Dreamfall: The Longest Journey-ing

cj iwakura

After putting it off for months and months, I finally picked up the game(PC version, though I was sort of looking for the XB one; $9.99 new was too good to pass up).

It was mostly hype from this board that got my attention, along with the art design.


I got hooked from the first Zoë scenario, and I've had a hard time keeping away from it. It's been like a LucasArts point'n'click meets Vampire: Bloodlines.


Aside from general appreciation, I'm up to Chapter 3, and I'm a little confused about the April Ryan segments. (As well as the prologue, but maybe that was deliberate.)

If I'm not mistaken, this is like the third game in the series or something? How much have I missed?

Will it all make sense in further chapters, or is there some essential pre-Longest Journey info that I should know about?


I hope the team that made this(European-based, I think?) are still going at it, because this is one of the most unique adventure games I've seen in a long time, and the modern setting is a nice bonus.

Interesting characters, too.

I'll try to pretty up the OP appropriately as I find images that I think carry across the game's style(Casablanca being my favorite setting by far).

YaYa

Go find the original The Longest Journey.

Now.

I mean right now.

PMAvers

cj iwakura wrote: »

If I'm not mistaken, this is like the third game in the series or something? How much have I missed?

It's the second. If you havn't played TLJ, stop what you're doing and go do so now. It makes a *lot* more sense. Sorta. It's on Steam.

I hope the team that made this(European-based, I think?) are still going at it, because this is one of the most unique adventure games I've seen in a long time, and the modern setting is a nice bonus.

They are, they're working on the second half of Dreamfall, entitled "Dreamfall Chapters." Supposed to be released episodically, but there hasn't been a release date announced yet.

Ultimanecat

I bought the original TLJ within a month or so of its original release (Norwegian-developed, I lived in Norway, blah blah), but I only played a bit into it before I ended up distracted by other things.

I still have it, but every time I think I'll go back to it I realize how absolutely daunting it is. From my short time with it and the opinions of others, it seems like something I really need to be able to sit down and give my full attention for a while - attention that I can't spare.

So many great games, so little time...

urahonky

I played the demo for this and thought it was awful. Has anyone here played the demo and the full thing? If so, how bad does the demo make the game seem?

cj iwakura

Hearing that TLJ(and here I thought the series was just called Dreamfall) is that important to the story is kind of daunting.

Steam's not an option for dial-up. Maybe I'll find a copy some other way.

PMAvers

cj iwakura wrote: »

Steam's not an option for dial-up. Maybe I'll find a copy some other way.

https://funcom.asknet.com/cgi-bin/show/P13386

They've got the DVD version on their online store for $14.

DarkPrimus

The Longest Journey is amazing.

Barcardi

i still and will forever state that april ryan and zoe are two of the top ten video game characters of all time

its too bad that the actual physical copy has that spyware thing on it, whats it called again?

YaYa

The Longest Journey has some of the best dialogue in anything.

Fuck, now I want to play it again. Screw you guys.

freakish light

It's a big jump from TLJ, certainly, and while it has its merits, they messed with things that, in my opinion, they shouldn't have messed with. For instance, the transition from prerendered environments to full 3D was one that was neither necessary nor wise. It may look a little better, but the control system (and particularly the camera) is pure shit. It implements this kind of freelook system where you can't look up, for some reason, and you can't click on anything to examine it. Instead, you right-click and get this "focus bar" thing, or point your character in the general direction of the thing you want to interact with and hope you get the right one.

Also, who got their fighting system in my adventure game? It's poorly implemented, most enemies you fight will kill you in about one hit, and those that don't are pathetically easy to kill. The inventory system is dumbed down. If you can use an item in a certain situation, it has a gear icon, otherwise you can examine one thing at a time or try to combine it with something else. Instead of an inventory screen, there's a bar at the bottom of the screen you scroll through.

Compared to the original TLJ, the devs were VERY lenient about what constitutes a "chapter" in this game. There are literally entire chapters where you don't do anything, you just sit through a cutscene or four, maybe run a little bit to inititate it. Which, as you might imagine, leads to walls and walls of text. Honestly, looking back on it, it felt like there was more watching cutscenes than playing the game and solving puzzles. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to be willing to relenquish control and let them tell the story they want to get the most out of it.

The biggest gripe I have with the game, though, has to be its ending. Adventure games are notorious for this kind of thing, it seems like -- Still Life did exactly the same thing. There's no real resolution, you don't feel like you've accomplished anything or like it's a real ending at all. I guess it's kind of like watching The Empire Strikes Back, or The Two Towers, nestled between major storytelling points means you can't really find out what's going on or get any kind of satisfying resolution or conclusion. That was a major sore spot for me, because that's the part I really play for, to unravel all the mysteries and finally understand what's been happening the entire game. Some of it you do uncover, yes, but there are still major questions looming in the air, and the lead-in to the next chapter is really not something I want to see at the end of my game.

But don't think the game is all bad, I just had a lot to get off my chest. The story they've sculpted is really great, with interesting, engaging characters and a beautiful setting. Casablanca fairly gleams, and each other world has its own character and mood. You really get the feeling of desolation and corruption in Venice (which is especially shocking if you've played TLJ - you really, really need to play that game to get the most out of this one) and the oppressive atmosphere in Wati City comes through clearly. Revisiting old friends is also great, and you might be surprised at what some of the old guys are up to. Personally, I would've liked to see the return of the crusty captain whom April sailed with in the first one - he was one of my favorite characters. But oh well.

Anyway, that was a lot of text, so...

tl;dr - It was pretty good, and rediscovering once-familiar areas is a joy. But the game also has a lot of flaws, and the lack of a satisfying ending. Play TLJ first... if you really, really like it and want to see what happens, then go for Dreamfall. But don't expect them to capture the magic quite as well this time around.

Bootstrap

I played through Dreamfall on the Xbox without realizing that there was an earlier game. I thought it was great - more like reading a good book than playing a game, really. Reminded me of Indigo Prophecy, but with less gameplay.

cj iwakura

Yeah, the combat and camera system is frustrating from time to time(especially the camera at first)... but I can overlook that for the atmosphere, dialogue, and puzzles(which have been really fun so far).

I may wind up pulling a Shadow Hearts; finishing this then backtracking for TLJ(I'm already at Venice, so that's a missed opportunity).

freakish light

Bootstrap wrote: »

I played through Dreamfall on the Xbox without realizing that there was an earlier game. I thought it was great - more like reading a good book than playing a game, really. Reminded me of Indigo Prophecy, but with less gameplay.

Oh yeah, I forgot there was a console port. It's certainly kind of dumb, since your audience can't play the prequel before the sequel on the hardware (and I'm really obsessive about starting something from the beginning, I can't just jump in in the second game and hope I understand everything), but it makes sense of the dumbed-down inventory system, 3D environment, and focus field. If I were playing on a controller, all those things would be godsends. It doesn't mean I like it, but I understand it more now.

galenblade

YaYa wrote: »

Go find the original The Longest Journey.

Now.

I mean right now.

Cannot lime this enough. This applies to everyone.

Although Dreamfall can be enjoyed without knowing the backstory, it's far, far richer when you've been with April through so much already.

I recently completed a second playthrough, on my Limited Edition Dreamfall set. It's simply fantastic, and I cannot wait for Dreamfall Chapters. TLJ and Dreamfall are one of the best examples of storytelling in games, bar none. Although the gameplay in Dreamfall suffers a bit, one has to recognize that the point of the game is to tell the story of these characters. And in that respect it succeeds brilliantly.

I'll stop before I start raving, but yes. Amazing series. And if you're interested, the writer/director has a blog at ragnartornquist.com.