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Kian Alvane

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One of the playable characters of Dreamfall and Dreamfall Chapters , Kian Alvane is a 35 year old [2] Azadi Apostle : a soldier and assassin. He is sent to Marcuria by the Six to find and kill the Rebel leader known as the Scorpion . In his travels, he sees another side of his people and begins to question his beliefs, thinking that what he once believed to be pure faith now more closely resembles blindness.

• 1 Background
• 2 Dreamfall
• 3 Dreamfall Chapters
• 4 The Future
• 6 References

Background [ ]

Kian grew up an orphan, a 'motherless boy' who lived in the streets of Sadir when he was found by Utana , then a young Sister running a small temple in the city. Taking him in, Utana taught him the word of the Goddess, sponsored his education, and for decades served as the closest thing he had to a parent.

As he grew up, Kian’s potential came to the attention of other high-ranking Azadi, including then-commander Hami and Garmon Koumas , who took him under their wings. However, Kian also made enemies: during his teen years, he rescued a girl called Alayna from a gang led by a man called Vamon , whose paths would cross with Kian’s multiple times in their lives as they both joined the Azadi army and rose through the ranks.

With time, Kian’s skills, devotion to the Goddess led to his appointment as an Apostle: one who converts with the sword rather than the word. While his connections to people within the Azadi hierarchy, and particularly the Sixth Circle, undoubtedly helped facilitate his ascension, it is unclear how transparent or official this sponsorship was; when Vamon, now a commander, is asked about the matter, he cannot answer with certainty.

Kian is a quiet but intense man, with a very strong devotion to the Goddess - his faith is so strong that even his pious instructor warns him to be more discerning. As an Azadi man, he was raised to see women as the dominant gender and is extremely polite to them, addressing every woman he meets as 'Mistress'.

Dreamfall [ ]

When Kian arrived in Marcuria during his hunt for the Scorpion, he met the Azadi Emissary and received further briefing on his mission. Commander Vamon arrived soon afterwards and was asked by the Azadi Emissary to follow Kian, and ensure the Apostle's edge was not blunted by the eastern pagans.

Kian began tracking the Scorpion down, but increasingly found his head turned by the Marcurians. Faced with the reality of the Magic Ghetto , the attitude of his fellow soldiers and the dissatisfaction of the citizenry, he began to ponder the true reason the Goddess might have had in sending him to Marcuria. During his investigation, a young woman appeared out of nowhere in the Marcuria marketplace. She was promptly arrested by the Azadi as a witch and hauled off to Friar's Keep . Kian went to the prison to interrogate her, but decided she was harmless and argued for her release, although Warden Murron insisted he must observe protocol and send her to Sadir for trial.

Kian headed back to the city, but met a woman on her way to the Keep to whom he felt inexplicably drawn. Believing they had met before, he spoke to her but soon realised his mistake. Nevertheless, he decided to ask her why the Marcurians seemed so dissatisfied with the Azadi after everything the Empire had done, including ridding Marcuria of the Tyren . Unfortunately, the woman happened to be April Ryan, and she gave him a piece of her mind. They went their separate ways without Kian realising he had just spoken to a senior member of the Rebels.

After killing two rebels and interrogating a Zhid at swordpoint, Kian finally got a lead on the Scorpion that took him to the Journeyman Inn . With a gang of soldiers, he raided the Journeyman and arrested Benrime Salmin as a rebel sympathiser. He also found Na'ane in one of the upstairs rooms. He threatened her and demanded that she take him to the Scorpion, telling her the ship smuggling supplies to the Swamp City would be boarded, its crew weighted and thrown into the ocean. Na'ane pleaded for the life of the crew, and agreed to give him the Scorpion in return.

Kian stowed away on a ship and arrived in the Rebel City, where Na'ane told him to meet the Scorpion on one of the piers. However, when he arrived, he found April Ryan waiting for him. Surprised to encounter the woman who had made such an impassioned speech, Kian insisted that his time in Marcuria had changed many of his ideas. He believed that the Goddess had led him to April to show him the truth. April wasn't convinced during the most of their conversation and saw him as an Azadi infiltrator, however, by the end she started to believe he was honest and was willing to let him leave the city without alerting other rebels.

Unfortunately, Kian had been followed to the swamplands and a squadron of Azadi soldiers, led by Commander Vamon, began a raid on the Rebel City with Cloudships . Thinking his fears had been confirmed and that Kian - dressed as a rebel to blend in - had defected, Vamon ordered Kian to kill the Scorpion, the name the Azadi had given to April after she first began fighting them. Unable to bring himself to kill her, Kian hesitated. One of Vamon's soldiers stabbed April in the stomach with a halberd. As she fell from the pier, Vamon arrested Kian and hauled him away.

Dreamfall Chapters [ ]

Kian returns as one of the three playable characters in DFC. His story opens a year after his arrest in Dreamfall , which he has spent inside Friar's Keep awaiting transport to Sadir to stand trial, after which he is to be executed. While he has accepted his eventual fate, one question continues to bother him: What are his people trying to accomplish in Marcuria? Whatever it is, he is convinced that it cannot be the will of the Goddess.

The night before his execution, arranged without authorization by Vamon, Kian gets a surprise visit from Captain Balsay Bachim , who tells Kian about the made-to-order prison riot taking place in order to help break him out. Kian is confused as to why the resistance wants to help him; Bachim tells Kian he needs to repay his debt from his actions in Dreamfall. [3]

The rescue is successful, but results in the loss of Balsay, whose death allows the activation of a teleportation spell, and with Kian shot by Vamon.

As he swims in and out of consciousness, Kian remembers a song:

"Sleep, child, sleep. Sleep in your mother's heart.

Let the wind blow and the rain fall. Hear the executioner's call.

Watch the traitor's head roll, as the Shadow takes his soul.

Sleep, child, sleep. We shall never part.

For we will soon be free,

together, forever, in the cold, cold sea."

Kian wakes up and finds himself healed in the Enclave , the former library of the Sentinel , and current rebel headquarters, where Shepherd , the rebel leader, explains that they need him, because of his skill and because of his potential as a symbol. He is introduced to several of the rebellion’s most important people, including Enu and Likho , two of their field operatives; Bob-Who-Can-See , the base’s logistics officer; and Jakai Salmin , nephew of rebel ally Benrime Salmin . He is then tasked to join Enu and Likho on their trip to Marcuria, and to assist them. Protected by an Irhadian veil which camouflages him from most eyes, he sets out on his assigned tasks.

After completing his missions—including meeting with the Marcurian underground figure known as The Mole to secure supplies and infiltrating a meeting of the National Front for Faith and Family with the help of a Dolmari street urchin called Bip —Kian heads to The Rooster and Kitten for his rendezvous with Likho and Enu. There, the publican, Ulvic , inform him that someone is waiting for him. It is a woman, calling herself Anna , who, being able to see through Kian’s Irhadian veil, must know him intimately—knowledge which Kian does not reciprocate. After her introductions, she tells him that she’ll be asking him for a favor in the future, and leaves.

Days later, during another of Kian’s visits to Marcuria, Anna reveals the favor she wishes Kian to perform: to find and rescue a magical child who is regularly raped by an Azadi soldier. The interaction turns awkward when Kian rejects Anna’s amorous advances. Afterward, Kian, with Bip’s help, finds the Azadi soldier, stops him, and extracts information about the planned Azadi raid on Old Town.

After several weeks working for the rebellion (and another encounter with Anna) Kian obtains his biggest success yet when he obtains entry into the building serving as a hub for the Azadi’s now-completed network of pipes. There he finds an Azadi engineer called Ferdows , who under duress tells Kian that the pipes are an integral part of a giant Calculating Engine , designed to calculate ever more complex equations until finally solving the equation that will allow the Azadi Empire to harness the power of dreams. Kian, in turn, tells Ferdows the truth about the Azadi’s cruelty towards magicals, which horrifies Ferdows. The two Azadi are then found by General Hami, who confronts Kian about his betrayal and resolves to arrest them. Before he can do so, however, Ferdows attacks Hami, allowing Kian to escape.

Returning to The Rooster and Kitten, Kian tells his compatriots what he’s just learned, and obtains a disturbing piece of intelligence: Bip has been captured by the Azadi, and is slated to be sent to their “re-education camp” in Ge'en . Kian resolves to go to Ge’en to free him. Along the way, he hopes to obtain evidence of the Azadi’s evil-doing, which he hoped to use to rally supporters for the cause. Before he leaves Marcuria, he is once again approached by Anna, who pleads for him not to go. She tells him the truth about who she is and how she knows him: she is Alayna, whom he’d once rescued from Vamon. As she reveals her feelings for him, she realizes that Kian must go to Ge’en, regardless of her wishes.

After infiltrating the prison camp, Kian finds Sister Alessandra , a scientist for the Azadi Empire’s Office of Scientific Research, and learns that the Azadi cruelty towards magicals didn’t stop with their deportation and imprisonment. Rather, they were actively researching ways to produce biological weapons to eliminate them completely. Their confrontation is then cut short by the arrival of Hami, who is horrified at what he learns and resolves to turn against his Azadi masters.

Leaving behind the rescued Bip with his parents, Kian returns to Marcuria with Hami. With defecting Azadi soldiers now bolstering their ranks, the rebels mount a final assault against the Azadi occupiers. Kian’s role is to enter the Azadi tower and, from there, allow Ferdows access to the Engine. Not long after he sets out on his mission, he encounters Crow , who is about to be burned alive by Onor Hilleris for a past humiliation and for being a magical.

After rescuing Crow, who agrees to help Kian into the tower, the two travel across the Underground Caverns , into the Dream Chamber , and the Engine’s core. There, they find Roper Klacks operating the engine; Kian confronts him and punches him unconscious. Before he can succeed in allowing Ferdows access to the system, he is interrupted by the arrival of Mother Utana.

After Crow carelessly reveals Utana’s position as head of the Office of Scientific Research, Kian controls his once caretaker. Unable to explain herself, Utana instead stabs Kian and makes her exit. Only Saga ’s intervention and use of an Elixir of Delayed Death saves the former Apostle’s life.

With Kian once again on his feet, Saga opens a Shift to Stark , which allows Zoë Castillo to cross the Divide and impart to Kian the key to saving the day: using The Silver Spear of Gorimon held by the Prophet to stab Klacks, shattering the soul-stone inside him and freeing the Undreaming . Kian, choosing to trust Zoë, travels to the Engine’s upper levels and confronts Klacks and the Prophet. After wresting the Spear from the Prophet’s hand, Kian fights through the burning pain and impales Klacks with the weapon before falling unconscious. There, he is once again faced with Mother Utana, who reveals her future plans for Azadir before leaving Kian behind.

A week later, Kian is at the Enclave, saying his good-byes before his return journey to Azadir, when he is found by Saga, who tells him that she will join him in his attempts to confront his people, and that he should adopt her. While he is confounded by the stranger and her apparent knowledge of the future, he agrees to her demands, contingent on her explaining everything.

The Future [ ]

Very little is known about Kian’s return to Azadir, or the events that transpired there. However, it is known that his struggle concludes successfully after five years, after which he becomes known as the Bloodless King. Saga also suggests that Kian will play a role in the War of the Balance , but the specifics of that role are unknown.

• 'Kian' is related to the words 'generations' or 'king'; or to the Gaelic 'cian', meaning 'ancient'.
• Kian’s facial markings signify him being an apostle. It's the mark of the apostle. [4]
• Kian is gay, a detail which he discloses to those he deems worthy of knowing. Initial player questions regarding whether the character’s sexuality was determined by player choices were answered on the Steam forum discussion "My Kian is gay? OK!" [1]
• During his time as a street Urchin, Kian had a pet rat, Ratigan, who later went on to abandon him for a better-fed child.

References [ ]

• ↑ facebook Ragnar confirmes new Kian actor for Dreamfall Chapters)
• ↑ Dreamfall livestream (4:46:55) - Kian's age
• ↑ guamespot 25 min gameplay walkthrough video
• ↑ twitch.tv livestream, (8:08:51)
• 1 Choices in Dreamfall Chapters
• 2 The Longest Journey Saga
• 3 Zoë Maya Castillo

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

• Screenshots

• 2006 ( Windows )
• 2006 ( Xbox )
• 2008 ( Xbox 360 )
• Aspyr Media, Inc.
• Micro Application, S.A.
• Empire Interactive Europe Ltd.
• dtp entertainment AG
• Funcom Oslo A/S
• Cenega Poland Sp. z o.o.
• #404 on Xbox
• #1,603 on Windows

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Credits (Windows version)

333 People (317 developers, 16 thanks) · View all

Average score: 77% (based on 73 ratings)

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 94 ratings with 9 reviews)

One of the most genius games ever!

The Good I liked everything in this game. This is one of the most genius games created ever and it was a perfect sequel. Some sequels out there forget how the areas looked in the prequel (like Diablo 2) and that will result in a mess. Dreamfall did not make that mistake. I completely recognized all the places from the prequel and that was most satisfying.

The characters were beautifully made and when I started this game for the first time I completely fell in love with Zoë as a character. The game was long and you could sit and play the game for a day without getting tired of it. The changing of the environments are the best I've seen.

This game was like watching a 15-20 hours long movie (though one of the best movies I've ever seen) The Bad The only thing that I even thought about was that you didn't actually play that much if you compare to the first one. Not too much of a challenge, but everything else in the game did actually compensate that without problem. The Bottom Line I would say this is one of the best games I've ever played. The game is perfect (except that it's not too hard), the music is wonderful and fits the game perfect, the story is stunning, the graphics are beautiful, the characters are unique, even the citizens.

Well I'm completely shocked how this game affected me and I will never forget this ever! If it would have been a little more challenging I would have given it 100/100, but now 95/100!

Windows · by Patriarch K (23) · 2009

Excellent story and characters, but short on gameplay

The Good The story. This is really a novel in game form, and everything takes a back seat to the story. The game comes on six CDs, probably because it includes so many lengthy cutscenes. The story is long for a game (as was The Longest Journey), and takes the time to build up properly.

The characters. It's rare to see a game with significant character development, but Dreamfall takes the time to do it. There are a few scenes that could have come across as cheesy, but since we've traveled with the characters and sympathize with them, they work.

The scenery. As in the Myst games, many of the game locations are beautiful, and you just want to wander around and gawk (which you're free to do). The Bad It's too easy. As I said, everything takes a back seat to the story, and this includes the gameplay: there are precious few puzzles, and none of them are very hard. The only time I had to consult a walkthrough, it turned out that I had the right idea, but wasn't doing it in just the way that the game wanted. In some cases, the "game" consists in nothing more than getting a plot point from one cutscene, then walking across town to watch the next cutscene.

Linearity. The story of Dreamfall is told in one particular way, and the player has to follow along. Consequently, there's only one thing to do at any time. As a corollary, if you get stuck on one task, you're stuck. Unlike a game like The Secret of Monkey Island, there's nothing else to work on.

The interface. Unlike The Longest Journey, Dreamfall is a third-person 3-D environment. This means that you can now look around in all directions, but comes with some problems. The camera tries to be smart, and swivels around the main character rather unpredictably. At the same time, movement is camera-relative, not character-relative, so if you have Zoë walk toward you, and the camera swivels to avoid a wall or something, you'll find that she's now walking at a right angle to the way you want her to go.

Combat. Yes, this is an adventure game that includes some combat scenes, and your character can die. But if he or she does, the game gives you a chance to try again. I'm not a big fan of timed sequences in adventure games (where you have a limited amount of time to complete some action), since I prefer puzzles that make me think, rather than test my agility; and the combat sequences in Dreamfall have all of the disadvantages of timed sequences, doubled.

The graphics. Yes, I know I said the scenery is beautiful. But it's also 3-D, which means that everything has to be rendered in real time as textured polygons. If this had been a node-based game, they could have prerendered the scenes in a lot more detail (compare Myst: Uru to, say, Riven to see what I mean).

The voice acting. Most of the actors give decent performances, but a few were just bad (yeah, I'm talking about you, French magic-user!).

The ending. There's going to be a sequel to Dreamfall, and this couldn't have been more obvious if they'd tacked on "To be continued..." at the end. The Bottom Line Well worth playing, IMHO. The story is engaging, and the characters reasonably three-dimensional. The game is long enough to let us know the characters and empathize with them. Just don't expect challenging puzzles, or even a lot of gameplay.

Windows · by arensb (7) · 2006

A sequel that shows the adventure genre is dying.

The Good The graphics of Dreamfall are the strongest part of the game obviously. The locations remain exact replicates of the locations in the first game(except those who are new of course) and everything looks absolutely stunning(taken you have the machine to run this game on optimal performance that is). The models look realistic(my biggest grief with the first game were the models which always looked too polygonized for me), but sadly, that's where the game stops impressing me. The Bad Because underneath the layer of impressive state-of-the-art graphics, lie a confusing story with thousands of continuity issues, horrendous voice acting, and music that fails to live up to the awesome jazzy tracks of the first game. The decision to not have the Jukebox in the Fringe Cafe in the sequel just baffles me, it was one of the coolest elements of the first game and I missed it. A lot.

As mentioned, the story is very confusing and a lot of it makes no sense if you keep the first game in mind. 1. Charlie is still working on the Fringe Cafe, 10 years after the first game, where he mentioned that the job on the cafe was only to pay for his education(he was studying to be a dancer). Therefore, he either failed miserably on his biggest dream, or the writers just didn't keep in mind he studied to be a dancer. He never mentions in the script of Dreamfall that he wanted to be a dancer, only that he took over the cafe after the previous owner, Stan. 2. Emma(who looks nothing like she did in the first game) mentions that when April told that she had gone to another dimension, she believed April and Charlie was the one in doubt. In fact, April never tells Emma and Charlie about Arcadia in the first game, and Charlie was the one who wanted to listen while Emma claimed April had gone mad. 3. Despite this being a game developed by Norwegians, the Norwegian version of Dreamfall sounds terrible. It's more like a badly translated version of the English script. While in the first game, the script was all Norwegian, the Norwegian script in Dreamfall contains a lot of English words for places and names(which makes no sense since they were Norwegian words in the first game). Also, a lot of the voice actors have been replaced. I have nothing against Petronella Barker, but I think a lot of the fans were disappointed that Synnøve Svabo didn't return to her role as April Ryan.

I have one thing to say about the voice acting: It sucks! The actors don't sound like they know what they are saying, they also sound completely uninterested, like they were paid to say the lines, but never instructed on what they are talking about. The music sounds incredibly stock, but this is perhaps done on purpose to make you pay more attention to the lackluster voice acting... The Bottom Line Compared to The Longest Journey, Dreamfall is a sequel that could have been an awesome game with awesome graphics, but because of the issues I had with the story and the voice acting, which should be the essences in the game, it fails to impress me. Not to mention it has been simplified and the action elements makes it feel more like an action game than an adventure game.

The adventure genre is clearly decaying, which this game really shows. Stick to the first game, it may not have impressive graphics, but the original story remains the best.

Why this became the Game Of The Year is beyond my comprehension.

Windows · by x0n1c64 (12) · 2008

[ View all 9 player reviews ]

1001 Video Games

The Xbox version of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Curiously, four out of the seven *.CAB file archives located on the game CDs (2, 3, 4, and 5) are 666,000 kB large and the total size of all files on the first CD is also very close to that number.

The Azadi culture in the game is based on the real world Persian culture (today's Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan). The word "Azadi" itself is a name of a tower in Tehran, the capital of Iran, which was built in 1971 and has since become the symbol of the city. Ironically, the Persian word azadi means "freedom", which doesn't exactly fit the fanatical nature of the Azadi in the game.

Damien's apartment

The two Chinese characters which can be seen on the background during the cut-scene in Damien's apartment are 平和, which are pronounced heiwa in Japanese and mean "peace".

Dreamfall is an anniversary game for Funcom, as it is the 25th game they developed.

Sexual references

Intentional or otherwise, the two closed taverns that Zoë can see when she is first in Marcuria are "The Cock and the Puss" and "The Salty Seaman", which both have ambiguous sexual undertones.

• There are several references to Funcom's Anarchy Online series in the game. A copy of the Anarchy Online novel is visible in Zoë's apartment, and the music that plays on the first floor of Reza's apartment is also a track from the MMORPG.
• There are various Dreamfall and The Longest Journey boxes throughout the game. Such as in Reza's bathroom shelf, Zoë 's floor near the TV, behind the Merchant at the crossroads, as well as many other places.

Although the game's minimum requirement on the box and "readme" file states that you need a GeForce FX 5700 or a ATi Radeon 9550 display card to run it, the game is playable on older cards such as GeForce 3 or Radeon 8500. In fact, it only uses pixel and vertex shaders version 1.1 not version 2.0 and beyond. However just like every shader model 1.1 powered game it won't work with GeForce 4 MX.

• 2006 – #3 Xbox Game of the Year
• 2006 – #8 PC Game of the Year
• 2006 – PC Adventure Game of the Year
• 2006 – PC Adventure Game of the Year (Gamers' Vote)
• 2006 – Xbox Adventure Game of the Year
• 2006 – Best Music of the Year (PC)
• 2006 – Best Story of the Year (PC)
• Issue 02/2007 – The Most Interactive Movie in 2006

Information also contributed by Karthik KANE , Sciere and Unicorn Lynx .

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Related Sites +

• Dreamfall Hint File Universal Hint System file viewable online or downloadable for use with the UHS Reader. Provides the solutions in question and answer format so you get only as much as you need.
• Dreamfall: The Longest Journey Official game website (Dutch, French, German and English)
• Jorgen Tharaldsen on Dreamfall Funcom Product Director Jorgen Tharaldsen is interviewed by Adventure Europe about the game
• Walkthroughs and Guides GameFAQs files for the Xbox version.

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• MobyGames ID: 22143

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Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

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Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, winner of multiple E3 awards as the best game in its genre, is the continuation of a saga that began in the award-winning The Longest Journey, considered to be one of the finest adventure games ever made. In Dreamfall, players are taken on an epic journey of exploration and adventure as they venture through a thrilling and emotional storyline. Dreamfall features a fully interactive world where beautiful music, stunning graphics, fascinating characters and unparalleled gameplay variety promises to bring the adventure genre into a new era. Prepare for a spiritual, fantastic and powerful gaming experience.

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Dreamfall: The Longest Journey Review

• First Released Apr 17, 2006 released

Anchored by a wonderful cast of characters, the very well-crafted sci-fi story in Dreamfall will leave you anxiously wanting more.

By Greg Kasavin on April 18, 2006 at 3:29PM PDT

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is, first and foremost, a great work of science fiction. Such a complex plot, endearing characters, and imaginative settings and situations are highly uncommon to gaming, or any medium for that matter. Those familiar with the game's predecessor might expect no less, since it's widely considered one of the best adventure games ever made. Judged as a follow-up to a beloved classic, Dreamfall does not disappoint, for the most part. It exhibits the unique attention to detail and terrific presentation that made The Longest Journey so remarkable for its time. But Dreamfall also does an excellent job drawing in new players as well as those fans patiently awaiting this sequel. The actual gameplay is a blend of action adventure conventions, but it clearly isn't the main draw. It's there to help make the story more engaging, and that's more or less what it does. Yet, as impressive as the story is, it ends too quickly to leave you feeling fully satisfied when you finally reach the game's bewildering, enlightening, frustrating, thought-provoking conclusion. Is the journey itself worth your while, though? Absolutely, yes.

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Now Playing: Dreamfall: The Longest Journey Video Review

More than six years ago, The Longest Journey introduced one of gaming's most memorable heroines, a smart and resourceful young woman named April Ryan. April happened to possess a latent ability to "shift" between worlds, from her familiar (yet futuristic) home to a magical place called Arcadia. These parallel worlds of technology and magic had fallen out of balance, and the reluctant April became the key to restoring harmony between the two--but at what cost to her and her friends? At any rate, you don't need to know what happened to dive right into Dreamfall, which is deeply connected to the events of The Longest Journey but doesn't assume you've played or remember that game. If you haven't or don't, then upon finishing Dreamfall, you'll probably want to go back and play The Longest Journey. It's certainly better as a pure adventure game than Dreamfall is, in case you were wondering. Dreamfall doesn't seem to have nearly as many complicated puzzles in it, but on the flip side, that means you can enjoy this story without running into many roadblocks.

It's tempting to go into specifics about Dreamfall's sharply written story. But since playing through the game involved unraveling a convoluted mystery, it's best not to spoil anything. Suffice it to say that you spend much of Dreamfall playing as Zoë Castillo, a bright and attractive young woman who's not unlike April from The Longest Journey, only she's a little less cynical and she's got a lovely British accent. Zoë seems like she has it all--a high-tech room with an incredible view, a good-natured and understanding dad, and even a gentle-hearted, artificially intelligent monkey robot. But she's seen better days. She's living at home with her father, trying to decide what to do with her directionless life, having dropped out of school and recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend. She's still on good terms with her ex, though, and one day, he asks her for what seems like a small favor, for help with a story he's working on for his editor. From that point, a chance encounter sets in motion an epic series of events that'll send Zoë all across the globe, and beyond.

Zoë is a great character who's likable, charming, and sympathetic almost right away. And she'll get to meet lots of other similarly interesting characters during the course of her adventure, including some whom Longest Journey fans should recognize. The dialogue between all the different characters flows naturally, and superbly done voice acting, along with expressive 3D characters, makes all the conversation (and there's a lot of it) the highlight of the game. Dreamfall earns its M rating through a little bit of ribald humor and some profanity that's used very liberally by certain characters, and yet applied with restraint overall. For instance, you'll hear Zoë cuss in situations in which you'd expect almost anyone her age to react the same way. She leads an outstanding ensemble cast of characters, but they're not to be outdone by Dreamfall's wonderfully imaginative locales. Few games can muster up a cohesive science-fiction setting or a believable fantasy world. Dreamfall pulls off both at once, tying them together in some mind-bending ways. This is some seriously virtuoso storytelling from Longest Journey writer/designer Ragnar Tørnquist. There are so many inspired little touches all throughout the game that it's hard not to get swept up and emotionally invested in everything that's going on.

That's why it's all the more disconcerting that the game ultimately leaves so many loose ends untied. The story seems well within the author's capable control as it unfolds, intensifies, and deftly changes tone, but then it hurries to a close, practically with a nudge and a wink. Some room for continuation and interpretation can be a good thing for a story, but in Dreamfall's case, the game doesn't do as good of a job wrapping everything up as it does introducing multiple layers of conflict in the first place. In the end, you'll be left wishing for a sequel, wondering what this game could have been like had it simply been longer. It's almost painful not knowing the full breadth of what ends up happening to all these fascinating characters and this amazing world (or, worlds).

The Longest Journey was a point-and-click adventure game, whereas Dreamfall plays more like an action adventure game, letting you directly control the character as you explore and run around in detailed 3D landscapes. There's a little combat, which is easy and very basic. There are a few inventory puzzles and other fairly simple puzzles that take the form of hacking or lock picking. There are a number of environmental puzzles and a few stealth sequences. And, other than that, there's a whole lot of character interaction. Some dialogue sequences prompt you to decide how your character will respond--such as confrontationally or apologetically. These bits make the exchanges of dialogue that much more engaging, though as difficult as these decisions may be when they arise, they usually bring you to the same result.

To the game's credit, a number of its puzzles are open-ended enough to let you solve them in a few different ways, such as by sneaking past a dangerous situation, talking your way out of one, or fighting for your life. But overall, there just isn't a ton of actual gameplay in Dreamfall. Especially at first, both the action and the puzzle solving take a backseat to dialogue and exploration. And yet, strangely enough, this works to the game's advantage. The one or two times you might get stuck trying to figure out the solution to one of the game's tougher puzzles will be when you realize how refreshing the brisk pacing of the story is for the most part.

The game controls quite well. The camera can get a little awkward in tight quarters, but since there aren't many action sequences, this is almost never a liability. Numerous objects in the environment become highlighted as you approach them, and you can also examine them from afar. Your character's initial observations about a given object may reveal more information, prompting you to take a closer look. Or, similarly, you might observe new things about someone after having spoken at length with him or her. Better yet, since Zoë isn't the only character you'll get to play as in Dreamfall, it can be really rewarding to visit the same places from different perspectives. In one remarkable little moment, your control shifts between two different characters conversing with each other, effectively letting you direct both sides of the discussion. Also, while you might initially find yourself wishing you had access to a map, none of the game's areas are so expansive as to require one. You'll sooner appreciate being able to explore all these places at your own pace while soaking in the detail.

The differences between the PC and Xbox versions of Dreamfall are slight. On the PC, you've got your choice of keyboard, mouse, or game pad controls, or a combination of all three. Mouse-and-keyboard controls are fine, but gamepad controls are best suited. The PC version is capable of looking substantially cleaner and more colorful if you've got a good graphics card, but the Xbox version looks really nice, too. Each version supports widescreen displays, and something about this game makes it beg to be played in a panoramic view. While there are some blurry textures here and there, and the character models aren't made up of a relatively huge number of polygons or anything, the game more than makes up for this with its inspired, stylized visual design. The scenery throughout looks beautiful, and the characters emote believably--not only through good lip-synching but also through believable facial expressions and body language.

But the audio in Dreamfall is really the driving force behind the game's dramatic impact. The quality (and quantity) of the voice acting is terrific, and the game's soundtrack is filled with memorable and varied compositions, including a few soulful songs, and it cues up perfectly with Dreamfall's many poignant moments. Like some great score for a feature film, the music in Dreamfall is an integral part of the experience from start to finish.

Despite the far-flung premise of Dreamfall, the game touches on a number of classical themes. The importance of faith, the significance of dreams, the value of trust, and the need to be free are all woven into a story that runs the emotional gamut from excitement and intrigue to sadness and fear to relief and hilarity. Sound too good to be true? In some respects, unfortunately, it is. In the end, Dreamfall leaves you hanging. It practically pulls the rug out from under you, after setting you up to expect some sort of amazing grand finale. And to an extent, this undermines the experience leading up to that point. The game is of a decent length and will probably take you about 10 hours to finish the first time, but you'll feel like there was enough material left on the cutting-room floor for at least another five hours or so. It's also a bit of a shame that there are no extras, not even some unlockable concept art or anything like that. But you'll likely feel the urge to play through at least once more, since you'll miss some of the dialogue and subtle references the first time, and gain new insight into the story on the second run. Above all, you'll likely be left hoping that Zoë Castillo's and April Ryan's story will continue past this game, and soon.

• Leave Blank
• An incredibly provocative sci-fi story filled with many memorable characters
• Beautiful presentation, featuring fantastic voice acting and musical score
• Dialogue prompts you to make some tough, interesting decisions
• As rich as it is, the story leaves you wanting much more
• Simplistic combat, not much challenge

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Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Game length provided by HowLongToBeat

• Experience the story from three separate perspectives and learn how their destinies blend together in an epic finale. Each character has unique abilities and world views, giving you constant gameplay variations.
• Never before has an adventure game brought this much gameplay variety! Use your brains or your brawn; sneak, fight, or talk your way through the many challenges the game offers.
• Dreamfall spans three beautifully realized worlds, multiple chapters, and a stunning amount of detailed locations.

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Dreamfall: The Longest Journey

Game trailer, description.

• Dreamfall continues the story of "The Longest Journey," one of the most critically acclaimed adventure games ever made, and brings adventure gaming into a new era. Focusing on story and characters, Dreamfall features unparalleled 3D visuals, advanced character animations, stunning audio, and innovative gameplay - wrapped in a unique and magical ambience. Dreamfall is set in the 23rd Century, where a young woman accidentally uncovers a conspiracy related to dreams; a conspiracy that may herald the destruction of the twin worlds of science and magic. Confronted by mysteries that she cannot resolve on her own, she must seek assistance from the one person who might have the answers: April Ryan, the heroine of "The Longest Journey."

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Summary Dreamfall continues the story of "The Longest Journey," one of the most critically acclaimed adventure games ever made, and brings adventure gaming into a new era. Focusing on story and characters, Dreamfall features unparalleled 3D visuals, advanced character animations, stunning audio, and innovative gameplay - wrapped in a unique and ... Read More

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The Longest Journey

• High Quality 16.2 MB
• Low Quality 7.2 MB
• High Quality 9.4 MB
• Low Quality 5 MB

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. The Longest Journey is more than a game - it's more like a book, a movie and a game all rolled into one. Explore an interactive and beautifully created universe from the perspective of April Ryan, a young art student who soon discovers that there is more to her world than meets the eye.

With the power to pass between worlds like others pass from waking to sleep, April must embark on the longest journey of her life; a journey not only across twin worlds, but also into her very own heart and soul. Embark on a voyage across phenomenal worlds, encounter a fantastic cast of unforgettable characters, and unravel one of the most epic stories ever told.

Experience what critics around the world are calling one of the best adventure games of all time. Experience The Longest Journey !

The Longest Journey + Dreamfall

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Title: The Longest Journey + Dreamfall Genre: Adventure , RPG , Action Developer: Funcom Publisher: Funcom Languages : English

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