Adventure Fans, Dream no more.
The adventure genre has always been one where the game either gets it or it doesn’t. This is due to the fact that they heavily rely on one mechanic, narrative. The same bears true for Dreamfall and it fortunately hits it right on the spot, as there is not much in the way of game-play that will keep you interested if it relied on that alone. Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is the sequel to The Longest Journey; however, you will not need to anything from the first, as most of what you need is explained early in the game. For the most part of the story you will control Zoe Castille, a woman who has just started to turn her life around and put what is important in the forefront of her mind. However, after a mysterious conversation and then disappearance of her ex boyfriend, Zoe starts to see weird visions on various monitors of a little girl saying “save her Zoe, save her”. This begins Zoe’s adventure that will lead her to different parts of Stark in an attempt to find her ex. Not too much else can be said about the plot in fear of spoiling the storyline, however, you will be travelling between the worlds of Stark and Arcadia to unravel the mystery of why Zoe’s ex disappeared. The storyline is incredibly intriguing and successfully combines sci-fi and fantasy worlds to present a narrative that is strong and fleshed out, which contains many themes relevant to today. It does however end very abruptly, but does enough to leave you satisfied and wanting more at the same time.
It is very rare to form any emotional attachment to a cast of characters in any game whether it be in the adventure genre on not. However, you can’t help but form an attachment for Zoe and the journey she undertakes as a character. This is helped with some superb animations and some outstanding voice acting which gives Zoe that British charm yet an under edged grittiness to see things through. This bears true for the rest of cast that you will meet or control, with that same quality and attention given to both the animations and voice acting to each member of the cast. The quality in this aspect shown in Dreamfall really helps the game in keeping the player’s attention to the unfolding events, as the game does have some very long narrative sequences that without the quality of the voice acting, the player could lose interest in Dreamfall very quickly. Dreamfall does contain some puzzle solving elements in its game-play to allow the player to interact with the environments around them. The puzzles presented are quite standard whether it would have you use your inventory, moving objects around or hacking the odd keypad. There is plenty of variety in them and they do keep the players interest as they are not all that difficult to overcome. The combat is the weakest aspect of the game; it is very basic and somewhat sticky. It is not hard however and is used very sparingly throughout Dreamfall, it does have its place, so it is easy to look past that aspect and be really enchanted by its environments and characters.
The presentation of the worlds of Stark and Arcadia are really beautiful and sharp. Stark takes place in a futuristic Earth setting, yet the artistic approach to presenting this setting is unique. The opening environment of Casablanca is really vibrant and lush. The advances in technology shown are very simplistic and do distinguish it from modern setting. This approach in presenting Stark is consistent throughout the all the level designs and it is a refreshing take on a setting that is used far too often. Arcadia takes place in a parallel world that is accessed by those in Stark using a method called Shifting and only a handful are able to do so (Zoe does access Arcadia through different means). It shows influences of medieval architecture with some renaissance touches. It is extremely fun to run around in and does have a unique beauty in which to admire at.
The Music used in Dreamfall feels misguided, there is a use of pure orchestral score with some lyrically tracks mixed in. The orchestral music is very solid and polished and does add to the game’s cinematic approach. However, the use of lyrics in some parts feels disconnected from the game. It is sometimes introduced in some dramatic parts when pure orchestral music would have best suited. It does not affect the overall experience that Dreamfall creates, but is annoying to hear lyrics in background during important narrative sequences.
Dreamfall addresses issues such as corporate greed, the freedom to believe what you want and trust. It could have been something very special with the promise of a great climax, not so. However if you enjoy the genre and want something that is well paced, has a great narrative with some memorable characters and some outstanding visuals, then Dreamfall is definitely worth playing through. It is a short experience accounting for around 10 hours but with the promise of episodic content; let us hope that the longest journey ends soon.
It is very rare to form any emotional attachment to a cast of characters in any game whether it be in the adventure genre on not. However, you can’t help but form an attachment for Zoe and the journey she undertakes as a character. This is helped with some superb animations and some outstanding voice acting which gives Zoe that British charm yet an under edged grittiness to see things through. This bears true for the rest of cast that you will meet or control, with that same quality and attention given to both the animations and voice acting to each member of the cast. The quality in this aspect shown in Dreamfall really helps the game in keeping the player’s attention to the unfolding events, as the game does have some very long narrative sequences that without the quality of the voice acting, the player could lose interest in Dreamfall very quickly. Dreamfall does contain some puzzle solving elements in its game-play to allow the player to interact with the environments around them. The puzzles presented are quite standard whether it would have you use your inventory, moving objects around or hacking the odd keypad. There is plenty of variety in them and they do keep the players interest as they are not all that difficult to overcome. The combat is the weakest aspect of the game; it is very basic and somewhat sticky. It is not hard however and is used very sparingly throughout Dreamfall, it does have its place, so it is easy to look past that aspect and be really enchanted by its environments and characters.
The presentation of the worlds of Stark and Arcadia are really beautiful and sharp. Stark takes place in a futuristic Earth setting, yet the artistic approach to presenting this setting is unique. The opening environment of Casablanca is really vibrant and lush. The advances in technology shown are very simplistic and do distinguish it from modern setting. This approach in presenting Stark is consistent throughout the all the level designs and it is a refreshing take on a setting that is used far too often. Arcadia takes place in a parallel world that is accessed by those in Stark using a method called Shifting and only a handful are able to do so (Zoe does access Arcadia through different means). It shows influences of medieval architecture with some renaissance touches. It is extremely fun to run around in and does have a unique beauty in which to admire at.
The Music used in Dreamfall feels misguided, there is a use of pure orchestral score with some lyrically tracks mixed in. The orchestral music is very solid and polished and does add to the game’s cinematic approach. However, the use of lyrics in some parts feels disconnected from the game. It is sometimes introduced in some dramatic parts when pure orchestral music would have best suited. It does not affect the overall experience that Dreamfall creates, but is annoying to hear lyrics in background during important narrative sequences.
Dreamfall addresses issues such as corporate greed, the freedom to believe what you want and trust. It could have been something very special with the promise of a great climax, not so. However if you enjoy the genre and want something that is well paced, has a great narrative with some memorable characters and some outstanding visuals, then Dreamfall is definitely worth playing through. It is a short experience accounting for around 10 hours but with the promise of episodic content; let us hope that the longest journey ends soon.
