Dreamfall Chapters: The Final Cut

I did play all five episodes immediately upon release that happened back between 2014 and 2016 (2017 if you include the Final Cut), but the technical problems back then are not relevant now so I'll focus on the current shape of the game. Pros: - nice graphics - nice area design - nice soundtrack - most of the voice acting is good - the idea to have character's thoughts in dialogue choice menu was neat, I liked it - GOG release solid as usual Cons: - this is the 3rd and final installment of a very good series of games (The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey)... and it is like The Rise of Skywalker put next to The Empire Strikes Back... reasons follow below - storyline makes no sense, either when put together with two previous games or on its own - character dialogue often ruins the feel of the scene - too many sarcastic quips during dramatic moments - 90% of the game is running around, doing things irrelevant to the main plot (running through nicely designed locations, listening to nice OST, but still), ignoring facts learned in previous games The two original games were never loved for the graphics. The main focus was always the story and the characters. TLJ (1st game) is a classic hero story, set in interesting parallel worlds. Dreamfall (2nd game) is a bit darker, subverting a lot of the previous game's ideas and adding new ones, plus a brilliant cliffhanger ending that I remember even after playing it more than 15 years ago now. This game doesn't have any of the good elements of two previous games unfortunately. What stuck with me the most wasn't the technical issues on release of every episode, the shoe-horned changes to the established characters to make the game more in line with current political climate or the lack of character's depth. It was the very bad writing that is best summarized by the resolution of the primary plot: "Because that's how the story goes, and it's been written, and we can't change that. Now shush." Really?

As a result of the massive resources they apparently sank into making this game fully 3d... the story and even some of the audio of voice acting, suffered as a result. In order to build all these 3d models, time needed to be taken. But if you don't have proper 2d paintings and settings to provide to the voice actors, how are they going to do their job properly without an understanding of the plot, the characters, and how they interact in both story and narration, role and decisions... I won't comment on the narrative choice as I disliked it but believe in creative freedom. Maybe some of the readers in this audience prefers this type of narration and it indeed has some positives. It is like reading an epic fantasy novel with 3 main characters but unlike Brandon Sanderson, there is no confidence that it all gets tied up together at the end. That is not the fault of the coders and developers but the ones managing the production. They decided where to put the resources and managed the production from right below the CEO level. The CEO also takes his fair share of direct action too. This wasn't a result of "not enough funding" or "not enough time", which is a common complaint and issue with game production companies. For newcomers or even just old legacy players from The Longest Journey... you might just be better off with Wadjet Eye games like Unavowed or Jap Visual Novels like Fault or Muv Luv. A 7 dollar sale price is worth money. The writers and creators, I had some interaction with but not much. I get the impression that they live inside a social, cultural, intellectual bubble of the tech giant culture. Which means they perhaps don't really understand why their audience may care very little for the fancy 3d graphics and lighting technology that the rest of their cultural bubble cares for. This also applies to other issues but that is less of an problem for this game. This game wasn't made by an American or Canadian company, in case people were wondering.

This series has really taken a downfall since its debut chapter in 1998. The Longest Journey was probably one of the most moving adventure games of all times, but its sequel Dreamfall just tried to pander to a console audience with a terrible tacked on combat system and spoon feed situational puzzles. Dreamfall Chapter continues in this vein of just following the leader with an unoriginal rehash of Tell Tale Games Interactive movie style that made the Walking Dead successful. What WORKS for the Walking Dead Fails for a series that supposed to be about wonder and discover in a fantastic world. This lack of player agency really limits the experience and robs what made TLJ special in 1998. While it does boast some beautiful visuals and sound, the game is more of interact movie and should be avoided by True Adventure fans that were brought up on games like Gabriel Knight, Quest For Glory, or Day of the Tentacle. The depth of discovery is way too vapid and shallow to compare to these title and its own debut title. Very disappointing through out most of its gameplay.

I supported this game on Kickstarter and even though I cannot say that I regretted my decision I find the execution lacking. I think Dreamfall tries to do too many stuff at the same time and collapses under its own weight. The result is incoherent pacing of story. Kian is one of the dullest and most uninspiring characters I've met. We know close to nothing about him, he comes as an inquisitor that had an epiphany out of the blue (in the previous episode) to drop his heritage. His transition was lazy and cheap. In this episode we follow him in a simplistic journey to "grow" which is by far the weakest part of the game. Kian's storyline feels lazy, his lines inspire boredom and in general the whole plot / conspiracy around him is a lowlight of the whole series. Overcomplicated for no reason. I could not relate to him or any of the characters around him at any time in the game. Saga is arguably the cool kid on the block and the most interesting to follow (at least for me). Even though I liked the take throughout her life, I felt that I spend a century with her and I learned *nothing* about her really apart from some family issues that are not even clear why they existed. Zoe is the most balanced character in terms of development. I can relate much more to her than the other characters around. The game introduces a bazillion of other half-developed characters that I don't feel were necessary to move the plot. I'd appreciate quality over quantity. Gameplay wise the game is an ode the worst aspects of click hunting of adventure games in a 3D world with awkward controls. The previous game's poorest quality was the stealth segments which I hoped would disappear but alas their mundane and frustrating existence is even stronger in this one crippling pace of the story. Finally, the game tries to touch mature contemporary subjects. It feels more like ticking boxes on them than actually developing them. It only offers stereotypical caricatures for aspects they want to critique and the approach I'd say is only appropriate for children. It feels more shoehorning rather than highlighting social issues.

If you enjoy sitting through long cutscenes, this is a game for you. For all the people that prefer to play their games - just don't bother.