The Journey Down Trilogy

(Review blatantly copy/pasted from Steam. Also as a disclaimer I've not yet played Act 3 so this review is based only on Act 1& 2.) I first learned about The Journey Down while searching for freeware adventures many years ago. Among a list of amateur made games like The White Chamber and Out Of Order, there was the little pixelated prototype of The Journey Down. I played it and i loved and i wanted more of it. So here i am, finally having played the first 2 Acts of the commercial version. And i am more than satisfied. The Journey Down is very reminiscent of Grim Fandango in the best possible way. Intriguing setting, funny dialogue, cartoony visuals, surprising amounts of world-building. It provides everything i am looking for in a Point'n'Click game. Puzzles are pleasantly intuitive. There were only two times i had to resort to a walkthrough. First time because i overlooked an interactable spot. A hotspot indicator would have been a useful addition to avoid small annoyances like that. Second time was the very last puzzle of Act 2, which sadly is one of those abritrary idiotic pictogram reading and switch pushing puzzles. You know, like everything in the final area of Syberia 2. Ugh. The music accentuates the reggae atmosphere nicely. The voice acting is unfortunately rather uneven. The main character's VA is perfect for the role, everyone else ranges from passable to terrible. The audio quality itself fluctuates quite heavily as well, i had a hard time understanding certain characters.

After playing Grim Fandango Remastered, I was looking for another point and click with the depth of characters and storyline that made Grim so enjoyable. Well The Journey Down Trilogy is easily just as good and with the more modern graphics and a great musical score a real treat for the eyes and ears. I played the first two chapters and what made this game flow was the just right amount of challenges in the puzzles or figuring out situations to be able to use the inventory. However, I admit that until i got the flow and really paid attention to the dialogues, for the first two, I did occasionally need a hint from a walkthough. However, by the time I played Chapter 3, I had it down and did not have to "cheat" one time. The characters all have unique personalities and the voices chosen and the acting fit them perfectly. The story is told in depth and really immerses you, rather than glossing over it to get to the action so to speak. The reggae inspired score, rasta accents and lighthearted joking was totally refreshing from the usual game adventures. This game is great and I look forward to seeing Bwana and Kito again. I give it a 10/10.

If you are a point and click adventure fan you shouldn't skip this trilogy. It's been a while since 1st and 2nd parts were released and now, finally, the finale! Story, puzzle quality, voiceovers, music is all there. With it's unique art style, spot on humor and loads of reggae music to boot, I'm sure The Journey Down will win your heart.

I love the characters, and graphics, the music, and the story. After complete the trilogy, I really missed the warm and caring Makena and the happy go lucky Bwana and Tiko. This the the second game that bring me tears after Grim Fandango.