Dreamfall Chapters! GOTY maybe? Regardless: Hnnngh

[Rob Robson]

It's out, 8 years of waiting released, and boy did it live up to my expectations and then some.

Also very good timing by Red Thread Games to bring back on of the best female protagonist ever in these "sexism in video games" days.

Sound: 10
Story: 10
Graphics: 8
Gameplay: 8
Characters: 10
Mechanics: 9.5

Recommended for: Anyone who loved The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, or other similar choice- and character-driven games.

Probably my pick for voice acting and soundtrack of the decade.

And interestingly, I don't think it's necessary to play the first two games to understand what's going on this time around, explanations and context gradually seeps in as you play. A 5-minute crash course on YouTube is probably not the worst idea, if you don't like 'living in the dark' on some plot points in the very beginning.

Spoiler: Screenshots

Note: There are apparently some (I haven't noticed them myself) optimization issues in the middle of the episode, just so you know. There might be reasons to hold off for a patch if you have an outdated system.

 

[gorfias]

It's out, 8 years of waiting released, and boy did it live up to my expectations and then some...

I did not even know this was a thing! I never got far into the original as giving my Xbox to someone that needed it before its time but regretted it. It seemed a very special game. And 8 years later they finished it?!?!? Checking reviews!


Edit: Where did you buy a copy? Link?

 

[Hithel]

For 8 years I wanted to find out what happened one of the main characters after the cliffhanger ending of Dreamfall. The intro answers this by peeing in your mouth straight away.

God damn you Funcom.

 

[Rob Robson]

Where did you buy a copy? Link?

I bought mine on gog.com though it's available on Steam as well. The GOG version comes with the soundtrack in mp3 and FLAC so that was what tipped the scales for me. (And what a soundtrack it is!)

Also it might have been the reason I haven't noticed any of the optimization problems people are complaining about on Steam (just a theory!)

 

[Longing]

goddamn, the game looks good, but I do not remember at all the plot of the previous games. Will have to do some reading as I don't want to go in there blind.

It's 30 bucks on steam, that's kinda pricey, how many hours do you get out of it?

 

[DementedSheep]

How is it compared to dreamfall? because I hated dreamfall. Shitty gameplay, shitty puzzles, ok story that ends on a horrendous cliffhanger with very little actually resolved (which is dick move in a game).

 

[Mikejames]

Please excuse me, I've possibly found my reason to buy a PS4.

 

[Rob Robson]

goddamn, the game looks good, but I do not remember at all the plot of the previous games. Will have to do some reading as I don't want to go in there blind.

It's 30 bucks on steam, that's kinda pricey, how many hours do you get out of it?

Well the 30 bucks is for all the episodes, and the first episode ranges from 5 to 10 hours depending on your pace, so I'd say you're roughly getting an hour per dollar once all the episodes are out.

How is it compared to dreamfall? because I hated dreamfall. Shitty gameplay, shitty puzzles, ok story that ends on a horrendous cliffhanger with very little actually resolved (which is dick move in a game).

Well the controls are markedly better and sharper, there isn't any bad combat shoehorned in and it's generally better paced.

Chapters focuses more on choices than puzzles, but there are still puzzles. So there are fewer "filler" puzzles, and more important choices with branching paths instead.

And well, the cliffhanger gets resolved right away in Chapters. So...

 

[Lucifiel]

I was a wee bit dissapointed I did not see an anouncement/news/anything on the Escapist that the game was released.

I have waited for this game since 2008, when I played Dreamfall and was left with such a cliffhanger that I wanted to throw my laptop out the window. I found out about the Kickstarter right here on the Escapist and I was very happy to pledge. And I was very happy when it was finally released.

The cliffhanger gets resolved right in the intro sequence and then, the focus sets on two of the main characters from Dreamfall.

The game is really beautiful. The music is one of the best I've heard in a long time and really sets the atmosphere. The voice actors are also very good, not to mention the actual dialogue.

Interesting that they have gone the Telltale way and added the choice and consequence system. It's a bit ominous when you see there "X character will remember this" or "The balance has shifted!". I do like the fact that, unlinke The Wolf Among Us, the dialogue is not timed. It really takes the time to explain what each option means, what the character's train of thought is, leading to that decision. It makes you feel more close, more involved with the character. It somehow makes them yours so it gets you even more invested in the story as well.

Gameplay wise, I find it nice that they make full use of the 3D settings. The controls are much more smooth than in Dreamfall. For me, mouse + keyboard = win! I actually hoped for more puzzles...

The downside to it are the current bugs that need to be addressed (especially the FPS one). As far as I know, they have a patch due next week. This does not, however, make the game unplayable, at least for me. The community is really nice, from what I saw. The players are very supportive when problems are encountered and easily report any issues they find. On their part, Red Thread Games are very prompt to adress the issues and provide feedbak. It's all surprisingly civil, which is actually quite refreshing ))

 

[Maximum Bert]

Love the Longest Journey and really liked Dreamfall so was looking forward to this for a while but I heard there were some issues also the massive (for me) download size has so far kept me from getting it.

I will get it eventually though hopefully my crappy PC can run it or if its cheap enough I may get it on PS4 after taking it round a friends house to steal their fast internet.

I hope the story doesnt disappoint because if they mess it up after this long im gonna be pissed.

 

[Popido]

Needs to be fix'd before I touch it.

Though I'm already hearing its not that good.

 

[XMark]

Oh man, I started playing The Longest Journey (from GOG) a while ago but I stopped about halfway through, and it's been so long that I think I need to start it over again to get back into the story. Then there's Dreamfall to get through before I can move on to Dreamfall Chapters...

First world problems.

 

[RandV80]

And interestingly, I don't think it's necessary to play the first two games to understand what's going on this time around, explanations and context gradually seeps in as you play. A 5-minute crash course on YouTube is probably not the worst idea, if you don't like 'living in the dark' on some plot points in the very beginning.

This time around? I played Dreamfall on a whim without ever hearing of Longest Journey and ended up loving it. Did go back and try the latter on Steam a little later, but never quite finished it as while it was good those old school adventure games were never really my thing.

I backed this on kickstarter though and have it downloaded, just waiting till the weekend so I can savor it better without distraction. Can't wait!

 

[The Madman]

Just finished playing it, which according to steam took 5 hours although I'd say it was closer to 6, and while I enjoyed it I'm not sure I'd start crying game of the year yet.

The introduction is a bit... strange, for one. Disjointed. I remember the plot of Dreamfall and The Longest Journey well enough, them being some of my favourite games ever, so I got the general idea of everything even if the little details might be off. But in any case the way the introduction jumps around is a bit confusing. I'm still not quite sure what to think of the 'dream sequence' bit at the very start either. It was... interesting. I do hope those mechanics end up actually meaning something later and weren't just an unusual gimmick for the opening game section.

Kian's section also was annoyingly brief. I wanted more of Arcadia than just the teasing glimpse we're given with Kian's side of the story, which again felt annoyingly brief. Lots was hinted at but nothing actually resolved.

The real meat of the first chapter however is the section right after that, when the game opens up into a more traditional adventure game style environment with a large semi-open world for exploration and lots of things to poke at and explore. This part of the game was a genuine joy to play and I love damned near every moment of it. The environments are gorgeous, the voice and sound work fantastic, and the story intriguing. Seeing futuristic cyberpunk europe was very neat and I love that it felts like an actual place as opposed to just empty window dressing. The devs really shined here. Zoe's commentary was consistently entertaining, the puzzles not very hard but still intriguing enough (Really it's less puzzles and more just trying to figure out where to go and who to talk to next) and the characters you meet ones I'm looking forward to learning more about.

Then, well, then it ends with a rather strange cut to another place (And time?) in which stuff happens I'm not sure about yet but which do intrigue me. I think I have an idea where this is going and how it relates to the games disjointed introduction, but I'm still not sure, too much still unclear. Dammit Ragnar, quit being a goddamned tease with every single game you make.

Graphically the character models are pretty stiff but otherwise well done. Nothing amazing really in that regard, they models are thoroughly 'alright' with a side of 'kinda manequin-ish'. The environments however are gorgeous. Maybe nothing spectacular graphically but visually I loved seeing the various setting and the myriad of tiny details that little each one. Game ran fine. I noticed some slight jitteriness every here and there, but nothing that stood out. Experienced no bugs whatsoever aside from a few minor sound things, but nothing consequential or that diminished my enjoyment of the game.

Ending verdict? It's good. I'm gonna withhold saying great or fantastic or anything till there are a couple more episodes out, but it's definitely got my interest and leaves me wanting more. If later episodes can deliver locations for exploration like that in this episode it could be great as exploring Europolis was the star of the game so far, but we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Kae]

I saw this game, I loved TWD and TWAU, so I guess I'm playing this as soon as I have money to spend on it, I wasn't sure if this was that kind of game but now I know and I will play it, there need to be more games in that genre, that I have no idea what we're callng, right now I think it's adventure?

 

[The Madman]

I saw this game, I loved TWD and TWAU, so I guess I'm playing this as soon as I have money to spend on it, I wasn't sure if this was that kind of game but now I know and I will play it, there need to be more games in that genre, that I have no idea what we're callng, right now I think it's adventure?

Dreamfall: Chapters is done in the mold of a classic point & click adventure game through and through, some people also call them PC adventure games or classical point & clicks. Think Grim Fandango, Sam & Max, Syberia, Monkey Island, Full Throttle, and of course the original Longest Journey (First game in this series) as close comparisons. Basically this. Not really sure I'd say it's the same thing as TWD or Telltale's other project if that's your closest experience with the genre, but they're definitely close relatives.

The difference between these sorts of games and Telltale's recent games is that Dreamfall, as with most older fashioned games of the genre, has a much slower pace than TWD and a higher emphasis on exploration rather than being shuffled from one event to the other. There are no action sequences whatsoever and what few elements of 'gameplay' there are tend to be basic puzzle solving rather than anything exciting. The real meat of the game is all dialogue and exploration, exploration which itself is all accompanied by lots of dialogue.

Still if you're interested in Dreamfall: Chapters you might want to consider playing the previous games first. I'm honestly not sure how someone without any experience in the franchise would feel playing Chapter's first, I can only imagine it would be confusing as all hell. Plus the original two games are damned good in their own right anyway so if you like games with a good story you should play them anyway.

 

[Kae]

I saw this game, I loved TWD and TWAU, so I guess I'm playing this as soon as I have money to spend on it, I wasn't sure if this was that kind of game but now I know and I will play it, there need to be more games in that genre, that I have no idea what we're callng, right now I think it's adventure?

Dreamfall: Chapters is done in the mold of a classic point & click adventure game through and through, some people also call them PC adventure games or classical point & clicks. Think Grim Fandango, Sam & Max, Syberia, Monkey Island, Full Throttle, and of course the original Longest Journey (First game in this series) as close comparisons. Basically this. Not really sure I'd say it's the same thing as TWD or Telltale's other project if that's your closest experience with the genre, but they're definitely close relatives.

The difference between these sorts of games and Telltale's recent games is that Dreamfall, as with most older fashioned games of the genre, has a much slower pace than TWD and a higher emphasis on exploration rather than being shuffled from one event to the other. There are no action sequences whatsoever and what few elements of 'gameplay' there are tend to be basic puzzle solving rather than anything exciting. The real meat of the game is all dialogue and exploration, exploration which itself is all accompanied by lots of dialogue.

Still if you're interested in Dreamfall: Chapters you might want to consider playing the previous games first. I'm honestly not sure how someone without any experience in the franchise would feel playing Chapter's first, I can only imagine it would be confusing as all hell. Plus the original two games are damned good in their own right anyway so if you like games with a good story you should play them anyway.

Oh, OK but from what I saw in the trailer this one is a bit different since it appeared to have some sort of choice system as oposed to just dialogue like those adventure game which are like older Telltaled games
I don't know though I only saw the trailer and nobody has made it very clear to me, if it does have some sort of choice system then I kinda want it, because the only other similar thing are RPGs and to be honest I always get bored with the combat, even Mass Effect bored me to tears but I didn't like the writing in that either, exploration and puzzles are OK though, in any case if it does have that I'll probably want to play it because I want more of that kind of stuff.
And yeah, I'll play the old ones if I have to.

 

[The Madman]

Oh, OK but from what I saw in the trailer this one is a bit different since it appeared to have some sort of choice system as oposed to just dialogue like those adventure game which are like older Telltaled games
I don't know though I only saw the trailer and nobody has made it very clear to me, if it does have some sort of choice system then I kinda want it, because the only other similar thing are RPGs and to be honest I always get bored with the combat, even Mass Effect bored me to tears but I didn't like the writing in that either, exploration and puzzles are OK though, in any case if it does have that I'll probably want to play it because I want more of that kind of stuff.
And yeah, I'll play the old ones if I have to.

There is some choice stuff in here, but whether it actually makes any difference or not I have no clue. The first chapter doesn't really last long enough to display whether those decisions end up having any real consequences or are just another way towards getting to the same place, which I suspect is probably going to be the case.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey also dabbled in giving some player choice but never really went far with it, which is why I figure this is probably going to be similar. Plus the main story has apparently been figured out for years now so I can't see it deviating too much based on player choices.

Otherwise no clue, it's still only the first episode that's been released so it's too early to tell.

 

[Kae]

Oh, OK but from what I saw in the trailer this one is a bit different since it appeared to have some sort of choice system as oposed to just dialogue like those adventure game which are like older Telltaled games
I don't know though I only saw the trailer and nobody has made it very clear to me, if it does have some sort of choice system then I kinda want it, because the only other similar thing are RPGs and to be honest I always get bored with the combat, even Mass Effect bored me to tears but I didn't like the writing in that either, exploration and puzzles are OK though, in any case if it does have that I'll probably want to play it because I want more of that kind of stuff.
And yeah, I'll play the old ones if I have to.

There is some choice stuff in here, but whether it actually makes any difference or not I have no clue. The first chapter doesn't really last long enough to display whether those decisions end up having any real consequences or are just another way towards getting to the same place, which I suspect is probably going to be the case.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey also dabbled in giving some player choice but never really went far with it, which is why I figure this is probably going to be similar. Plus the main story has apparently been figured out for years now so I can't see it deviating too much based on player choices.

Otherwise no clue, it's still only the first episode that's been released so it's too early to tell.

Most of the choices in Walking Dead Season 1 did nothing but change characters attitudes towards you and in Season to most choices do absolutely nothing, so I can probably live with that, Wolf Among Us is the only one that seems to hav really done something with them, even if the story goes the exact same way it does change the entire context of what is acceptable procedure in Fabletown and whether people fear you, hate you or like you, which felt a lot more meaningful that anything Walking Dead ever did, I still seem to like Walking Dead more though...

In any case, sounds like I should at least try this some time, maybe I'll do like with Walking Dead Season 1 and wait until it's over before trying it?
At least that would give me time to finish the previous games before trying it.

 

[The Madman]

In any case, sounds like I should at least try this some time, maybe I'll do like with Walking Dead Season 1 and wait until it's over before trying it?
At least that would give me time to finish the previous games before trying it.

Like I said above, if you're the sort of person who enjoys a good story in a game then you'd practically be doing yourself a disservice by not playing the games of this series. Waiting for Chapters to be finished before playing it also seems wise, especially if you're using the time to play the original games of the series.

The first game, The Longest Journey, is one of my favourite games of all time simply on the strength of its story and characters. Visually it hasn't aged very well and even by puzzle game standards the 'gameplay' is pretty stupid. One of very few games I'd recommend just keeping a walkthrough open in the background while playing, saves some headaches with the few of the games more stupid puzzles. But still April Ryan is a brilliant protagonist and the game itself just exudes such charm and sincerity that I love it. It has heart, as corny as that sounds, and I love it for that.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is the second game in the series, obviously, and is pretty damned good as long as you go into it with the expectation of a strong story and characters being it's main strengths as opposed to gameplay, which yet again is at best mediocre and at worst tiresome. Still the story is well told, the new characters and protagonist memorable, visually it's aged much better than TLJ although don't go in expecting anything mind blowing graphics-wise, and the soundtrack is pretty damned good too. It's biggest flaw (other than the gameplay) being that it ended with a major cliffhanger, but seeing as the newest game in the series is finally coming out that's much less of a problem as it was when the game was first released.

You don't even have to wait 8+ years for the stories continuation like I did, Bonus!

So yeah, if you can't tell by my lengthy replies I'd highly recommend playing them seeing as I'm a massive fan of the series. So far I'm enjoying what I've played of the new continuation of the series, but even if I thought it was crap I'd still be telling everyone to play the previous games.