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A Journey Across Two Worlds

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: September 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I just finished The Lomgest Journey this afternoon. Pardon me while I gush geekily for a minute.

What an amazing game! I've thought that computer games could be excellent medium for storytelling for a long time, and The Longest Journey is storytelling on a grand scale. The tale it tells is intricate, deep, and very cleverly put together. I'm a big fan of story, and it's the story that keeps you playing this game, pure and simple.

The voice acting in The Longest Journey is some of the best I've ever seen for any computer game, anywhere, especially when you consider the sheer volume of voice work that had to go into it. Sarah Hamilton, the voice of main character April Ryan, should have won some kind of award. She carried this game with a charming personality that is so rare... it really sets the standard for future games of this sort. The other voices were equally good, especially when you note in the credits that many of the actors voiced multiple characters, and did it without being obvious about it.

The graphics are a little outdated compared to many more recent games, but the good part of that is that The Longest Journey will run on PC's that are a little older. The gameplay is clever and intuitive, and never gets in the way of actually playing the game (a feat many games never seem to manage). The puzzles (which are many) are a little contrived at some points, but for the most part they work. The game definitely makes you think your way around some corners, but the solutions are there.

What it comes down to, though, is the story. It starts out a little slow, while they establish the characters, but it's all worth it because by the end, I actually cared about what was happening to them. Revelations near the end of the story are both moving and actually surprising, and the gameplay is balanced well with the progress of the story.

The Longest Journey would make a great novel, or a great film, but honestly I believe that one of its strengths was that it was told through the medium of the game. While the story is strong enough to be maintained in a more mainstream medium, the interactive nature of it is one of the things that make it so magical.

The ending is as satisfying as one could hope for, but it leaves an opening for a sequel... and indeed, Dreamfall is coming in 2005, a continuation of the The Longest Journey. I'll be looking forward to that one.

Great game, great story, well worth the money and time spent on it, and proof that the medium of computer games is ripe for some fantastic storytelling. What more could you ask for?

Loved it more than Syberia series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: May 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is very similar in play to Syberia. However, I thought this game was superior in terms of the story, character development and mythology. It really pulled me into its world and left me wanting more. I won't give anything away, but my one disappointment is that the end of the game was a bit unresolved--it left me hanging, and there does not seem to be any sequel.

Also, if you want to play a game that has some gay characters in it, this one does, and in what I felt were positive portrayals. Interesting for a game that is a few years old, yet takes place in the future.

As far as gameplay goes, it was 3D scene-to-scene movement in third-person (you see your character walk around the screen). What I liked most was the feature that allows you to jump ahead while running by hitting the ESC key. This is invaluable if you need to return to places you've already been and don't feel like watching April stroll across a wide-open area.

Weren't any other adventure games released that year?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 13 / 16
Date: July 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

(I wouldn't consider this review "spoiler-ish", but there are some specific references to moments in the game as well as some solutions to simple problems.)

As long as you're considering buying this at Amazon, you might as well pick up a good book to pass the time while playing this game. For the 5-6 days it took me to get through it, I would estimate about 90 minutes of that was actual playing time. The rest was walking from one end of the screen to the other or waiting for minor animations to finish (you'll come to curse the arrival of Crow as every time he appears, it takes about 30-40 seconds for him to finish hopping around, preening, and flapping his wings before you can do anything).

For the sake of brevity, adventure films and games often cut out some of the tedious details (such as a character walking from his front door to the car, fishing his keys from his pocket, opening the door, getting inside, adjusting the mirrors, etc.) to get on with more exciting and involving aspects, but The Longest Journey will have none of that.

This is perhaps the only "adventure" game in which you'll not only spend about twenty minutes figuring out what requisition forms you need to procure to convince some union laborers to cut short their lunch break, but also waste 30-40 minutes in a library, asking a librarian to get you about a dozen books, one at a time, reading them, and waiting for him to put each back before getting the next one.

Many of the reviews here talk about the lush, beautiful graphics. They are certainly right and, fortunately, you'll have plenty of opportunity to appreciate them as April has to run from one end of the screen to the other in just about every scene, leaving you nothing to do but stare at the landscapes for about 40 seconds. Considering, for example, that she has to run through four different scenes to get from the subway to Flipper (and back again whenever she's done), you'll find yourself much less impressed with the shipyard background on your eighth visit than you were on your first.

While the 18-or-so hours of pointless, non-game related small talk between characters adds a level of reality and humanization many other games lack, it gets tedious FAST, especially since you may be reluctant to skip through it for fear of missing a vital two word clue amongst the three hundred words of gibbering. It's particualarly frustrating when the game requires the small talk before it will let you move on to the next step. For example, in one situation, you need to figure out the birthdate of a policeman's wife. The conversation goes something like:
"Hey, how's your wife doing?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering."
"Seriously, why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"You know what. Why would you go and bring that up?"
"I was really just asking to be friendly."
"What are you thinking?"
"I was just asking how your wife is doing."
"Don't start this now. What are you doing?"
"I was thinking of getting her a birthday present."
"Why would you do that? Are you crazy?"
Blah blah blah blah blah. You have to make a point of asking about three or four times, even after he makes it clear he doesn't want to talk about it ("I'm not discussing this with you!" Select "So... about your wife.") and sit through five minutes of pointless drivel to find out her birthday is tomorrow.

I understand the creators' desire to create a rich and full history for the lands of Stark and Arcadia, the Sentinel and the Vanguard conflict, and for each of the many cultures encountered. However, so often the writing plan seemed to be "never say in one sentence that which can be said in twelve paragraphs, especially if you can add some animations in the middle, negating the ESC button's ability to move things along."

Oddly enough, there is a scene where April has to listen to an old sailor tell tales of the sea and gets bored enough to fall asleep, as if anything else anyone says in this game is worthwhile.

As for the actual gameplay, the problem solving is either so simple its a little insulting (in the requisition form scene, there is a woman sitting at a desk with a wall of form-filled cubbyholes behind her, yet you have to spend a good five minutes or so talking to the union guys before they "reveal" where you can get the form you need; in another scene, you spend a few days tracking down a navigator, then meet a captain who needs a navigator, then have to go have a conversation with the navigator in which she explains how difficult it is to find work before you shockingly put two and two together and realize she's... wait for it... a navigator!) or so ridiculously difficult, there is no logical reason anyone should solve it without a walkthrough or just by randomly clicking stuff. There is much more of the former than the latter and practically nothing in between.

If this was Adventure Game of the Year, I'm curious what other horribly lame games must have been released that year.

A Journey You Won't Want to End...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: September 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The Longest Journey is a computer gaming title as rich as any fictional universe of Earthsea, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, or Narnia. It's immersive and magical, with beautiful environments (even four years after release, the game still looks beautiful), gorgeous voice acting, and a superbly written story that's by turns witty, enchanting, scary, and intelligent.

It's the little things that make this game so great -- the ways in which heroine April Ryan can view and comment on her environment for instance, or the powerful emotions that move the story along. Offering edgy and often complex characters, a legitimately fascinating universe, and a wonderful story, The Longest Journey is just unlike any other game I've ever played, and is the adventure gamer's dream.

Installation was a bit of a challenge for me (make sure you right-click the EXE file after installing, and mark the game to "Run this program in compatibility mode for WINDOWS 95"). You may also have to tweak a few of your game controls for optimal audio as well (but thelongestjourney website offers great tips on support and installation). However, once all that was said and done, the game ran fantastically for me, without a hitch.

The game does offer some PG-rated violence (pretty tame compared to today's TV shows though), as well as some modern urban realities (there are drug users zoned out on city corners, and a lesbian couple owns the apartment where April stays), so use your own judgment in letting your kids play. I'd basically say there's nothing in the game beyond a basic PG-13 rating.

And that's the scoop! The Longest Journey changed gaming for me forever, and is still absolutely one of the best games for any platform I've ever played -- an intelligent and often poignant game that left me exhilarated and sad to leave it by the end. The sequel is finally coming out this year after four years in development and I'm as excited as a 5-year old over this (yes, I am a geek).

My advice? Play the original now so you'll be ready for the next one.

Engrossing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: August 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I like this game so much that I'm writing this review. It is simply a great adventure game. I'm running on Windows XP, 1.8 GHz, with a 17" LCD monitor with absolutely no problem - the action runs seamlessly. As noted by other reviewers, there is a lot of talking, and it could be streamlined. However, unlike most adventure games, this is more like an interactive movie with plenty of video and character interaction. While Myst and Riven set the standard, they are static compared to this. The puzzles are usually not difficult and definitely no more contrived than other games. They do not interfere with game flow and that makes them enjoyable. I will definitely get the sequel!

A Journey Worth Taking

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: September 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The Longest Journey came out in 2001, after first being released successfully in Europe. The hype surrounding this effort from Funcom is well deserved. TLJ is a massive adventure game with detailed graphics, a smart interface, and a thoroughly engaging storyline. Subject matter is for a more mature gamer, and an appreciation of fantasy also helps make the ride smoother. Without a doubt, and in a few words, if you like adventure games, this is a must have. Recommended if you liked Grim Fandango, Passage to India, or The Last Express.

Adventure Resurrection

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: November 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

A friend told me about "The Longest Journey" telling me it was like all those dumb Sierra games(I swear by Gabriel Knight and Quest for Glory) you used to love. I told him they didnt make games like that anymore...............I was dead wrong. The Longest Journey not only boasts a top notch adventuring story line(equipped with well written dialogue and voice acting), it also comes with a classic adventure interface that could have came straight out of a Sierra series.

You really get to like the Main character April Ryan(wisecracking art student/reality shifter), which is why its kind of sad that its a pretty self contained story, so there isnt much room for a sequel featuring her. Anyway kudos to the good people at Funcom for helping ressurect the dying adventure genre.
-christian

A masterpiece

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: June 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is simply one of the best PC games, and the best PC adventure game, ever made.

I first heard about this game after playing and enjoying Syberia I and II. They are similar point-and-click adventure puzzle-solving games, with a strong central character and intriguing storyline. However, I quickly discovered that, if the Syberia titles are thought of as appetizing hors d'oeuvres, then The Longest Journey is a full five-course meal with all the trimmings!

The main reason this game stands out compared with other adventure games is the extremely deep storyline and characters. There is lots of dialogue, so it is not for people with short attention spans. The voice-acting is absolutely superb. The actress who plays April Ryan, the central character, deserved an Oscar (if such things exist for PC game acting).

April is the lynchpin of the whole game, and if you are like me you will quickly fall in love with her. What makes her so appealing is her whacky sense of humour. April is always wise-cracking, and is guaranteed to make you crack up even when all she is doing is routine game-mechanic stuff like: you can't go through that door, you can't combine those objects, etc. The many other characters she meets in the course of her adventures are also well-acted and often extremely comical.

The fact that the game doesn't take itself too seriously helps the player come to terms with the hocus-pocus storyline and often highly improbable situations and puzzles. That said, the story, which takes many hours to complete, is also extremely deep, absorbing and often moving. April proves herself to be a genuine heroine, who triumphs against her own insecurity as well as the many bizarre challenges she faces in the course of her travels.

Without wanting to give too much away, it's an epic Wizard-of-Oz, Alice-in-Wonderland style fantasy adventure, where April goes to all sorts of weird and wonderful places and meets all sorts of weird and wonderful characters and creatures. Along the way she has to save the world, which involves getting out of one sticky situation after another.

You'll notice that so far I have heaped all this praise on the game without even touching on the actual gameplay! If you've played inventory-based, point-and-click adventures, then The Longest Journey's game mechanics are a pretty standard affair, but great fun for all that. In general I found that the puzzles were not-too-easy and not-too-difficult. They were nicely-challenging without becoming frustrating. True, there is one particularly notorious puzzle near the start, but you'll crack it with patience.

If you enjoy this game as much as I did you will feel emotionally drained at the end of it. I was sad when it was all over, and missed April and her friends. I hope that the recently released sequel, Dreamfall, will capture at least some of the magic of this wonderful game.

the graphics make the game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: February 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

when i first started this, i was confronted with a dream scene which was absolutely stupefying. fortunately, the rest of the game lived up to the quality of the initial visuals, and the main reason for my progressing with the game was to see what landscape came next. graphics were my sole reason for rating this four stars. one of my favorites was the drunks house on the cliff overhanging the ocean, but just about every landscape associated with arcadia was excellent. the seediness of the street levels of the city was in "stark" contrast to the luxury of the upper ones. very effective.

as for characters, april was kind of a turkey, but with a touch of nastiness. as mentioned in many prior reviews, everyone was a severe blabbermouth, but i found that this didnt detract from the atmosphere provided by the visuals. crow was especially obnoxious, but you must never forget to call him when things get sticky.

with respect to puzzles, this game was quite easy. the hardest past was at the beginning, the rigamarole associated with getting into the mercury theater. the logic here was quite loose, but easy enough to do without any assistance. for inadvertant clues, look carefully at the pictures in the instruction book. the only other semi-difficult puzzle was a bunch of underwater stones that had to be oriented properly. trial and error was best.

the story was nice, but not particularly original. stark and arcadia reminded me of arthur clarkes diaspar and lys. it served well as a framework for the spectacular graphics, but as others have said, this was a well illustrated story, a movie, rather than a puzzle game.

one thing unusual that i really appreciated about this game was that, once loaded onto the hard disc, no cd had to be in the drive, and several people could play separate games simultaneously. no need to play musical CDs (as in riven), which saves wear and tear on the drive during this long game.

so, in the end, i bought three copies of this game, one for myself and two for friends. the price is right, and the visuals alone are worth the money. im sure you wont be disappointed.

The Long Drawn-out-Journey

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: April 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Overall the game play is fun. There's really not much difference in it though from past games such as Blade Runner and the old Kings quest. Just that the graphics are a bit nicer and the storyline is a bit more interesting. What kills me though is the DRAWN OUT DIALOG. It didn't bother me so much at first, but there were times that I'd play 10 minutes and I'd get to a scene of 5 minutes of dialog. Then, I swear you not, halfway through the game you get to this point where the guy talks for 15 MINUTES! You do maybe 2 minutes of playing and the guy scores out another 10 minutes of dialog! Needless to say I was getting livid. It's already a slow paced game as it is, but adding a bunch of 5 minute dialogs to the game really made it feel slow. I really try to be as patient with a game as I can, and I even had a friend tell me that I was just complaining because I had no patience, but when he saw what I was talking about he agreed. The game can blabber on. I can say that I enjoyed the game to some degree, but I certainly have less hair because of it.

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