- Publisher: Aspyr
- Release Date: Apr 17, 2006
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Dreamfall is an amazing journey that propels players into a world where science, magic, art, and music combine to make a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.
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AceGamezThe most engrossing storyline ever and without a doubt it will hold the title as my favourite game ever, until a sequel appears.
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Much hyped and, as a result much anticipated, and a long time in coming, it lived up to all my expectations. It's a marvellous piece of story telling, and promises more to come. The highs overwhelmed any lows and I loved it for what it was and didn't mind at all what it wasn't.
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The experience of playing Dreamfall is so pleasant and user-friendly that I think it has the potential to be a “gateway” game, a game like Myst or The Sims, which brings new players to computer and video games.
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This is one of the best stories in gaming since "Planescape Torment," and Zoe is one of the best leads, male or female. Her tale is as gripping as it is beautifully presented.
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It’s filled with enough nuance, emotion, and charm to be an instance classic—and with better, more difficult puzzles, could have surpassed the original from every angle.
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Where Dreamfall excels is in telling a story. The imaginative characters and locations are truly memorable and create a unique experience that makes the ride more enjoyable than the destination.
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Great graphics, great audio and a great plot more then offset the only "good" controls.
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If games will ever be considered a form of art, then Dreamfall: The Longest Journey will stand as one of the most important representatives of its time.
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While more linear than the likes of the excellent Fahrenheit, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is compelling enough to maintain your interest through to the conclusion, which itself is disappointing since the game comes to and end too quickly and fails to match the quality of the remainder of the story.
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It offers an engaging and imaginative storyline, smooth gameplay and compelling environments for players to lose themselves in. Sure, Dreamfall might not have a lot of replay value, but at $40 bucks, it's definitely worth a purchase if you are a fan of adventure gaming.
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Regardless off all the brilliant work that has gone into it, Dreamfall remains cursed by the simple fact that it does feature long stretches of dialog, less action than most games, a mature and well-thought out plot, intelligent characters and, and here’s the clincher, is an adventure game.
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Anchored by a wonderful cast of characters, the very well-crafted sci-fi story in Dreamfall will leave you anxiously wanting more.
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Dreamfall is a triumph of (unfinished) storytelling that deserves to be in every gamer's collection, despite sacrificing a little too much gameplay for its own good.
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A decent adventure title with a great story but stretches itself too thin.
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Game InformerAdventure games are all about story. This sequel has a great story and good pacing to back it up. [Jun 2006, p.112]
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A multimedia feast for the senses and a compelling interactive movie. As an action-adventure game, it doesn't offer much of a challenge beyond furthering the story, but it is certainly a story worth experiencing.
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Pelit (Finland)Dreamfall: The Longest Journey has a tasty core, but not enough meat around it. The story is great, but the puzzles and fights are extremely straightforward and obvious. There is just not enough challenge. [June 2006]
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It’s not a game for everyone by any means, and just about everyone will hate the combat sections, but it’s definitely a game that adventure fans will appreciate.
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It’s incredibly engrossing and offers more of an experience and a fantastic storyline than most adventure (or even usual) games do, along with some (very simple, but unique) puzzles.
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Computer Games MagazineDreamfall is the adventure-game equivalent of a page-turner, one that doesn't make it a hassle to turn the pages. [July 2006, p.54]
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You need this game. Trust me on this; it’ll be one of the best adventure games you can get.
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Dreamfall is relatively short, about ten hours, but chances are you'll play through it a second time to get some of the references you missed. Quite simply, if you like an excellent story in your games, go out and pick up a copy of Dreamfall for the PC or Xbox.
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PC Gamer UKIf you're anything like me, its deeply tragic moments will make you weep real tears. [June 2006, p.70]
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Not only are the puzzles simple, but they're generally picky and unsatisfying.
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PC FormatIt's primary objective isn't to engage you as a gamer; it's to engage you as a human being. And that makes it worth your time. [June 2006, p.90]
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If you’re interested in interactive storytelling, you’re an adventure gamer in need of a fix, or you’re a big fan of The Longest Journey, pick this up; no one else should feel compelled to bother.
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While Dreamfall attempts to incorporate action elements, it just doesn't work. The stealth and battle systems are woefully underdeveloped. This wouldn't have been a big deal if there was still an enjoyable array of puzzles, but those too were drastically simplified.
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PC GamerDreamfall is worth the effort but could've done without the fighting; those scenes aren't essential to the plot, add nothing to the gameplay, and will only turn off die-hard fans of The Longest Journey. [July 2006, p.98]
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There aren’t enough interactive moments in the action-adventure, and the few that are there aren’t interesting enough or complicated enough to make the game worth playing.
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Dreamfall ends on a cliffhanger. If it's all the same to the creators, we'd rather not wait another six years for a resolution.
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Edge MagazineIf you share director Ragnar Tornquist's view that being engaged in dialogue is a form of gameplay, then there's a richness here that few other titles have the ability or luxury to create. [June 2006, p.86]
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The switch to 3D was a welcome addition, but one saddled with camera and control issues.
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BoomtownIf you liked the world of the original, buy it, you’ll get a kick out of everything, but if you’ve not even played the first one, then buy The Longest Journey and see what Dreamfall should have been; like its predecessor, focussed on the puzzles.
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games(TM)Enjoyed for what it is, this is bold and compelling – it draws from the traditional and the contemporary to deliver a uniquely modern and elegantly told adventure. [July 2006, p.131]
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The biggest concern is that the game's conclusion leaves many unsatisfying loose ends.
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It still has an interesting story, but the characters are less memorable, and the bland Zoe is a poor replacement for April Ryan. April is a relatively minor character in Dreamfall, yet her passion and embitterment are far more compelling than Zoe's listless puzzlement.
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PC Zone UKDreamfall never taxes the brain, and progression is more often than not a case of running to the next location and having a bit of a chat. [July 2006, p.75]
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Fans of the original, or people who enjoy a game that offers little challenge, but strong narrative, may want to check this out. If it’s action and involving gameplay you're after, leave this one well alone.
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The story fails to ignite and it just felt like the developer of the game was trying to be really intellectual and those that did not see the real focus of the game, enjoy the engaging story and all the other subtle touches were either stupid or didn't appreciate the real value of what is being offered!
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It’s a shame that with such outstanding production values and such a beautifully realized story and world, Dreamfall doesn’t do more as a video game. It adheres quite strictly to its adventure roots but fails to provide a satisfying challenge.
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Unfortunately, this gripping tale is marred by weird fighting and stealth sequences that don't seem to mesh with the rest of the lush narrative.
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So, having sacrificed gameplay in favour of story, what's left is a product that isn't really much of a game at all. If you can put up with the tedium of puzzles and stealth sections, the rich story and compelling characters will furnish you with a rewarding experience.
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Edited down to a tight package this could probably make a pretty good machinima feature (or Sci-Fi original motion picture for that matter). But as a game, it fails.
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Play MagazineAlthough the game holds an intriguing and extremely likable protagonist in the plucky slacker Zoe Castillo, the rest of the game in the gritty parlance of the streets, blows enormous monkey chunks. [Jun 2006, p.49]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 491 out of 611
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Mixed: 72 out of 611
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Negative: 48 out of 611
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M.AlexJul 2, 2007
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Aug 5, 2011
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BlueroomApr 26, 2007