I actually thought this ending was a bit better, as far as actual quality goes, than the one in The Longest Journey. TLJ wrapped things up better, but the writing and the pacing toward the close felt rushed, and a bit garbled in places. Still very good, but slightly rough around the edges. I think Tornquist's storytelling skills have improved in the years since TLJ and it shows in Dreamfall's ending. I
was unsatisfied and I'm ready to tear my hair out, knowing that I'll probably have to wait years to play the next entry in the series, but looked at objectively, I think Dreamfall's ending was brilliant.
I didn't mind the combat and the sneaking. I also don't think the combat's as bad as people are making it out to be. Its biggest fault is just that the controls are a little clunky. It'd be awful if it were a major focus of the game, but it's not, so I don't mind it. I actually enjoyed some of the fighting sequences. I also liked that, in a few cases where they could have simply put in automatic death for making the wrong decision, the developers instead chose to allow the player to fight even though it was impossible to win.
One thing that I think (or at least hope) will make the next game worth waiting for is that Tornquist obviously cares very much what his fans think, and seems to be taking both their opinions and all of the reviews to heart. In other words, maybe the next time, we'll get more gameplay to go with all of the amazing storytelling. I think the Adventure Gamers review put it best:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jack Allin
I personally applaud the design decision favouring naturally-emerging obstructions. But they need to actually emerge, and in Dreamfall they appear far too infrequently. In fact, several times I encountered scenarios that were tailor made for increased player participation, but glossed over by the developers, presumably as an undesirable plot hindrance.
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That hits the nail on the head, and since Ragnar's obviously aware and appreciative of the review, maybe we'll see some improvement in these areas the next time around.
