Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Dreamfall is the sequel to The Longest Journey and is set 10 years after the events, but you do not need to understand the story to play the sequel. This time, you play as three main characters, although Zoë is the lead character, April is secondary character, and Kian is barely used. Zoë is led on the trail of her friend Reza who goes missing investigating the upcoming product Dreamtime that enhances dreams but also records them.

Although Zoë isn't a Shifter like April was, she is a Dreamer, which allows her to travel to the alternate world of Arcadia. She does this in order to 'save' April as commanded by a freaky girl based on the film The Ring. As it turns out, April doesn't really need saving which is just one of the many plot holes/unfinished plot lines running through the game.

Anyway, April is leading a rebel group to free Arcadia from the oppressive reign of the Azadi and isn't too interested in Zoë's problems in her world of Stark. Although this rebellion against the Azadi is hyped up throughout the game, nothing actually comes of it.

Kian is an Azadi trying to locate the rebels but after meeting April, he seems to doubt his beliefs. This part of the story is extremely short and underdeveloped, which ruins the pacing of the game.

As the story progresses though, you are eager to understand how the 2 main stories are connected but it turns out they aren't at all, and April was probably just shoved into the story to please fans since she is a brilliant character. Although in this game, April doesn't quite seem herself and her change in personality is not really explained well either. But on the plus side, Crow returns and becomes Zoë's side-kick for a short time.

The Longest Journey was a point-and-click adventure but was very story driven. The puzzle aspect was okay, but it could have done with a larger quantity of puzzles, and some more challenging ones too. This would have helped it feel more like a game, and would have split the intense dialog with a bit of fun. Dreamfall, doesn't learn from this, and they have made this aspect worse. This is partly to do with the puzzles not requiring any thought and being in extremely low quantity, and partly because of the change in style to a 3D adventure.

It very much feels like 'Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon' with its bold graphical style, 3D environments, some platforming sections, great characters and great voice acting. However, it copies the games flaws too and has a lack of objects to interact with, obvious puzzles, bland sneaking sections and an abundance of unnecessary backtracking.

When things are in 2D, travelling from one location to the next is easy because everything is in reach. Due to the fact that they have switched to 3D and wanted to make the cities seem large, when you are sent to talk to someone; it becomes a chore. This may involve exiting the room, running down the stairs, opening the door, running down the long street, running through the main plaza, then running down that side street; and so it just becomes painful. But when that person tells you to go back to where you came from; then you become irate and realise how much the game is padded out with tedious nonsensical tasks.

You will only have a few items in your inventory at a time, and the puzzles are mainly 'use lock-pick on the door'. There are a few combat sections spread throughout the game which are so badly implemented, it is a complete joke. You auto-lock onto one enemy at a time whilst his companions stand idly, and you can move, block, and perform weak and strong attacks. Sometimes the AI just blocks or stands unguarded whilst you take him out, but other enemies may pose some basic threat, but it doesn't make it fun.

As you progress through the game, the chapters seem progressively shorter, and the game becomes duller and duller and when it ends you will be bitterly disappointed. Maybe the plot was lost on me, but even though it seems Zoë succeeded in her mission, the game seems to tell you that she wasn't successful and you don't really know what happens to any of the characters since it mainly implies consequences but you do doubt them. What happens to April and her rebels? what was Reza's fate? what happened to Marcus and what was his involvement in the plot? Why did those twins keep leaving Zoë alone?

Dreamfall: Longest Journey is quite simply a terrible game and it doesn't improve on the original one bit. I can appreciate 'interactive story' type games like the original, but this game just ends up feeling like a cash-in, almost as if the purpose was to make you eager to find out what happens so you would purchase the next instalment. Near the end of the game, I was thinking it could maybe make a good film, but the way that it ends; it probably wouldn't.