How to play Journey Escape online
- Move the band member: arrow keys (hold up for maximum speed)
- Quick dodge: hold Space while pushing left, right or down
- Go from the intro to the game screen: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose one or two players: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start playing: Space bar
- Difficulty (A = advanced, B = beginner): F4 for Player 1, F9 for Player 2
- Background effect: F2 (colour gives flashing stage lights, black-and-white a plain background)
- Player 2: T/F/G/H to move, A to fire / start the turn
Gameplay
You guide one band member at a time up a scrolling screen: drummer Steve Smith, keyboard player Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory, guitarist Neal Schon and singer Steve Perry. Waves of obstacles pour down towards you, and a chiptune version of “Don’t Stop Believin'” plays in the background. You start with $50,000 and 60 units of time. Getting stopped by anyone costs you money, and every hold-up also eats into your time.
| Character | Effect |
|---|---|
| Love-crazed groupie (heart) | −$300 and lost time |
| Sneaky photographer (flashing light) | −$600 and lost time |
| Shifty-eyed promoter (head) | −$2,000 |
| Stage barrier | no cost, but slows you down |
| Loyal roadie | short invulnerability |
| Mighty manager | +$9,900 and a free run to the vehicle |
Any time left when a band member reaches the Scarab carries over to the next one. Get all five in with time to spare and each leftover unit is worth $100. The game then replays the intro scene for about 15 seconds and starts a new tour with another $50,000 added. If a band member fails to reach the vehicle in time, the band misses the next concert and the game is over. In two-player games the players take turns.
Tips
- Avoid promoters first. They cost far more than groupies or photographers.
- Push forward. Holding the joystick up is fastest, and once you are about two-thirds up the screen the obstacles scroll past more quickly.
- Grab roadies. While their music plays you can run straight up the middle without being stopped.
- Don’t overshoot. Moving too fast can make you miss the escape vehicle.
- Don’t press Reset between tours. Let the intro scene play out, or you will lose your accumulated score.
The story behind Journey Escape
The game was designed by J. Ray Dettling for Data Age, a small California publisher. The Scarab is the vehicle pictured on the cover of Journey’s hit album Escape, and the game’s intro shows it flying out of a sphere against the stars. Data Age spent heavily on television advertising and tied the release to Journey’s 1983 tour, but sales fell far below the company’s hopes. Data Age made layoffs within months and filed for bankruptcy protection in 1983.
Unusually, the game’s arcade rights went back to the band after Data Age’s collapse, and Journey licensed them to Bally Midway, which made a Journey arcade game. It is often described as the first home console game to be licensed to the arcades rather than the other way round. Many players have noted that without the manual it is hard to tell what the abstract sprites are meant to be, so the table above may help.
Similar games to play next
- Freeway – another game about weaving up the screen through traffic
- Kool-Aid Man – another early licensed-character game
- Encounter at L-5 – a space shooter from Data Age
- Airlock – another Data Age cartridge from the same period