An unforgettable journey of hope and self-sacrifice.
The premise of the game is about an 18 years old girl named April Ryan. She's your typical person as she's not a super-star, hasn't got much money and looking to 'find' herself due to her troublesome past. The game is separated into 13 chapters and each is a masterpiece on its own so be prepared for a long journey (oh the puns) - seriously it's long.
The game's interface is well placed. The menus are easy to locate, items that you pick up will glow if it's able to be used, and options for graphics, sounds, her diary and everything else are well sorted out as they are all presented graphically and looks impressive. You can even view past conversations, cut-scenes and that 'book of secrets' (which needs to be unlocked – hint: it’s in chapter 4).
The puzzles are not generally hard as there are ample of clues however there are a few puzzles that require either logical thinking or just plain luck. The downside is that the dialogues are too linear. In other words, it's impossible to make a mistake as no matter what you choose you will be able to get all the information needed. It's not like for example Fallout 2 where you can easily make an error and upset a faction. The good news is that you will eventually finish the game!
The stronger point of the game is the storyline and how well it integrates with the main character. The developers have made April Ryan (the main person) not a 2D pixel hunting adventure chick but a fully developed 3D character that has feelings and a purpose. This is the key to any adventure game, or any other game in that matter. There were times I actually felt the pain and loneliness of April when she ventures through the two worlds as no matter whom she talks to, the non-player characters never give the whole story (which is good).
The sound effects in this game are great for its time; from the crunching sounds of April walking though the sands to the whisks of the wind to birds chirping. Even though the background sounds are 'looped' it's well done. Full credit is due for the musical scores and voice acting. Together they are probably the best I have ever heard from a PC game.
The Longest Journey is a long game and easily can take 30 plus hours playing. I have play over 40 hours as I was amazed with all the locations and different dialogues and of course the acting. Even though there is an option for 'time-skip' not once I used this option as it's just simply astonishing to see all the places in full glory and as well you have a higher chance of risking missing information.
Overall the whole game feels like a wonderful movie as this can make a great fairytale of hope and self-sacrifice. The writers deserves full credit for the story and of course the developers for the game. A lot of effort has been placed to make this game as close to perfect as possible and deserves to be played, even for beginner adventurers. So join me in an unforgettable journey.