I recently finished the game. I've been playing it for about a month now, should have posted earlier but I was nourishing a vain hope that I'd be able to catch up with you before you finished. These things do tend to not follow schedule, after all.
I've been scribbling down notes of my feelings and reactions throughout the game, so I thought I might share them with you. Most of it is just ramblings, heh. But maybe some of you will enjoy reading them.
One of my first reactions, one that I share with most people, was "Wow, this game is long-winded." I spent most of the conversations doing other things; making coffee, laying the table, dusting off etc. Only to return once in a while to select a new topic. The thing is, I played this game ten years ago, and I don't remember it being long-winded at all. I suppose I must have simply taken it for what it was back then.
I first started playing the English version of the game but then I realised I missed the Swedish dubbing from before. It was interesting to hear the English voices, but it didn't feel the same so I switched versions. This is one of very few games that I have played that have a Swedish localisation and isn't a children's game. I suppose that makes it a little more special to me. There are several famous Swedish actors in the credits. Nevertheless, I was a bit underwhelmed when I finally started playing the Swedish version. The actors did a good job with the script they got, but the translation is definitely convoluted in places.
Another thing I must have managed to blank out during these years is how slow the game is outside of dialogues. The character's all drag across the screen, and at several points you have to sit and watch NPC's crawl past before you regain control over April. And yes, I too kept double-clicking on everything to make her run.
The FMVs on the other hand, surprised me in a pleasant way. I remember thinking they were pretty cool back in the day, but this time they managed to really impress me! They still look stunning after all these years. The developers seem to have been a bit ashamed of their character models, though. In-game, we usually see them from a large "distance" (i.e. small on the screen), preventing us from making out any details. And during the film sequences, we can usually only see a small part of the minor characters (such as during the Alatian/Mer-people reunion) or they are briskly swept off screen by those way too fast camera panorations (the Tyrenian army).
There are some very cheesy puzzles solutions as well, that I didn't react to last time. It is way too easy to get into McAllen's office for example, and the battle with that big fish is just brushed under the carpet. And about those crystals in the underwater cave. I couldn't solve that one. There aren't any indications on how you're supposed to go about; I tried a few patterns but eventually looked up the solution, which turned out to be just another one of the many that I didn't try. I was annoyed because I thought my solution was just as plausible. The statue puzzle is much better in my opinion since you get clear feedback while you're attempting to solve it.
Also, did you notice the beggar outside the inn in Marcuria? It's the same character model as Umber Ianos, Crow's former owner. I wonder if we're not supposed to notice or if it really is supposed to be the old sailor. It's strange that you can't interact with him.
There, would you believe I actually only shared my least non-sensical scrawlings?
So... who's up for a playthrough of Dreamfall this summer?
