Buy Journey of a Roch for $15 on Steam (PC and Mac)
There have been numerous games based around insects like Mr. Mosquito, Worms, Ants and even ladybugs back in the days. It’s not until 2013 that the resilient roach has finally made its way onto the video game stage. Journey of a Roach takes nature’s toughest and most annoying creatures and weaves a point and click puzzler around it’s friendships and will to survive in a post-nuclear apocalyptic landscape.
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Younger gamers might find some of the levels too difficult but puzzle fans will be satisfied after getting through each challenge as they teeter the line of frustration without going over.
As the Journey’s protagonist, Jim the roach and his homeboy Bud have decided to leave the confines of their underground home in search of a way to get above ground and see a world much different than their own. On the way, Bud gets into a number of mishaps from getting caught in a spider’s web to falling through weak wooden floor boards. It’s then up to Jim to figure out a way to get him out of trouble. Luckily, Jim’s ability to climb walls and use tools make getting his accident prone buddy back on track.
The visuals in Journey of a Roach follow a 2D cell-shaded comic book style with 3D elements. There isn’t any talking just high-pitched gibberish reminiscent of Gru’s diminutive, oblong minions from the Despicable Me films. To get the point across, speech balloons with images pop up to communicate objectives and hints.
Puzzles that Jim and Bud encounter go from elementary to brain busting really fast. Once a player solves the first few tutorial-based challenges, getting through the rest takes quite a bit of thinking. Younger gamers might find some of the levels too difficult but puzzle fans will be satisfied after getting through each challenge as they teeter the line of frustration without going over. Most of the levels are moral or ethical based so there is a feeling doing a good deed after initially ripping out a few strands of hair. One particular level has Jim accidentally disturbing the home of a housefly and her sleeping kids. To make it up to her, all of the now rowdy youngsters must be rounded up and put back into their napping sacks. The task is hard as balls but feels great after completion when the rascals are back where they belong.
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Controlling Jim is simple and smooth. The arrow keys handle Jim's movement and the mouse selects tools from an inventory of items collected throughout the adventure. In some cases, combining items create new ones that can be used to progress. The really tricky part is figuring out what objects need to go together and how and when to use them. It's that a-ha moment when everything comes together, that Journey maintains its addictiveness.
To say that a video game about a roach is fun and endearing sounds insane but Journey of a Roach oddly pulls it off. The combination of great storytelling, like-able characters and challenging levels make it an adventure worth shelling out the $15 for a download. Don’t be mistaken, it’s not going to revolutionize the medium--nor was it meant to do so. Journey of a Roach is a game meant to be enjoyed as an alternative to the norm and does a masterful job in doing so.
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