Old Man’s Journey
May the road rise to meet you
£4.99 FROM Broken Rules, oldmansjourney.com NEEDS iOS 10 or later
Old men. Heartbreak. Redemption. And walking. These are the main ingredients of Old Man’s Journey, a story told through wordless vignettes of one man’s life as he walks across hills, mountains and seas to find… something.
You are his guide, of sorts, dragging the scenery around him to clear the path and help him continue. You can pull up hills to meet his feet, creating zig-zags of landscape, or leave him to pause on an immovable part such as a house, bench, or lighthouse, as you rejig the curves of the land to create a way forward – since you can’t move anything he’s on. There’s a lot of fun to be had manipulating the undulating countryside and pulling boats across water with your finger. It feels responsive, too. There’s also the calming pleasure of interacting with small objects in the background, such as the window shutters, trees, and waterfalls, which react to your touch in various ways. The world feels vibrant and alive, done in a memorable, gorgeous pastel crayon style.
Old Man’s Journey can be slow and even frustrating but it doesn’t really matter when the story and the view are both heartwarmingly good.