Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC)
Manufacturer: Aspyr Media, Inc. Part number: 11261
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- Editors' review
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- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
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Gamespot editors' review
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC) price range: $11.95
- Reviewed by: Greg Kasavin
- Reviewed on: 04/18/2006
- Released on: 04/17/2006
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is, first and foremost, a great work of science fiction. Such a complex plot, endearing characters, and imaginative settings and situations are highly uncommon to gaming, or any medium for that matter. Those familiar with the game's predecessor might expect no less, since it's widely considered one of the best adventure games ever made. Judged as a follow-up to a beloved classic, Dreamfall does not disappoint, for the most part. It exhibits the unique attention to detail and terrific presentation that made The Longest Journey so remarkable for its time. But Dreamfall also does an excellent job drawing in new players as well as those fans patiently awaiting this sequel. The actual gameplay is a blend of action adventure conventions, but it clearly isn't the main draw. It's there to help make the story more engaging, and that's more or less what it does. Yet, as impressive as the story is, it ends too quickly to leave you feeling fully satisfied when you finally reach the game's bewildering, enlightening, frustrating, thought-provoking conclusion. Is the journey itself worth your while, though? Absolutely, yes.
Dreamfall packs not one but two of the greatest female protagonists in all of gaming. And it's also got this totally great robot monkey named Wonkers.
More than six years ago, The Longest Journey introduced one of gaming's most memorable heroines, a smart and resourceful young woman named April Ryan. April happened to possess a latent ability to "shift" between worlds, from her familiar (yet futuristic) home to a magical place called Arcadia. These parallel worlds of technology and magic had fallen out of balance, and the reluctant April became the key to restoring harmony between the two--but at what cost to her and her friends? At any rate, you don't need to know what happened to dive right into Dreamfall, which is deeply connected to the events of The Longest Journey but doesn't assume you've played or remember that game. If you haven't or don't, then upon finishing Dreamfall, you'll probably want to go back and play The Longest Journey. It's certainly better as a pure adventure game than Dreamfall is, in case you were wondering. Dreamfall doesn't seem to have nearly as many complicated puzzles in it, but on the flip side, that means you can enjoy this story without running into many roadblocks.
It's tempting to go into specifics about Dreamfall's sharply written story. But since playing through the game involved unraveling a convoluted mystery, it's best not to spoil anything. Suffice it to say that you spend much of Dreamfall playing as Zoë Castillo, a bright and attractive young woman who's not unlike April from The Longest Journey, only she's a little less cynical and she's got a lovely British accent. Zoë seems like she has it all--a high-tech room with an incredible view, a good-natured and understanding dad, and even a gentle-hearted, artificially intelligent monkey robot. But she's seen better days. She's living at home with her father, trying to decide what to do with her directionless life, having dropped out of school and recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend. She's still on good terms with her ex, though, and one day, he asks her for what seems like a small favor, for help with a story he's working on for his editor. From that point, a chance encounter sets in motion an epic series of events that'll send Zoë all across the globe, and beyond.
Science fiction and fantasy conventions combine in some truly unique ways during Dreamfall's inspired story.
Zoë is a great character who's likable, charming, and sympathetic almost right away. And she'll get to meet lots of other similarly interesting characters during the course of her adventure, including some whom Longest Journey fans should recognize. The dialogue between all the different characters flows naturally, and superbly done voice acting, along with expressive 3D characters, makes all the conversation (and there's a lot of it) the highlight of the game. Dreamfall earns its M rating through a little bit of ribald humor and some profanity that's used very liberally by certain characters, and yet applied with restraint overall. For instance, you'll hear Zoë cuss in situations in which you'd expect almost anyone her age to react the same way. She leads an outstanding ensemble cast of characters, but they're not to be outdone by Dreamfall's wonderfully imaginative locales. Few games can muster up a cohesive science-fiction setting or a believable fantasy world. Dreamfall pulls off both at once, tying them together in some mind-bending ways. This is some seriously virtuoso storytelling from Longest Journey writer/designer Ragnar Tërnquist. There are so many inspired little touches all throughout the game that it's hard not to get swept up and emotionally invested in everything that's going on.
That's why it's all the more disconcerting that the game ultimately leaves so many loose ends untied. The story seems well within the author's capable control as it unfolds, intensifies, and deftly changes tone, but then it hurries to a close, practically with a nudge and a wink. Some room for continuation and interpretation can be a good thing for a story, but in Dreamfall's case, the game doesn't do as good of a job wrapping everything up as it does introducing multiple layers of conflict in the first place. In the end, you'll be left wishing for a sequel, wondering what this game could have been like had it simply been longer. It's almost painful not knowing the full breadth of what ends up happening to all these fascinating characters and this amazing world (or, worlds).
User reviews
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Yet another game that fails to live up to it's hype. Spoilers follow!
by deathiswatching on May 15, 2006
Pros: Intriguing characters, beautiful locations, and decent voice acting.
Cons: Beautiful locations you cannot explore, an extremely linear storyline, completely lacking in challenge, and THE ENDING.
Summary: I'm going to start with what will be a sore point for most of the gamers out there...the ending. Or I should say the lack thereof. After playing ...
Summary: I'm going to start with what will be a sore point for most of the gamers out there...the ending. Or I should say the lack thereof. After playing through the entire game (which can, by the way, be done very quickly), you are left with the feeling you have just wasted 15 hours of your life. All this game does is set you up for the sequel, it offers no closure and leaves more loose ends than I could count. It forgets those intriguing characters it introduced, introduces a random person who was never mentioned until near the ending (except for the random "Save April!" static scenes), and you don't solve anything except to get rid of the "Static."
Of course, this is not surprising given the horrendous storyline. As I stated, the characters are good...in theory. To use an idea from one of the few well written characters, Theoretically Blind Bob, they are theoretically good. They have a strong base and back-story, but the writers have failed them. First of all, I am not including the main character Zoe as one of the characters with a good base. She does nothing but whine throughout the game and comes across as nothing more than a spoiled little rich daddy's girl. The story tries to move her to become more, but never really succeeds.
April whines a lot too, but at least she has valid reasons, she's leading a resistance against an unstoppable foe and has been trying to put her life back together since her last adventure. The writers do better with April as things progress, but again, they screw it up. All you hear through most of the game is save April, save April...April does most of the saving herself, but, in the end, becomes gator bait (though she'll probably be back).
Kian, Kian, Kian...here is where the writers do their worst. He starts off as an bad guy and an assassin, which is cool. The story wants him to become a good guy and see the error of his ways, which is also cool. However, Kian only had to speak with three, yes three, people to complete this spiritual sojourn. First was his doubtful mentor, second was a by-the-rules prison official, and third was April. April does tell Kian to go see things for himself by looking around, but you don't get to follow this journey, so his transformation must be taken on faith, as we don't get to fully see it. Plus, though he is very cool, he is also very pointless. A NPC could have accomplished everything he did, the only plus as that you get to fight with a sword. Other than that, he just runs from point A to point B without even having to solve any puzzles.
Now, all of the above could be forgiven if the gameplay was good...but it is not. This is not an "adventure game." This is an interactive story with absolutely no sub-plots to explore. The puzzles are way to easy, the areas are all very linear, and the hardest part of the game is staying awake as you run back and forth across the town talking to people. Plus the fighting system is pathetic. After a bit of practice, you can waste anybody in a few seconds. The AI appears to think blocking is all it has to do to win...silly AI.
Due to the poor story that leads to a preview for the sequel, whoops, I mean that leads to the ending, and the horrible gameplay, I cannot recommend buying this game. I wish I didn't buy it...
Finally, why oh why is this game rated Mature? From the label: Blood; the only blood is on a floor, a wall, and a lighter. Strong Language; they drop the F-Bomb once, and that's it. Suggestive Themes; Zoe likes to walk around in underwear and kisses a guy (while wearing clothes); there is a guy who talks about sex, but it is not much more than innuendo. Violence; there are less than 10 fight scenes in the whole game...Come on ESRB, get with it, this is not a GTA.3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The worst user interface (controls) of all time
by davcnet1 on September 12, 2006
Pros: Nothing good can be said
Cons: Worst user interface (keyboard or gamepad) design in the world
Summary: The keyboard and Gamepad interfaces are horrendous bad, the user interface totally sucks and is the absolute worst I've ever played -- it ruins the entire game and I ...
Summary: The keyboard and Gamepad interfaces are horrendous bad, the user interface totally sucks and is the absolute worst I've ever played -- it ruins the entire game and I grew to hate the game -- it sucks big time.
Also: Zoe is booooring and obnoxious2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Captivating Sequal
by Vegabondmx on March 16, 2007
Pros: Excellent Story, Characters, and overall feel
Cons: Short, mediocre fight scenes
Summary: Dreamfall is the sequel to "The Longest Journey". It takes place about ten years after the original story line. Overall it enncompasses everything that was great in the original game ...
Summary: Dreamfall is the sequel to "The Longest Journey". It takes place about ten years after the original story line. Overall it enncompasses everything that was great in the original game including the excellent story line. The only downside to the game is that it's significantly shorter than the original game, and the end will wake you wish for more.
Updated
This review is in response to the disappointment and briefness of my first "review" on CNET.com. The follow review is my review that I have written for Gamespot, another part of CNET's network.
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Dreamfall takes up 10 years after The Longest Journey left off. In Dreamfall you can play as three charcters, Zoe (Who you are most of the game), April (From The Longest Journey), and Kian.
The story if full of dialog, which in my opinion helps evolve the story greatly, even if it seems lengthly at times. Dreamfall contains some puzzles, their difficulty however isn't very hard. Unlike The Longest Journey, you probably woun't be spending a lot of time getting past a particular point in the game.
Dreamfall also has introduced a combat system, which never existed in the original. The placement of combat isn't excessive, but its rather simple. Almost too simple. This is probably one of the weaker points of the game. The strongest attribute of Dreamfall, like its prequel is the story. When it comes down to it Dreamfall is really an excellently written novel that you take place in. The story and characters are well written, and even if you've never played TLJ, you still will be hooked. If you have played TLJ, then Dreamfall is a definate must.
The only real disapointment in my opinion is the length of the game. Gameplay is a bit under 15hrs depending on how fast you play. This is about half the length of TLJ. The ending will also leave you screaming for another sequal, which I am egarly awaiting.
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Some people complain that Dreamfall is more of a movie then a game. This might be true, but as anyone who've played adventure games before knows that most of the game is dialog. With the exception of puzzles (and some fighting in Dreamfall) Adventure games are like walking through an extended movie or novel with you at the helm. Dreamfall should be judged to these standards, not that of other kinds of video games. If you are expecting to play a different type of game, such as an action game, then you will be disappointed.Updated
This review is in response to the disappointment and briefness of my first "review" on CNET.com. The follow review is my review that I have written for Gamespot, another part of CNET's network.
---
Dreamfall takes up 10 years after The Longest Journey left off. In Dreamfall you can play as three charcters, Zoe (Who you are most of the game), April (From The Longest Journey), and Kian.
The story if full of dialog, which in my opinion helps evolve the story greatly, even if it seems lengthly at times. Dreamfall contains some puzzles, their difficulty however isn't very hard. Unlike The Longest Journey, you probably woun't be spending a lot of time getting past a particular point in the game.
Dreamfall also has introduced a combat system, which never existed in the original. The placement of combat isn't excessive, but its rather simple. Almost too simple. This is probably one of the weaker points of the game. The strongest attribute of Dreamfall, like its prequel is the story. When it comes down to it Dreamfall is really an excellently written novel that you take place in. The story and characters are well written, and even if you've never played TLJ, you still will be hooked. If you have played TLJ, then Dreamfall is a definate must.
The only real disapointment in my opinion is the length of the game. Gameplay is a bit under 15hrs depending on how fast you play. This is about half the length of TLJ. The ending will also leave you screaming for another sequal, which I am egarly awaiting.
~~~
Some people complain that Dreamfall is more of a movie then a game. This might be true, but as anyone who've played adventure games before knows that most of the game is dialog. With the exception of puzzles (and some fighting in Dreamfall) Adventure games are like walking through an extended movie or novel with you at the helm. Dreamfall should be judged to these standards, not that of other kinds of video games. If you are expecting to play a different type of game, such as an action game, then you will be disappointed.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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CNET's editor is right...almost
by Open-minded on October 23, 2007
Pros: Might make a good movie, if you don't mind cartoony, CG animation (nice for a game, but not anywhere near movie quality)
Cons: This isn't a game, it's a DVD without a "play all" feature
Summary: Playing Dreamfall is like watching a DVD except that after each scene, the story pauses and the scene selection menu pops up, requiring that you choose the next chapter to ...
Summary: Playing Dreamfall is like watching a DVD except that after each scene, the story pauses and the scene selection menu pops up, requiring that you choose the next chapter to continue.
This isn't a game, it's a DVD without a "play all chapters" feature.0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Aspyr Media, Inc.
- Part number: 11261
Product Basic Spec
- Platform PC
- ESRB rating Mature - Blood,Suggestive Themes,Strong Language,Violence
- Genre Adventure
- Number of players 1 Player
- Difficulty Medium
- Learning curve About a half hour
- DirectX version v9.0c
- Operating system Windows XP
Game
- Developer Funcom
- ESRB Mature
- ESRB descriptors Blood,Suggestive Themes,Strong Language,Violence
- Release date 04/17/2006
Manufacturer info
- Aspyr Media, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
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- Website: http://www.aspyr.com/
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