Dreamfall: The Longest Journey on Xbox (2006)

A massive improvement!

MooncalfReviews from Peterborough [Highly rated reviewer] , 15/12/2007

Don't even try comparing this to The Longest Journey (original) for the PC. They are two different things. While I adore adventure games like the original, Dreamfall transcends this genre. It is simply better than.

Take the storyline, for example. The original had a predictable, unimaginative storyline (restore the balance between science and magic, you are the chosen one, blah blah blah) with little surprises and only narrowly eluded the trap of becoming badly written. With Dreamfall, it's hard to even imagine that the same person wrote it. The dialogue is more intriguing; the allegorical messages are thought-provoking and rhetorical; and the writer artfully holds back twists - REAL twists - until you're practically peeing your pants to know the answers. The story seamlessly flows from one character to another, giving you various points of view of the same situation or area. Bravo!

Now, before I sell you on a product you might not enjoy, let's examine the bad points.

The worst thing about Dreamfall is that it doesn't feel like a game. Yes, there are moments when you seriously need to use your brain, but they are few and far between by comparison to the original. What's more is that when you do have some real gaming to do, it's usually just a matter of walking from A to B. Granted, there are many times where you'll find yourself sneaking from A to B, instead of walking, but this brings me to my next complaint. There's FAR too much sneaking in Dreamfall. While the game advertises that you can use brains or brawn to overcome the obstacles, in reality it usually doesn’t give you the choice and after a while it just gets frustrating.

There were also two areas of the game that most people disliked but I found to be very well done. Firstly, there’s the combat system. Yes, it’s wooden. No, there’s not a lot of attacks to perform. But, consider what the game is intended to be. What it is NOT is an action fest, where you can mash ten-hit combos together and take out 15 simultaneous opponents. The combat in Dreamfall is tactical. And this, dear action-freaks, is a good thing.

The ending (without giving away any spoilers) has been probably the most criticised thing of the whole game. Why? Because people are stupid. They do not like cliff-hangers. They do not like loose-ends. They want every last detail wrapped up in a neat little palatable bundle. But guess what? Real life isn’t like that. The most impressive thing about the ending was that it made you feel. It haunted, immersed, got you involved emotionally and then left you thinking. Yes, I said thinking. God forbid that you should have to think about a game after the ending credits scroll by.

Yes, there’s going to be a sequel. And it’s about bloody time that an artfully conceived, skilfully written project gets the recognition it deserves. Because SOME computer games are art, and Dreamfall takes a major step in the direction of proving this once and for all.

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Fantastic game. Difficult to put down.

A customer from London, England , 31/01/2007

As a die-hard adventure game fan, I did not have high expectations for any recent releases, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, being one of them. I never did play the original Longest Journey for the PC (although I have now already ordered it online), but this game has some of the best acting, an amazing soundtrack, and one the most enthralling and captivating storylines in an adventure game (way beyond a lot movies).

It isn't a very difficult game, and the little action/fighting bits are mediocre at best, but that is all easily ignored.

Graphics-wise it is quite respectable, with certain scenes in the game showing exquisite detail. The developers truly loved their work.

I would however recommend playing the first game first, as they are several references throughout the game which I personally did not pick-up on.

Having said that though, it did not make me enjoy the game any less. A MUST rent, if not buy.

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Half good. Half bad.

A customer from Yorkshire, England , 06/10/2006

The good points: great graphics and an involving and intriguing storyline. The bad points: unintuitive controls and too story-driven. If you like fantasy its brilliant. The storyline was as involved as the likes of jade empire. But it felt as though i was reading a book rather than taking part. I was disappointed that there was almost no combat or magic, just lots of running and solving puzzles. But if you like myst or similar, you'll probably love this.

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Outstanding Adventure

Zaa Zehuti from Essex, England , 03/12/2006

Dreamfall opens up new areas for story telling where most video games rarely go. The three main characters are likeable, well acted and become more interesting as their development continues throughout, each one forced to make choices that affect the outcome of their destiny.

Sometimes the game does feel more like an interactive storybook and some of the cut-scenes are long, however if you find the plot intriguing and the characters interesting it will still be enjoyable, right up until the end. When it does reach the credits the story leaves a lot of things unanswered, due to this being the second game in a trilogy. This is frustrating because it gives the feeling that there are huge chunks of the story missing that are not explained. However Dreamfall is still an excellent game with great characters and an interesting story, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes adventure games.

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Good Game But it's not TLJ

sean from England , 13/08/2007

A good game in its own right but it wasn't the longest journey sequel i was hoping for.

The puzzles were a bit easy and some of the cut scenes are way too long but a good game to spend a wet weekend playing.

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Outstanding Adventure

Zaa Zehuti from Essex, England , 03/12/2006

Dreamfall opens up new areas for story telling where most video games rarely go. The three main characters are likeable, well acted and become more interesting as their development continues throughout, each one forced to make choices that affect the outcome of their destiny.

Sometimes the game does feel more like an interactive storybook and some of the cut-scenes are long, however if you find the plot intriguing and the characters interesting it will still be enjoyable, right up until the end. When it does reach the credits the story leaves a lot of things unanswered, due to this being the second game in a trilogy. This is frustrating because it gives the feeling that there are huge chunks of the story missing that are not explained. However Dreamfall is still an excellent game with great characters and an interesting story, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes adventure games.

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