[Anomander]

Hey guys, I've been looking to play Dreamfall but the problem is I've never played TLJ. Would I be missing a lot of plot this way, or is Dreamfall more of a standalone story?

[Ledz]

You would definitely not understand most of what's happening.. it is pretty much a standalone story but it assumes you have a lot of background information about the universe in the story that it tells... I definitely recommend playing TLJ first.

[buddi]

I started playing Dreamfall and after the first two chapters I was so taken with it I decided to go back and play TLJ before continuing. I loved TLJ and the rest of Dreamfall really suffered by comparison. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think the stories are seperated enough that you could play Dreamfall as a stand alone game. I say let Dreamfall whet your appetite for the settings and the characters and THEN go back to TLJ for some really satisfying storytelling and gameplay.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Each game is standalone.

HOWEVER, to play Dreamfall without first playing TLJ is to be left behind on the nuances of the game's world, what I'd refer to as the emotional and psychic undercurrents and resonances of the environment, the narrative, and the characters. For example, playing as Zoe and going to Venice (where April Ryan used to live as an art student when she was Zoe's age) there's a particular echo and pang for the past that you can never feel if you hadn't played that past as April in TLJ.

[Dasilva]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Each game is standalone.

HOWEVER, to play Dreamfall without first playing TLJ is to be left behind on the nuances of the game's world, what I'd refer to as the emotional and psychic undercurrents and resonances of the environment, the narrative, and the characters. For example, playing as Zoe and going to Venice (where April Ryan used to live as an art student when she was Zoe's age) there's a particular echo and pang for the past that you can never feel if you hadn't played that past as April in TLJ.

There are countless moments like this that I felt in Dreamfall, its that familiarity with a twist. Love it. But though must first play TLJ, because I think you'll not care for the characters as much if you havent played TLJ first.

Originally Posted by buddi

I started playing Dreamfall and after the first two chapters I was so taken with it I decided to go back and play TLJ before continuing. I loved TLJ and the rest of Dreamfall really suffered by comparison. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I think the stories are seperated enough that you could play Dreamfall as a stand alone game. I say let Dreamfall whet your appetite for the settings and the characters and THEN go back to TLJ for some really satisfying storytelling and gameplay.

I personally feel the same way.I felt Dreamfall explained most of the stuff I had to know from the first game to enjoy Dreamfall. I think just reading a simple resume of the first game should be plenty of background story to understand Dreamfall. It's not like the story continues where TLJ stoped. Actually, it's just the end movie I wouldn't have understood without playing the first game. That's all I can say without spoiling it

[CrimsonBlue]

Playing TLJ isn't really a necessity, but it'll give you a more informed perspective on things. Much like how you don't need to have played Chrono Trigger to play Chrono Cross.

Also like Chrono Trigger, not playing TLJ means missing out on one of the best games ever created.

[JemyM]

I would agree that to fully experience Dreamfall you might want to play TLJ first. Also, if I had to pick just one of them, I would pick TLJ above Dreamfall.

[serious guy]

In my opinion, having completed TLJ is necessary if you want to play Dreamfall..
And that's because knowing the characters in advance is very important,
especially April.. She has changed a lot in Dreamfall, but she'll always be the
young VAVA student from Stark for me..

[Hysteria]

I would say play Dreamfall first.
That's because you will slowly getting the picture of what's going on in perfect graphics and excellent game (maybe a bit short game, though).
And, if you don't like the old games with lame graphics, you sholud better pass TLJ.

[Keyser Soze]

LOL @ 'Old games with lame graphics'.

I'd have to interject here, and say that TLJ is neither 'old' nor does it have 'lame graphics'. Terms like that are better reserved for the Sierra and Lucas Arts classics and such.

As for the order of play, I'd suggest TLJ before Dreamfall, however I don't think you'd be completely lost if you played Dreamfall first. There should be no reason to though, as you MUST play TLJ

[Dasilva]

Originally Posted by Keyser Soze

LOL @ 'Old games with lame graphics'.

I'd have to interject here, and say that TLJ is neither 'old' nor does it have 'lame graphics'. Terms like that are better reserved for the Sierra and Lucas Arts classics and such.

As for the order of play, I'd suggest TLJ before Dreamfall, however I don't think you'd be completely lost if you played Dreamfall first. There should be no reason to though, as you MUST play TLJ

TLJ has superb graphics that adventure games today have yet to match. And for the Record Sierra & Lucas Arts classics all have good graphics for their time, ground breaking at times, KQ1 & KQ5 in particular.

[cwapitm]

I'd recommend you play TLJ first.

[Keyser Soze]

Originally Posted by Dasilva

TLJ has superb graphics that adventure games today have yet to match. And for the Record Sierra & Lucas Arts classics all have good graphics for their time, ground breaking at times, KQ1 & KQ5 in particular.

Not to completely derail the topic... But yeah, you're right. However I was speaking in present tense, not past. 'For it's time' isn't a term I use much, I like to state things as they are now.

Besides, the purpose of my comment wasn't to bash those games, it was to correct what I felt to be an erroneous statement about another game.

[buddi]

Originally Posted by serious guy

In my opinion, having completed TLJ is necessary if you want to play Dreamfall..
And that's because knowing the characters in advance is very important,
especially April.. She has changed a lot in Dreamfall, but she'll always be the
young VAVA student from Stark for me..

This kind of reinforces my point. With the exception of Zoe, the characters aren't really developed much in Dreamfall. Although April has changed considerably, we aren't really given much insight into how she became the person she is, from the person she was at the end of TLJ. They might as well be seperate characters, and the affection I felt for April from the first game didn't make me any more sympathetic to the cold, robotic April in Dreamfall. I think playing the games out of order is kind of like watching Casino Royale, or the Trailer Park Boys Christmas episode... once you know the characters and have an idea how they end up, it makes it so much more interesting to know where they came from.

As for the visual quality, I confess, it was a bit of a shock to go back to TLJ after the visual realism and beauty of Casablanca. It only took me about 5 mins however to adapt to the transition and be able to appreciate the gorgeous art of TLJ.

[Gabe]

If you want to play Tlj first check Riza's bathroom

[serious guy]

Yeah, Gabe's right.. take a look at the shelves in Reza's bathroom,
on your right..

[Periglo]

I think playing TLJ right after Dreamfall also makes sense. You get a fairly closed story, which is wrapped up by playing the prequel. I think you'd end up having a similar experience to playing the games in order.

So, if you are anxious about playing Dreamfall right away, but TLJ is going to take longer to arrive, I think you can proceed with the first right away.