The medium is also used to the fullest in this regard, and the game’s choice system makes both of the characters far more ambiguous, with a certain interaction between the player and character since the player makes the characters’ choices based on their interpretation of them or desire to shape the characters based on the player’s own morality. Similarly, the divide between the two seemingly unconnected worlds is weakened to the point that they converge by Book 3 and things really start to pick up.ĭreamfall Chapters really lets the player into the minds of the first two main characters in a way not often seen in video games. At first, I couldn’t wait to get back to Zoë’s story and the fascinating city of Europolis, but this feeling soon subdued and they became equally as interesting. Of the game’s two (and a half) stories, Kian’s certainly felt like the weaker of the two, particularly in the first Book. I’m usually not a fan of games which use multiple perspectives since they often lack focus, but in this game it has been pulled off well, especially as it progresses.
There’s a third and more minor playable toddler/baby character called Saga who is far more unexplained, though no doubt her significance to the story becomes apparent in the later game. There’s the very human Zoë Castillo in the Stark mega-city of Europolis and the somewhat tortured and misanthropic Kian Alvane in Arcadia. The story is told through two and a half playable characters.
Again, I don’t want to enter into too much detail, but if you like the general themes and story-heavy games as a whole, chances are you’ll enjoy this game’s story. At the same time, there’s a great deal of smaller sub-plots going on, all of which are interesting and none of which felt like red herrings. There’s a lot to do with dreaming, entering different worlds and sinister plots taking place simultaneously in both worlds. Meanwhile, the fantasy world of Arcadia at first seems like Stark’s opposite, but it is also equally marred by fascist thugs and an overbearing stench of racism.
DREAMFALL CHAPTERS BOOK 2 REVIEW FULL
The dystopian sci-fi future world of Stark (essentially a future Earth) is full of politics, intrigue, corruption and mega-corporations intent on enslaving humanity. Without giving too much away, the story is great. The overall story is pretty complex, but nothing a few youtube summaries can’t sort out and the game does provide its own background to the stories - though I feel this isn’t quite detailed enough. The reason being that I have been aware of the games for quite some time and remain cautiously optimistic that they may well see ports on GOG or the like someday and would like to play them natively.įor the most part, I still found the game very engaging, but still find myself scratching my head when a character is introduced who clearly played a role in one of the previous games and we’re introduced like old friends. I took the approach of getting a rough idea on the characters and goings on with the previous games, without entering into too much detail. However, those who haven’t played the original two games (being in that camp myself) will benefit greatly from doing a bit of prior research. To give a bit more background on the game, there is a highly complex lore, character and location list and quite a bit of backstory to digest - all of which can be very rewarding and make the world(s) feel very much alive. Though, unfortunately, the original two games - released in 20 - do not have a Linux ports. Those still concerned about performance should take a look at the other article, and also take it with a pinch of salt considering performance is likely to vary somewhat depending on hardware.įor those not familiar with the series, Dreamfall Chapters is the third instalment of the widely-praised Longest Journey point-and-click adventure games which take place in the two equally intriguing and seemingly opposite worlds of Stark and Arcadia.
I have yet to finish Book 4, but nonetheless, this will be a spoiler-free review that discusses the game as a whole rather than each specific part. I previously covered the game’s performance improvements, and thanks to those, the game can now be discussed on its own merits rather than get bogged down in the numerous performance issues.
DREAMFALL CHAPTERS BOOK 2 REVIEW UPDATE
Dreamfall Chapters Book 4 has been released, accompanied by a major engine update and the time seems apt for a review.
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