A dream to remember.
The actual gameplay of Dreamfall is where the game lacks. However there are a few things done to improve on issues found in games similar to Dreamfall.
For one, item finding is not a huge issue. Everything that you can interact with is highlighted with a large box. This makes it easier to spot out items that are of use. You don’t have to go on huge item hunting missions and collect 10 items to complete a task. There are a few areas where it is difficult to spot a panel but for the majority of the time, you won’t encounter problems. For the most part, the gameplay in Dreamfall is rather simple, which I think is a plus for the type of game.
Also, you generally always know what to do. I never really ran into any problems trying to figure out where to go or what to do, even when the task wasn’t very clear at one point. I’m not sure how the game did this but I normally ended up having a general idea on what I was suppose to do.
Where the game falls short are in the other gameplay mechanics. One is the combat. It’s completely unnecessary and even if it were well executed it doesn’t fit in the game. It’s simple and normally you simply use cheap techniques to beat other enemies. It also kind of scares away non-gamers who might be interested in this game.
The minigames and sneaking is also annoying. Although I enjoyed the picklock puzzle; the matchup the symbols game was really annoying. It doesn’t really require much thought, just how well you can spot things and luck. The last two (matchup games) can cause some frustration and wasn’t needed at all. A few sneaking sections were also strange such as the first one, where you can sneak anywhere around a robot except for one path.
Other than those problems though, Dreamfall follows up on The Longest Journey very well. The story is amazing and brings good memories back from the previous game (especially crow). The characters are amazing and the voice acting, for the most part is brilliant. The music and sound effects are also very well done and overall the sound and the story is what makes this my favourite adventure game since The Longest Journey (or maybe Syberia).
The graphics are also pretty. There not next-gen but everything looks nice, especially the environments. The character animations were odd at close-ups a few times but these were pretty minor. I also really liked the artistic quality of the atmospheres in the game. Just by moving around in a certain place, you would get a certain mood or feel to the environment.
I also ran into a few glitches in the game but they seem to be a common aspect in adventure games. Nothing too major but worth noting. Aside from this and the unnecessary gameplay problems and elements, Dreamfall is an amazing game. It should have just been an “adventure” game and not an “action-adventure” game but that still doesn’t take away from the amazing story the game throws you in. People have complained about how the game is somewhat short or the ending isn’t that great but I thought the game was a descent length and the ending moderately good. Dreamfall is all about the story and although there are a few things that get in the way of it, it’s still one of the best adventure games that have come out this decade. If you enjoyed The Longest Journey or any games like it, then you should enjoy Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.