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
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