Journey Art Book Coming In September

PSN exclusive Journey was roundly praised for its distinctive art style. thatgamecompany and Sony Santa Monica have decided to release an art book that will let everyone know how exactly these visuals came about.

The Art of Journey is a hardcover book with concept art, 3D models and pencil drawings from the game's development. Using a smartphone companion app from Daqri, readers will evenl be able to see animated models on their device. Art director Matt Nava, who wrote and designed the book, takes players on a tour through the development process. He explains the influences for Journey's look and what purpose they serve in the gameplay.

A preview video, below, gives us a taste of the insights included in the book. For example, the team reveals that the playable characters in the game originally had arms, legs and faces. Ultimately they decided to make the characters' appearance more anonymous, so that players would feel more comfortable teaming up.

Not all of the material in the book is from the game's development, though. thatgamecompany also deecided to showcase the exceptional Journey art created by players. Nava selected the best of the best for inclusion in a special fan art section of the book.

Art of Journey will be available in September. It will be packaged with a voucher for the soundtrack of the game.