The Longest Journey

by Aspyr

Product Features

• Stunning Graphics
• Game Spot Game of the Year Award
• Captivating story and unforgettable characters
• 30+ hours of gameplay
• Sequel to game, Dreamfall the Longest Journey

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000IXC8W2
• Media: DVD-ROM
• Release Date: September 7, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,087 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: PC

The Longest Journey is an amazing graphical adventure, where the player controls the protagonist, April Ryan, on her journey through more than 160 locations, spanning two original worlds, and featuring a cast of more than 50 speaking characters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Named "Game of the Year" for a Reason, August 19, 2007

By 

Hanna (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: The Longest Journey (DVD-ROM)

Graphics: Though I've seen worse graphics, it isn't the prettiest as it can be, but I suppose this is due to the fact that it was made in 2000. The characters and their actions are by far the worse--April is, plainly put, ugly and her "pretty" friend Emma isn't so pretty. Furthermore, the game interface isn't very attractive and could use some improvement. However, the scenery is still quite appealing.

Characters: Voice actors and well-worded dialogue really distinguish each and every character--all 50 of them--with their own developed personalities. You will hate some characters and you will fall in love with others. As stated above in graphics, the characters are often poorly designed, however.

Dialogue: If you've been reading the other reviews on The Longest Journey, you're probably really afraid that the long dialogue will kill you before you get past the first chapter. I know I was and it was really starting to get to me until I found the beauty of the ESC button (which can be used when Time Skip is enabled in Game Settings). It allows you to skip through conversations line by line so that you can still understand it without wasting time. This sped up the game significantly without detracting from the quality and comprehension of the conversations. Some may say the seemingly never ending conversations take away from the gameplay, but it actually makes the story more realistic and gives each character personality. A lot of it is actually really funny and witty, so I'd say it does quite the opposite.

Gameplay: The game is very entertaining and challenging overall--you will probably need to use a hint at least once every few chapters. There are dozens of puzzles in the game, but most of them aren't exactly what I'd call "puzzles." Usually, you have to figure out how to get a person to do what you want, like leave or give you something, which is equally, if not more, as fun. However, there are still the traditional types of puzzles where you use trial-and-error on some sort of machine or device. Overall, the gameplay is very enjoyable and lengthy. There are 13 chapters in the game. With Time Skip enabled and the use of a hint occasionally, it will still take you at least a few days to finish so it's definitely worth every dollar!

Storyline: The storyline is surprisingly complex and interesting so I can definitely understand why people compare this game to a novel because it truly is like a fantasy book made into an interactive game. However, you do have some control over the storyline, which makes it even more interesting, especially in choosing your choice of words. Though I've read much more amazing and shocking storylines, this one is probably by far the best ever made in an adventure game (aside from its sequel, which I have yet to play).

Technical Problems: Though installation was a breeze, I've encountered a few technical problems with the game, which have been more like annoyances rather than anything major. The first problem was a bug with one of the "puzzles." Though I was doing everything right, April still couldn't finish the task. I finally managed to fix this problem when I reassembled the item in a different order, which shouldn't have mattered. The rest of the technical issues were just the occasional, usually brief lag times in the game where it would just freeze for a few seconds (the longest has probably been like 30 seconds) and then go back to normal. My computer isn't particularly slow or old, so I don't know what caused this, but it can get rather annoying. There are a few other bugs in the game, but nothing that will prevent you from completing the game.

Overall: I think you should definitely buy this game if you love great plots, adventures, and puzzles. It's definitely one of the best adventure games you'll ever spend your money on. Don't be discouraged if you're not much of a gamer--this game requires no hand-eye coordination whatsoever, just plain thinking and logic.


TIPS FOR GAMEPLAY--
* Enable time skip to skip through long conversations at will and fast-forward through April's running from one spot to another, which can take a very long time.

* To switch through the items in your inventory quickly without having to open your inventory first, press A and S.

* To find all exits in a scene, press X.

* Hints: Check out the Universal Hints and Longest Journey websites.

OTHER GAME SUGGESTIONS --
If you're into playing adventure games that focus more on puzzle solving, have fewer/short "movie" scenes, have no cuss words, and takes less time to complete, I'd invest on buying a few of the Nancy Drew adventure games. My favorites include Stay Tuned for Danger, The Message in the Haunted Mansion, Treasure in the Royal Tower, The Final Scene, Secret of the Scarlet Hand, The Curse of Blackmoor Manor, and Danger by Design.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best game I never heard of., March 30, 2007

By 

Cool Breeze "Crystal" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: The Longest Journey (DVD-ROM)

Wow! How come I've never heard of this game before? A puzzle based RPG that requires some very advanced thinking. Fantastic story that could easily be adapted to a movie. One or two of the puzzles require more luck and persistance than skill to solve and can therefore be a bit frustrating. The Longest Journey: Adventure Game of the Year Edition

Admittedly, this isn't the kind of game that will appeal to everyone - no fighting, very limited violence, no gore, sex appeal is limited to seeing an animated eighteen year-old girl in skimpy bedclothes in two or three dream sequences. (Graphic quality is way out of date.)

It also has a tendency to CRASH frequently on Windows XP with certain hardware combinations. (Setting Windows 98/Me compatibility mode reduces the crashing to a minor annoyance and saving frequently resolves the rest of the problem.) Thankfully, load time is nil and the game is so absorbing I really didn't mind at all. The stability problem is the only reason I deducted a star and some systems may never experience it at all. (I'm not going to go into this here, but it's not the game that is responsible for the crashing problem. It's hardware and operating system.)

Once I started this game I had to finish it. Great puzzles and an amazing story. Perfect if not for a slight instability problem.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The adventure game genre is not dead, after all., November 27, 2006

By 

Kristen L. White "pinkie" (Springfield, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: The Longest Journey (DVD-ROM)

Fans of classic adventure games as well as newcomers to the genre can enjoy The Longest Journey. It takes the time needed to build up the main character and the storyline, providing small clues along the way to what is really going on, allowing the player to become immersed without becoming bored or too frustrated by lack of rewards.

If you already played this game and enjoyed it, I also recommend Still Life and Syberia I and II. I haven't had a chance to play the sequel, Dreamfall, yet, but I definitely intend to.

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