Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

released on Apr 17, 2006

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, winner of multiple E3 awards as the best game in its genre, is the continuation of a saga that began in the award-winning The Longest Journey, considered to be one of the finest adventure games ever made. In Dreamfall, players are taken on an epic journey of exploration and adventure as they venture through a thrilling and emotional storyline. Dreamfall features a fully interactive world where beautiful music, stunning graphics, fascinating characters and unparalleled gameplay variety promises to bring the adventure genre into a new era. Prepare for a spiritual, fantastic and powerful gaming experience.


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I bought this in krakow in tenth grade along with tomb raider: anniversary, and couldn't wait to get back home to play it. Turns out my computer couldn't handle the graphics, though, so the low frame rate ended up freezing me out of the game.

something about the vibes and the scenery, the music, i really wanted to play this. now my pc doesn't even have an optical drive for the disc, and i'm pretty sure it wouldn't work through that method of installing anyway. what the hell has this world come to.

This game series is simply amazing! I will say, it fell a bit short at the end and changing focus from April Ryan to someone we've never even heard about, Zoe. That being said, she is still a great and interesting character. The ending just makes me want to buy the newest game right now and damn the consequences for not having the money!

Now the game itself is very different from it's prequel. this game is not point-and-click, but it has many of it's elements. You walk around using WSDA and select highlighted objects when you get close to them and use your mouse. You also have the item combination ability too, to solve the various puzzles in the game.

What surprised me the most when I had it loaded up and waited to see scenes from the gameplay, is that there is a combat mechanic in the game. Not vital (as you can still use your brain or talk/sneak your way around situations instead), but a very interesting addition as it gives you more options as to what paths to go down.

Well worth the purchase if you own the first game and if you don't, you better get the first game before this!

Like pretty much everyone else will tell you, this game lives almost entirely on its story...the gameplay is MISERABLE

Seriously, it's a testament to how enthralling both the characters and its story actually are that I'm even able to give it 3.5 stars

Very intriguing story but held back by its awkward gameplay structure.

Dreamfall, the 2006 follow-up to 1999's The Longest Journey, has all the charm and nostalgia of a mid-2000s Xbox game. It's a charm that's hard to articulate, but suffice it to say that the vibes throughout Dreamfall are immaculate. Unfortunately, though, the gameplay can leave a lot to be desired.

With a story that's arguably just as strong as its predecessor, Dreamfall propels you back into its setting a decade into the future. Such a significant time jump is jarring at first, but gradually being reintroduced to all of the legacy characters and seeing how they've changed and grown (if at all) in the past 10 years was really compelling.

The new protagonist this time around is Zoë Castillo, a truly charming and oh-so-relatable character. Having recently graduated from college and trapped in a listless routine with nothing to do or aspire towards, Zoë soon finds herself wrapped up in an all-too-familiar worldwide and inter-dimensional conspiracy that threatens the fate of the twin worlds.

There are also two other characters whose perspectives you switch to every now and then: April and Kian. While their stories are important to the proceedings (albeit in a lesser capacity), this is still very much Zoë's adventure. Switching between this trio was a neat excuse to switch up the dynamics of the story every now and then, but ultimately, April and Kian's arcs didn't add as much to the overall narrative as I would have liked.

At least, not yet. Thankfully, there's a third entry in this series awaiting me; otherwise, the wait for closure to this game's multiple cliffhangers would have been exhausting.

With all that being said, where the game is largely lacking is in its gameplay mechanics and systems. Namely, combat and stealth. Both of these add nothing more than frustrating distractions with absolutely no depth and barely, if any, challenge to them. They mostly serve to make the game feel less like a simple, by-the-books adventure where you interact with objects and talk to people. Honestly, though, if they just stuck to that, I really believe Dreamfall would have been better off for it.

Despite this, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey still manages to be a very solid entry into the series, let down by its deeply flawed gameplay but propped up by another great adventure filled with solid writing, compelling characters, and intriguing mysteries. Not to mention the soundtrack being really great and worth putting on your playlist(s).

7.5/10

I imagine this was quite a polarising game for anyone that was a fan of The Longest Journey. While TLJ was a traditional point & click adventure, even down to having some hugely cryptic and irrational puzzle solutions, Dreamfall took a far more casual approach. While there is still some (fairly basic) puzzle solving to be had, this direct sequel to one of the greatest games of all time shifts more into interactive movie territory. You as the player are mostly there to push the story along, to chat to folks (a lot!) and to take in the sublimely atmospheric worlds of Stark and Arcadia. This is a game with a lot of attention and craft applied to its cast and locales and overall presentation. For that reason I loved it, and was quite happy to endure the simplistic gameplay and shoehorned-in-but-mercifully-rare combat encounters.

An absolute treat for anyone who values escapism in video games.