The Longest Journey

This game is a work of art. It has touched me more than any other game, or work of fiction for that matter. The story, the characters, the world(s)... it's beyond words to describe how perfect it all is! If you have any imagination whatsoever, you'll fall in love with April Ryan and the world of The Longest Journey. It is, without a doubt, one of the best adventure games ever made. Wait, scratch that, it's one of the best games ever made - period! You can't go wrong with this wonderful title.

The game's a perfect example of what an adventure game should be in my mind. Fantastic story and puzzles that do not impede the story-telling.

I remember picking this up while on holiday, likely a couple of years after it was released, purely because of the title... I wasn't disappointed in the least! It really was an epic adventure with everything from an amazing story, wonderful characters and puzzles... but most importantly, that spark that draws you completely into the game and, in my case, had me dreaming of ways the story would progress or interactions with some of the fantastical characters April met along the way. When Dreamfall was due to be released, I decided that was definitely enough of a reason to replay The Longest Journey from scratch to bring the story fresh into my mind again :)

Depending on your point of view, you'll either love or hate this game. The atmosphere, the graphics and the story are just great. You feel part of something bigger. However, this comes at a price: gameplay. Dialogues are long, and often you feel like watching a movie; not playing a game. Still, I enjoyed it very much, and I'd recommend this game to anyone who likes adventures. And PS: if the above is true for The Longest Journey, it's even more so for its sequel: Dreamfall. That's just a movie where every once in a while you have to do something - often no more than just running from a to b.

Only Grim Fandango comes ahead of it in my book, and yes, I've played all the Lucasarts and Sierra adventures. It's also the only game to make me cry, since by the end you're so attached to the characters that you don't want to let them go. This game would be worth it at $50 and if you haven't played this game, you haven't experienced interactive storytelling.