The Journey Down Trilogy

I would describe this game as a King Art or Daedalic version of a Disney version of a Jules Verne story with a "Caribbian twist" as imagined by Sweedish guys. Gameplay is standard "combine random stuff to move on to the next area". Not only what you need to do often makes no sense but the story in general often makes no sense and contradicts itself, although the general outline of the story is ok IMO. I can put up with Falcom stories cutting a bunch of corners but this one and many adventure games I can't enjoy. The ending and many turns of events have major issues. I liked Bwana and Kito ok but not many of the other characters. The music is more jazz than reggae and it is decent as game music although mostly too short and generic to stand on its own (part two extended soundtrack, not included with the game, has some exceptions). Part three is mostly other styles and is not as good IMO. None of the music has lyrics. Part one is short and should be made available as a demo. Parts two and three are much longer and the whole thing is longer than most adventure games. For better adventure games, I suggest Amanita games, paricularly Botanicula, Samorost III, and Machinarium. Those also don't make much sense but at least they use music in a nice way, IMO the art is nicer, and the story feels more weird than bad. For a good adventure story I'd particularly recommend Rakuen, although it is unfortunately not available on GOG as of this writing (humble store has a DRM-free version). The technical quality of the game is good with none of the issues I've seen with Daedalic games. I didn't like the inventory drag and had one issue in part one where dragging the right inventory item to the right place but slightly off didn't work in a way that made it seem like the wrong thing to do, but I didn't have any such issues in the other two. The cut scenes are higher quality than other adventure games (this would be great if the story was better) and the voice acting is good.

THE GOOD + Likable and memorable characters + Great music, esp. act 2 + Gorgeous graphics, also esp. act 2 + Combined length not bad, took me about 3 (pt.1), 5 (pt.2) and 4 hrs (pt.3) playing quite relaxed without guide. THE BAD - Overly simplistic interface (just one button for everything) - Some ludicrously bad puzzles, esp. in act 1. Bread sticks as ladder rungs? Use ceiling fan as propeller? Really!? - Overall still very easy, esp. act 1 and 3 - Over the top story, esp. act 3 - The price - at €35 definitely too expensive. I got it at a sale for €10, which is fair. A NOTE I played this on a Mac, which works fine even on Catalina - despite GOG saying that part 3 was not compatible. I did experience problems with the mouse cursor when having an external second screen attached. Switching it of or mirroring helped.

I put this one off for the longest time. Something about the art style didn't grab me, so I didn't buy at first. Now I've spent 2 days playing the game (haven't played chapter 3 yet) I'm in love with the art style. The game's locations are beautiful. The characters are truly memorable, both in look and voice acting. I love the interacting and problem solving. I was seldom stuck for more than five minutes. There was always a hint in dialogue or a certain logic to the solutions. The only thing I didn't like were the traditional puzzles, but I'd say the same about Broken Sword 5, or any adventure game that included them. These were the only times when I resorted to a walkthrough, which didn't happen often, or with every puzzle, and was mainly due to impatience and a desire to push the game forward. My favourite of the first two chapters is chapter two. I found the locations mesmerising. Strongly recommended if you like point and click games, like memorable characters, and enjoy simplicity in interface and an ease of flow with which to progress the adventure forwards.

I supported this game on Kickstarter from the beginning and enjoyed it immensely! Engaging characters, unique art style, and a humorous tale. Yes, there were the occasional little glitches or illogical puzzles, but most of the time the game proceeded smoothly with its own internal logic and kept my interest to discover what kinds of strange situations and funny predicaments the clever game characters would encounter next. My wife and I enjoyed playing the game together as a team effort-when one was stuck the other could figure out the answer. We played through all three chapters. The only disappointment was that there was no Chapter 4! Buy them and have some fun!

The Journey Down is one of the best adventures I ever had the pleasure to play. It's original, setting and presentation is unique, the characters are lively and colorful, the scenery is diverse and very detailed, puzzle design is logical and has some very clever puzzles, the story is engaging and well told. While the game was released in three parts, it feels as one single adventure, and still every one of the three chapters has its distinct feel, it's own qualities and appeal. The Journey Down both manages to evoke the classic feeling of the hey-days of the adventure genre and to be a very modern, approachable, player-friendly experience. A masterpiece if there ever was one. Highly, whole-heartedly recommended!