The Big Journey

Overview

The Big Journey is a casual 2D adventure game with light platforming elements and a bright, colourful presentation. It was developed by Ukrainian creators Catfishbox and published by Armor Games Studios, released on March 17th 2017 for iOS, and April 26th 2017 for Android. It was inspired by games like LocoRoco, which moved Catfishbox to try to create their own twist on the gameplay mechanics and concept. Players control a round, squishy cat called Mr. Whiskers, who moves by rolling around the world as players tilt their device and jumping.

Plot

As the game opens, the player is introduced to Mr. Whiskers, who is a cat who loves food more than anything. His favorite food is the dumplings made by his best friend, Mr. Choo, who goes missing one day. Concerned about the disappearance of his friend, and hungry for more dumplings, Mr. Whiskers sets out to follow Mr. Choo's trail.

Gameplay

The Big Journey is broken up into sets of levels in different areas, though in each one the goal is the same; to reach the end of the level. Players can control Mr. Whiskers by tilting their device to roll him around the world and tapping a button to jump, or with the use of optional on-screen controls instead. There are dumplings found throughout the levels, and by rolling into one, Mr. Whiskers will eat it, becoming bigger and happier. If he touches a hazard or an enemy, a dumpling will be knocked out of him similar to the way Sonic loses rings, and it will need to be picked back up. Some enemies can be knocked out by jumping deliberately into them.

Each unique area has minor different elements, such as rushing rivers, dangling spiders, waterfalls, bouncy pillows, and so forth, though the difficulty is intentionally very light to allow players of almost any age and skill level to complete it. Each level can be completed simply by reaching the end, though by reaching it fast enough, eating all the dumplings, or eating a certain number of bugs, the player can earn a higher star rating. Many levels have animal friend characters to find, and a few are cats that in turn become playable themselves, though their gameplay does not differ from Mr. Whiskers.

Reception

The reception to The Big Journey has been generally positive, with a current Metacritic rating of 85%. Touch Arcade praised the game's graphics and unique folk-music soundtrack, calling it "gameplay that offers something for every type of gamer" and awarded it 4 1/2 of 5 stars. Gamezebo also took note of the game's charm and relaxing vibe, saying it was "refreshing" to play a game where your avatar was not constantly in danger. Player reception in store reviews has also been positive, though some have criticized the game's lack of difficulty and simplistic gameplay, noting that it does not change significantly throughout despite each new location.