The Big Journey
$1.99 Developer Armor Games, armorgames.com Platform Universal Requirements iOS 8 or later
Poor Mr. Whiskers. The maker of his favorite dumplings is missing, leaving a trail of the tasty foodstuff that leads far into the distance. Needing to discover a taste for adventure as well as savory dough, our heroic feline sets out to locate his friend.
From the off, The Big Journey doesn’t take itself too seriously. The backstory’s writing is amusingly silly, and the game involves directing a decidedly squishy and seemingly legless kitten about a colorful, hilly, tunnel-strewn landscape, while it burps cat noises and occasionally eats something it shouldn’t, leading to a temporary hallucinogenic experience.
As ever, the main aim is to find each stage’s exit. Along the way, you eat bugs, find hidden dumplings that make you fatter, and discover new friends (collectable “cards” for bragging rights, and alternate cats to play as). Control involves either tilting to move and prodding to jump, or a left/ right/jump button system.
You get the feeling The Big Journey’s creators wanted to fashion an approachable game for all ages. The challenge is slight: enemies are few in nature and for the most part easily avoidable, and speedrun targets are generous. Collecting every dumpling and bug in each stage is a slightly tougher ask, but a general rule of thumb is never to trust a blurry piece of silhouetted scenery – it often hides a useful tunnel.
The result is a laid-back, arcade-oriented platform game that comes across like a sedate take on iOS classic Rolando, or a stripped-back LocoRoco. But despite not being terribly innovative, and being easy enough to breeze through in a few hours, it’s hard not to be taken in by The Big Journey. The entire game oozes character and charm, the level design is smart (if perhaps lacking a little in variety), and its vibrant, jolly nature is pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Unless you hate cats and dumplings, you monster. the bottom line. An entertaining, jolly arcade platformer that’s suitable for gamers of any age.