Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

A nearly perfect continuation of the first game. It can't match the original in terms of gameplay but the cinematic sweep and the sheer quality of its storytelling makes up for it. If you're looking for definitive closure at the end, you won't find it here. The immediate story of this game is wrapped up but the overarching narrative and some of the characters' fates are left unresolved. The 6 year (and counting) wait for a followup has been painful to say the least. This is an excellent middle episode in an unfinished trilogy. Time to get to work Ragnar. That finale is not going to make itself.

Dreamfall, being a sequel to The Longest Journey (TLJ), has high expectations to meet and while it offers significant technical advances over TLJ, it differs enough in gameplay to fail as a sequel. The good parts - all the environments are in 3D so you can wander and look around to a far greater extent than the 2D TLJ. It's fascinating (though not always uplifting) to be able to revisit areas and people previously seen in TLJ. The user interface has been well thought-out, giving you a way to "scan" an area in 3D looking for objects of interest. While the graphics technology used is nothing special 3D-wise, the artwork for some of the areas is breathtaking and the soundtrack is mostly excellent. The atmosphere created is generally very good and the plot you follow does have compelling and emotional moments. There are gameplay elements that distinguish Dreamfall from TLJ, notably combat and stealth. While you could not die in TLJ, death in Dreamfall is easily achievable if you pick the wrong fight (some combat is unavoidable though). Stealth comes into play, mostly as an alternative to combat, and contrary to some other reviewers I would consider it beneficial and appropriate. However lockpicking and "firewall cracking" both involve pattern-matching minigames - these don't mesh well with the main game so their only upside is their rarity. Dreamfall has serious failings though. You play 3 characters at various points (plus a 4th during the introduction) and the game is nowhere near long enough to allow you to develop empathy with them all - one in particular seems to experience a seismic shift in loyalty/religion while walking along a short street. The character interactions and conversations that made TLJ so special are completely absent - yes, you talk to people but you only have conversation choices relevant to the task at hand. The 3D world you're placed in is paper-thin with little ability to explore anywhere not task-related - this is especially clear in Marcuria where the vast majority of buildings cannot be entered and cunningly placed crates stop Zoe from climbing stairs. Puzzles are virtually non-existent (the hardest ones require using the right-click "look" function at the right time) with fewer items to collect than TLJ. There are some significant plot gaps and contradictions and some areas have been poorly developed (many Russian players will have particular cause for annoyance). Dreamfall's finale deserves particular bile - a railroaded ending where all 3 characters end up apparently dead or incapacitated. Given the tragic nature of the plotline, this is especially annoying given that there is no likelihood of a sequel in the near future (and could even be labelled as irresponsible game design) and this is the game's greatest flaw. Finishing TLJ will gave you a sense of satisfaction and closure - finishing Dreamfall will have you wanting to stick your head down a toilet for the next week. With the above-average price currently asked on GOG this should be considered an "avoid unless on sale".

It has great looks, story, dialogs, etc. But it is not like the Longest Journey (or any older adventure game). It feels more like an interactive movie. There are almost no puzzles and no objects to collect and combine. Also the controls are pretty uncomfortable, at least at the beginning. One would say (as often with Syberia) it is more art than a game.

After playing through TLJ with my sister (discovered that through GOG, by the way), we were quite excited to start Dreamfall. TLJ is one of my favorite games; the depth of story, environments, writing are superb, and this started off promising as well. Environments and characters are well fleshed out, writing is good, and it is overall a great experience to play through. However, just as the game is building up steam, and you feel that the stories are going to converge, the game ends on a very unsatisfying cliffhanger. Apart from that, some of the stealth and combat elements feel a little annoying. A good sequel to TLJ, but like I said, feels incomplete. Still happy that I bought it, and would recommend it to fans of TLJ. Waiting for the third part.

THIS GAME. <3