Journey is significant for many reasons. Its seamless and anonymous multiplayer breaks down barriers of communication, rather than putting up more as one would expect. When players are no longer able to chat with each other through headsets or communicate in a traditional manner, they begin to improvise, and that's where much of the brilliance of Journey shines. Because players are united under one common goal, which is simply to move forward, most find themselves cooperating and helping each other almost instinctively. When you first come across another player in the game's empty, barren world, a reaction triggers that is almost instinctual. This figure, the only other thing which looks like you on the landscape, piques your curiosity, and you end up banding together to reach your journey's end.
Comrades can die along the way, or you can become separated in some of the game's later levels, and the sense of loss is surprising for a game with no spoken dialogue or character development to speak of. It's human interaction, companionship, and interaction distilled to its purest and simplest level, and for that reason Journey brings something to the table that can touch many people.
The art design and music are fantastic as well, with its soundtrack actually winning a Grammy award (the first video game soundtrack to do so). And though it is very pretty to look at and hear, the gameplay itself is no slouch either. While it is quite easy and it is impossible to truly die in the game, it is the positive reinforcement and encouragement of cooperation that makes the game engaging. By working together, players can help to show each other the way to an out-of-reach object, and collecting these objects becomes yet another shared goal that brings players together. Flying is a delight in the game's world, and a later segment in which you are flying over mountains is one of the most gorgeous seen in a game this generation. The game provides a focus on platforming, with minor stealth and puzzle-solving elements strewn throughout, in a way that feels focused and deliberate.
The game's length is another point where Journey innovates, clocking in at only around 2 hours. However, the game is meant to be played in a single sitting, and because you never know who you will be paired with during your adventure, the experience is different each time, making the game highly replayable.
Overall, Journey is perhaps the peak of indie game design on consoles this generation. Its beautiful visuals and music coupled with its innovative online component and focused design make it one of the most compelling experiences this generation has had to offer, and has brought video games one step closer to being accepted in the mainstream as art.