Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

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4.2/5

( 142 Reviews )

4.2

142 Reviews

English & 2 more

Posted on: July 15, 2012

Vapnik

Games: 460 Reviews: 3

April Ryan deserved better

Thinking back on The Longest Journey, I still have that lingering sense of awe, of wonder at an experience so expertly grafted. It's still one of my favourite games of all time, one of the best experiences of all time. Dreamfall, though, only brings back lingering feelings of frustration and sadness. Everyone else has delved into the flaws in Dreamfall's gameplay. I won't bother. The cardinal sin that Dreamfall committed, for me, was to completely butcher a world I loved and characters I hoped to spend more time with. When I first played through Dreamfall, I felt something was wrong. Zoe's story wasn't engaging. Kian was forgettable. Still, I loved seeing Newport again, loved seeing the Victory Hotel again. When I reached Arcadia, I felt goosebumps recognising landmarks. But despite all the nostalgia, I knew exactly what I wanted to be playing instead. I wanted to be playing as April Ryan. When you are finally re-introduced to April, her personality has changed completely. She's brooding and violent, bitter at people from her past for no real reason. This change is only explained in poorly written monologues about events from the past which we never see. I expect for those who have never played TLJ, April is just a brooding goth girl with issues about her past. That's the real crime here. April Ryan's character arc is so wonderful in TLJ because it takes her from a lost art student dealing with the responsibilities of adulthood to finally becoming proud of herself and her role in the world. TLJ let you read April's diary entries, which gave you a glimpse into the intimate fears and doubts April has along her journey. Despite the cliches in TLJ's plot, and there are many, April Ryan's characterisation was stunning and made the original trip through Stark and Arcadia unforgettable. Dreamfall throws all of that away and, worse, makes April a bit player. Even worse than that, Dreamfall is unfinished and April's role seems like it will be diminished even more on the small chance a further sequel is made. I hope Ragnar Tørnquist comes to his senses, sits down, and writes a lengthy novel which corrects the failings of Dreamfall. I hope he will, but I do not expect it to happen. Like it or not, Dreamfall is a commitment to a failed experiment. I will continue to pretend it never happened.

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Posted on: June 9, 2020

imre.veres

Verified owner

Games: 64 Reviews: 2

Beautiful graphics can't hide the faults

As a big fan of The Longest Journey, I didn't hesitate to buy this game, too. At the beginning I've been busy with getting familiar with the new control and I was stunned of the graphics that was fabolous and even in 2020, it's okay. But this is a genre that is not always about the perfect graphics, I also had high expectations on characters, dialogs, and a good storyline. The funny thing is that the game met my expectations - Guys, this game could've been a masterpiece! However, as I proceeded with playing, I realized that for me this third-person control is a bit annoying, versus the normal point-and-click find-the-hotspots style - but I accepted it, though. Also I'd have accepted the always-run style plus use Shift to walk; if Caps Lock would've work as I'd have expected (I thought if I turn caps lock on, it would always walk, but it doesn't work). Also, during sneaking the body posture is so lame I laughed. Also, I like to use/combine objects and doing puzzles (those kind that make sense) instead of actions and fighting (and, honestly, I'm not really good at fighting so I had to repeat the fighting parts 5-6 times that made it very irritating), but I wasn't satisfied. I also expected more interactions and dialogs, but this was also a disappointment. in some chapters I could barely do anything but listening to the spectacular scene videos. During others, I had limited possibilities to change how things are going. The game firmly guides me to the end. If we're talking about the 'end'... Others mentioned it already, it's indeed unpleasant and I don't think we fans have deserved it. But, money talks... I finished the story using my imagination. And I definitely won't buy the further parts in the sequel.

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Posted on: June 22, 2016

JulienJaden

Games: 52 Reviews: 3

A Big Disappointment

I played The Longest Journey literally the day before buying this on Steam, a grand experience fresh on my mind, expecting more of the same goodness in a more 'modern' dress. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Everything that makes The Longest Journey great... is not in this game. The quirky, somewhat dated (but still surprisingly vibrant) 2.5D backdrops and characters were replaced with lifeless 3D environments, the interesting cast almost entirely replaced by boring or mind-numbingly stupid stand-ins, the story approached and re-opened in strange, unsatisfying ways - without addressing what plotholes the first part left - and the voice acting is at the lower end of the "Bad" scale without ever reaching the point where it's "So bad it's good". Gameplay-wise, somebody tried to shoehorn a terrible combat system into this and decided that, with all the extra fighting, there would be no need for the cool and sometimes challenging puzzles of the first adventure. My advice? Don't buy this. At all. Spare yourself the disappointment. ... But if you absolutely have to play this before you touch Dreamfall Chapters, play this first, then play The Longest Journey - that might give you enough incentive to make it through this. Actually, only pl

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Posted on: May 22, 2012

Vestin

Verified owner

Games: 1834 Reviews: 5

Why is Dreamfall one of the BEST games I've ever played ?

Here's why: 1. The immersiveness Call me an uncultured savage stuck in gaming Middle Ages (actually - don't), but when I stepped out into the snowy Marcurian streets, I couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of it. People walking, the guards keeping a watchful eye over the occupied region... I took my time, panned the camera around, taking it all in. 2. The different paragidms Three characters, operating within wildly different paragidms, troubled by completely different thoughts... all facing the same reality (to a degree), their paths intertwined... The "obviousness" switching in a blitz was something I found intoxication, irresistable. One moment you are trying to figure out WTF is going on, as Zoe, dazzled by the wonders around you... the next you're trying to overcome the harsh reality around you as April, plotting your next moves while people's lives rest upon your shoulders... 3. The thrills of discovery Both exploring the places you encounter for the first time and revisiting the ones you remember from the prequel are incredibly exciting. Meeting the people, sneaking through dangerous passageways (both ancient and futuristic !), learning that there is an entirely new layer of depth beyond that which by now is "obvious" to April. I'm going to be controversial here and say that it's as intellectually satisfying an watching the second and third Matrix movies was to me as a future philosopher. Once shocking revelations become obvious hidden truths, it is all the more alarming to find out that what you knew was merely the tip of the iceberg. 4. The audio Voice acting is something notoriously done poorly in games... yet (if memory serves right) it was brilliantly performed in Dreamfall. On top of that - the music or ambient sounds are always there to paint the atmosphere... The sound effects, of course, are fitting as well. The end result is so powerful that parts of the game gave my roommate nightmares... though she never was a particularly brave soul ;P. 5. The humor The worlds are believable but not necessarily serious. The character interaction dynamic itself can be hilarious... 6. The plot It's NOT predictable. As you desperately cling to learned truths, entirely new perspectives emerge, shoving facts, characters and agendas down your throat. Once you accept that even more mysteries lie onwards, the truth becomes your Holy Grail, so woefully out of reach yet beckoning and taunting you with the occasional minor discoveries. 7. The interface I initially thought you cannot make a good adventure game in 3D. Boy, was I wrong... Being able to "scan" for hotspots means there's no more pixel hunt and interacting with objects becomes a breeze. All it takes is 5-15 minutes of getting used to it and it becomes... natural. 8. The emotional impact I'll be honest - I'm an incredibly emotional guy and this is likely the best reason why I enjoyed Dreamfall thoroughly. The emotional roller-coaster it took me on was rivalled only by what I felt throughout the Max Payne series. Taking my few final steps within the game, I sobbed and I shivered. The surge of emotions and thoughts it gave me lasted several hours, as I paced through my room, slowly getting it out of my system. A masterpiece of a game.

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Posted on: January 19, 2016

Document02

Verified owner

Games: 87 Reviews: 27

Should not be seen as a follow-up

I loved the first longest journey. Really. And thought that maybe some warnings were a bit on the conservative side and the game would be good. Actually I didn't even finish it. It is not that it is in now way a sequel to a point and click game (such as having to find your way in a labyrinth being chased by troll), but even taken as an action/adventure game, it is a very poor game. Controls are sloppy. Camera movement is sloppy. Main character creates no attachment. Storyline is poor. Only the graphics (which are great for its age), and the voice acting actually save a second star for the game.

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