4 on steam right now . £9 is overpriced
@NintendoLife It's for games like these where I'd wish you had a spoiler tag for your reviews. When I read something like this:
"because the title comes equipped with an important message. We of course won’t spoil it, but we’ll say that is a sombre but also uplifting tale that is very much grounded in reality. It comments on incidents that many of us have already been through, and will most certainly have to tackle in the future."
... I'm just sitting here clueless und would like to know what exactly the reviewer is referring about.
I don't mind being spoiled in this case, but others might still be.
So that's why a spoiler function would be really helpful, because those who are curious can just click on it and reveal the hidden part while others who don't want to be spoiled can just skip that part.
If a game is so heavily focussed on story, any review that doesn't reveal anything about the story is useless to me.
The main reason to play this game would obviously be the story, but without knowing what it's about, I can't determine whether it would interest me or not.
My 2018 New Years resolution is I can only cry if an elderly person makes me and we’re almost 2 months into the year and I’ve yet to expel 1 drop of liquid sadness.This game intrigues me and Santa better bring me to sob city.
@Nincompoop
It depends on which Star Wars movie we're talking about.
Very touching game - I felt tears in my eyes, which doesn`t happen often.
@RobotReptile
I don't know if you're referring to Breath of the Wild, but I felt like the narrative bit didn't come near close enough to what my palette was expecting.
I’ll be picking this up - I love a relaxed playthrough of a piece of ‘art’ in the medium of ‘game’ to make it interactive.
I plan to play this at some point. The art style looks incredible and at $10 it's not price bad either.
@Nincompoop The game is at 4.99$ on PC and mobile. If you want it for $10 be my guest.
@JJ286 You meant guest? I played the game for free on my Mac.
@Nincompoop yes guest, I edited. Also if u play it for free how can you be mad about ppl not wanting to shell out the extra $5?
@JJ286 Mad? I am just saying the obvious, plus the dev needed the money because many like me play it for free.
@Nincompoop Then he should have put the game as same price as other platforms. Thats a trend on Switch that needs to stop!
How is it that Yooka-Laylee is still $40 but on PS4 you can get it for 10-15 physical? This is a very bad trend the Switch has going and I'll not support it.
To be honest, I started to get bored with this game's one and only mechanic about halfway through. Touching story or not, as a game this was highly disappointing to me. Worst €9 I've spent on the Switch really.
@JJ286 @dkxcalibur @Smigit @justin233 @lemonjellydude
It is 80% off in US right now bringing it down to $1.99
Thank you so much. I already spotted it ! And bought it
Don't play this. It's painful.
I was hoping for an experience like Journey but this is tedious and not a good story. If one person doesn't play because of reading this it will ease the pain I endured. Had I paid more than the $2 it was on sale for I'd be crying right now.
Don't be curious like me, just don't play it. You were warned.
I am including my own personal review for anyone who may still be on the fence.
This game is light on "gameplay." You will "guide" the Old Man on his Journey by manipulating platforms. There are no instructions, but after messing around with the control you get used to the flow. Using touchscreen is more intuitive, but at the expense of the TV.
There are a few "cute" environmental interactions in an attempt to keep the constant platform maneuvering from getting stale. Playtime had to be kept low at 2 hours or the game would have become boring from the repetition.
The graphics most closely resemble a story-book style. They are charming, but not amazing.
The music progressively gets better up until the final "act" where it dips in appeal closer to the first few tracks. The soundtrack never reaches a level of utter nostalgia; it is not epic or likely to stick with you, but it is adequate at setting the mood.
This is a relaxing experience. It is a palette cleanser in between two huge games. It could also serve as a brief break from an intense, time-consuming game. The puzzles are challenging enough to give you pause, but never anything to make you stuck, angry or looking up the solution.
I recommend you complete it in one sitting for maximum emotional impact. The story is touching, but not as deep or powerful as it was hyped to be. I was left wanting more (not the platforms) depth. The foundation/intro was very solid. The resolution was satisfying, even though it was predictably bittersweet, devoid of surprise. However, the body of the story was very hollow.
I consider anything above 60 enjoyable. My personal score is 64/100. Overall, is not a bad game. Nothing truly stands out though. Every aspect of it is pretty mediocre. If you see it on sale for $2, then I say go for it, is worth that.
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