Journey 's story is told wordlessly throughout gameplay and using cutscenes . The player 's character begin on a sand dune in a seemingly endless desert . In the far distance loom a large , foreboding mountain with a glowing crevice that split its peak . As the character approach the mountain , they find remnants of a once @-@ thriving civilization , eroded by sand over time . Scattered throughout the ruins at the end of each area are stones at which the traveler rest ; these stones give the traveler the vision of meeting a larger , white @-@ robed figure in a circular room , with art on the walls describing the rise and fall of the civilization mirroring the player 's journey . The player must also contend with the ancient automatons left over from a war which ended the civilization , and which still roam the city looking for intruders .