Back to the Past: The Longest Journey Review

I return from my rather long hiatus to talk about one of my favorite games of all time- The Longest Journey.

The Longest Journey came out in 1999 and is a point-and-click adventure game for the PC. It was originally published by IQ Media Nordic in Norway, and then later came out in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, and the United States (they really spread their wings with this one!)

This game has had one of the most beautiful, deep story lines I have ever encountered in a game (especially one not based off of a book!) While some of the puzzles were a little too challenging or obscure (but in my opinion this trait is found in most point and click adventure games,) overall this is an amazing game that deserves a lot more attention than it currently receives. Upon opening it up on my PC, I was immediately and irrevocably drawn into the enigmatic story that unfolded before me. As a result (albeit years later,) I have decided to put out a review for those who are like me and interested in amazing retro games.

The Longest Journey takes place in a world called Arcadia, which is ruled entirely by science and technology. You play as an 18-year old art student named April Ryan who lives in a city called Stark. To give a quick summary without getting into the story before I review it, basically April discovers through a series of events that there are two worlds that are divided from one another, and that the line between them is growing dangerously thin (which in turn is causing disastrous results on either side.) She is one of the few who can naturally walk between these two worlds, known as a Shifter, and as such she is given the duty of restoring the balance before it is too late and everything falls apart.

Now that we have a general idea of what we are dealing with, let's delve a little bit deeper into the story.

The story in this game is absolutely astounding. I was always hoping that someday someone might pick it up to make it a movie, although it would be hard to put so much plot into so little time.

The plot line itself is incredibly deep, and I found that as you continued to play you simply got further and further emotionally invested into the game itself. April starts off as a snarky, know-it-all girl who just moved to Stark to go to school for art, and is now working with her best friend at a sort of cafe/restaurant on the side. She is very much a strong female character in my opinion, and I was pleased to see that considering it was a time period where those were few and far between. Despite the occasional self doubt and faltering hope (hey, she's only human,) April faces her fate head on and puzzles her way through every barricade. After a very strange nightmare one night, everything begins to change. Her strange dreams she has been having are now leeching themselves into the real world.

As this goes on, the plot becomes very gritty and intense. April faces many challenges- loss of those she loves, threat to her life, and the danger of her very world collapsing. She meets many new friends along the way, and to be honest I almost felt like one of them. I became very attached to this brave, hard-headed girl who just pushed onwards despite the odds.

Occasionally the plot could seem a little slow and there seemed to be too much dialogue, but in the end I think you really come to appreciate it as it very much invests you into the world and makes things- in my opinion- a little more realistic. The story is very long, with lots of twists and turns, so if you prefer a short and to the point plot then this game is not for you.

Even to this day the story itself comes up in my mind every now and then. I was almost disappointed when it ended. I can't give it a perfect score, however, as sometimes I found myself frustrated or bored during especially long dialogues or cutscenes. Otherwise, I feel the game had an AMAZING story which it portrayed very well throughout the game. Very few questions went unanswered by the end. The characters you met were full of their own personalities, and each had their own story to tell. I loved this personal addition to the main story, and I found the characterization of those you met to be perfect.

Many people were put off the ending, but I didn't mind it in the least. That's all I can really say without spoiling it, and I would hate to spoil any of this magnificent story.

Keep in mind, this game was released in the 1990's. While definitely no HD, this game is absolutely breathtaking in its graphics for the time. Occasionally things would look a little choppy, or characters seemed to not quit blend with their environment right, but overall I loved the way this game looked. The world was full of so many details, and each area was so unique and full of charm.

From beautiful beaches to staring off cliffs, I often found that this game took my breath away. I would even stop and just stare at the environment, enamored with all the little details and life poured into each individual area.

I personally loved the graphics dearly, but there were many little flaws and issues. While most of this is due to the gaming technology of the 90's, it must still be taken into account. This game looked amazing for its time and still manages to tug at my ol' heartstrings, but it is no Metal Gear Solid 4 or anything like that. The way the characters were drawn in was probably the worst part- they were often very blocky and unnatural looking; the people looked very unrealistic. This was not unusual for third person games during that time period, but as I said before, it must be taken into account.

I found the gameplay in this game to be remarkably easy and fun for the most part. You are given virtually free reign to try and look at, touch, and grab whatever you see fit. April might not always agree with your decisions, but hey, at least you can try. The menus are easy to navigate and getting around is a breeze. I experienced no lag or glitchiness, not even between play time and cutscenes.

The only issues I (and a few others) found with the gameplay is the way some puzzles are set up. While all of the puzzles, in my opinion, have delightful results and are very challenging and stimulating, a few can be very hard to find or figure out. These ones seem to be very out of the way and often times a bit random (even obscure, if you will.) I was not the only person who struggled with this issue, and as such I find it necessary to mention. I typically prefer to play games "blind" (AKA going in without knowing anything about the game and without any assistance,) I found that with some puzzles it was necessary for me to look up what exactly I was supposed to do because of how strange it was.

I don't mind tough puzzles, but when you have to jump through hoops and wander for hours to figure out what to do and where to go it is a bit excessive. The puzzles were literally the only issue I had, and it wasn't even all of them. I had no issues with interaction or navigation, and I enjoyed all the dialogue options you were given when interacting with NPCs.

Remember, this IS a point-and-click third person game. If that sort of game does not tickle your fancy (personally I found it to be very fun,) I suggest passing on this title.

I found the sound to be wonderful. The music was enchanting, and everything was very clear and audible. I will also lump voice acting in here as well- the voice acting itself I found to be quite pleasant. I am very picky about this sort of thing, and many shows, movies, and games with voice acting have made me cringe. Some I am unable to even tolerate. This game, although not entirely perfect, mostly had a cast of very good voice actors who really captured the personality of their character. Every now and then you might flinch a bit, but overall it was an enjoyable listening experience.

I would definitely have to recommend this game, no questions asked! It is, without a doubt, worth every penny you might spend to buy it. The storyline is riveting, the gameplay is overall fun and easy, and the soundtrack is beautiful. Let's not forget the decent voice acting and gorgeous, interactive world! What more could a point-and-click adventure fan ask for?

If you love these sorts of games and don't mind a little frustration now and then, then definitely give this game a go. If you are anything like me, you will definitely not regret it. It is a beautiful piece of work, and I would still love if it were picked up and made into a movie or something.

There were sequels, however I was unable to play through them all the way because they were definitely of lesser quality in all areas compared to the original. You can check those out if you want as well I suppose, but I would not recommend it by any means.