Customer Reviews

The Longest Journey

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The Longest Journey, is probably one of the best adventure game's of all time. It's rich plot, and detail, dives your right into the life of April Ryan. This game is one of the most amazing, I've ever played. Plus, the adventure seems like it goes on forever, because of all the many twists and turns.
This game really is fantastic.

I have played adventure games before, such as Final Fantasy X and both Syberia 1 & 2. A good adventure game is hard to find, i know that I haven't had much success searching the last few years. But I was pleasently surprised when I came across the longest journey.
The strongest point of the Longest Journey was the storyline and voice actors. Splendid. It was such a pleasure to have these characters come alive with believable voices and emotions. I became very attached to some of the characters in the game, and it made me so much more absorbed in the overall experience.
Second would have to be the flow of the story. I was very pleased with how they explained each event in detail. The protagonist April Ryan had a diary with her through the course of the story. At times where I was stuck or just didn't exactly understand what had just happened in the plot, the diary was very helpful. It had a very original style of writing and gave away no spoilers later on in the story while explaining thoroughly enough to get the point across. Kept me up to date with all the details.
It was a very emotional game that displayed great effort. Everything in the game was done so particularly and to perfection, no blank moments. The game plays out just like a great movie or breathtaking fantasy novel, coming alive right before my eyes.
I was bit worried that the graphics of the game would distract me, what with all the progress graphics have made over the course of time. But there are no problems, they are actually quite good. Sure the faces are not as detailed as some other games, but the movement and gestures the characters make are all realistic, and the scenary is lovely.
As far as violence goes, it is very minimal. There is no blood or combat, no "game overs". It is purely strategy and puzzle solving. The only scenes involving violence are not strong enough to perturb the player from the game. Though if absolutely zero violence is something you particularly like, then perhaps Syberia would be a better choice.
Language is okay. F-bombs are dropped and cursing is pretty much constant, but I did not find it disturbing. Language was used in a way that only made the game feel more natural and real for the targeted age group, nothing excessive. And sexual humor also plays a role, but no nudity or scenes of sensuality.
This game is rated Mature, but in my opinion it could be rated Teen. It is only the language that is unsuitable, otherwise the game is appropriate. The Mature rating made me uneasy at first, but it really is no trouble at all.
If your an adventure game lover, this game is perfect for you. Exciting, real, and emotional. It'll grab you instantly, and you'll be a fan for the rest of your days.

I am typically an online multiperson game player, but this was recommended to me.
This game is set in a beautiful world(s) and the graphics are awesome for the year the game came out.
Once I started playing, I had a hard time walking away.
I'm not used to linear plot development. For example, I would come up with an idea to use something and it wouldn't work, but 2 steps later, my idea was used. That was a bit frustrating for me, but I imagine this is true for all games like this.
Also, she is the slowest walker i've ever seen.
Can't wait to try Dreamfall

Listen up, if you are going to buy this game, be sure the ESCAPE key is working on your keyboard. The ESCAPE key allows you to fast forward through the endless conversation, and to fast forward when you run. Every time you interact with another character (which is all you do in this game) you will go through PAGES (literally pages) of conversation. It's unbearable. Talk, Talk, Talk. I think this game was designed for Ragnar's teenage daughter or something. It's like a sci-fi romance novel about a young girl and her trials with facing the world.
There's a lot of foul language, which didn't bother me too much but just be warned, lots of F-bombs and references to sex. Graphics were ok for being so outdated. Altough I could never actually see any of the character's faces, include April's, becuase they were just pixels, which was annoying. the one thing i liked about this game was the voice acting, real professional. I'm a puzzle guy myself, so this inventory-based gameplay didn't appeal to me at all. It's a pixel-hunting nightmare, but maybe you like that sort of thing. Overall I had some technical problems with the game, it did crash a few times so i had to save constantly, but no big deal. I just would rather play a puzzle-oriented game, but i'm not gonna take away from what Ragnar has created here. It was a very well thought out unique story. I didn't like the dvd version because i had to leave the disc in the player.

Everything good has already been said, I can only 'agree' with all those
that really liked the game.

Truth is a freind bought this when it first came out. Stranger is that we
both went after shooters. Needless to say he booted it up, I spent a whole
5 minutes watching it & right then I found something that took me a bit
away from those FPS's without kicking, biting and fighting.

It was an immersive type thing & it just clicked. Anyhow, you wonder why
all these many years later I have the game (again). The price. What a
steal. Many games go that $5 to $10 repack route. And it seems a great
many of those come with new glitches with the newer OS's.

This is not one of those glitchy items. A plus in itself, but the story,
it's theme, it's just nice, imaginative and immersive...

This is one of the few games I have played that leaves me remembering moments as if they had actually occurred in my own life. Part of remembering is learning in the type of manner where I can relate to the story and relate the story to other elements of life and lessons. This is a novel brought into the genre of interactive video games. The story, the characters, the dialog and humor, the imagery, the engaging narrative. I finished the game and was ready to play again. It is always a pleasure to find a game that truly maximizes the capabilities of a genre. Too often the industry cookie-cuts a money making formula while focusing on graphics, resulting in static, limited selection with uninspired creativity. The Longest Journey belongs to the action-adventure genre of video games that was pioneered by Sierra in the 1980s and declined to near non-existence these days.

Technical notes: There is one patch to install that fixes a crash at the police station. After that, play goes without a hitch.

This could be the greatest adventure game of all time. I picked this one up after finishing Dreamfall. The voice acting is the best I've ever heard and the story line was great. April Ryan has to be one of the best game characters ever made. It's not because she is special, it's because she is so perfectly ordinary. The graphics are old and hard on the eyes but 7 years will do that. This game has very little action in it so stay away if that's what you want. I did enjoy Dreamfall a bit more but that's mostly because it was newer. Make sure you get the game patch from the official website and don't forget to check the voice outtakes after you finish the game. They are really funny. I hope a 3rd one comes out soon. They really left us hanging in Dreamfall.

My All time favorite PC games:

Battlefield 1942
Baldurs Gate 2
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Half-Life 2
The Longest Journey