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Old 04-06-2011, 12:51 PM   #161
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Finished off the chapter. Any thoughts as to why it was called Dreamland? I have no idea.

Enjoyable chapter but not much there in terms of plot advancement. This was really just a bridge between chapters 11 and 13.

Spoiler:
We do get to finally meet the guardian though.


Things are set up nicely for the final chapter. Can't wait to see how it all ends. Hopefully we'll get to see April's friends one last time.
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Old 04-12-2011, 05:41 AM   #162
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This is it. Time to finish up what we've been playing for the previous 12 weeks.

Chapter 13: The Longest Journey
Epilogue: Threads


I'm curious how things will be left at the end of all this. I'm looking forward to digging into this tonight.
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Old 04-13-2011, 12:46 PM   #163
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Finished it up today. Fantastic game and I’m glad I finally played through it.

Looking back, I wish we would have grouped some of the chapters together for the play-through. Near the end some of the chapters were pretty short and it would have made for a better experience without all the breaks. We didn’t have a lot of mid-game discussion going anyway.

Spoiler:
I really liked how they left things at the end. The story wrapped up nicely yet in the epilogue we’re teased with the fact that things don’t stay that way for very long. Like the kids hearing the story, we're satisfied but left wanting more.

I also liked how they didn’t show where April went. She had already accepted the idea that she would never see her friends anymore and she seemed undecided whether she would want to go to Stark or Arcadia.

I'm glad old crow was still there at the end with Lady Alvane, who was pretty clearly old April.


I’ll definitely have to pick up Dreamfall one of these days.
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Old 04-18-2011, 02:45 AM   #164
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I'm finished... I'm not sure if I liked the ending, but I am glad
Spoiler:
they were together as I was worried crow got left behind. I would've liked a sappy ending where she met up with her friends, but I am a happily ever after kind of girl. I was surprised because right up to the end i really thought April would be the guardian.
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Old 04-20-2011, 12:27 AM   #165
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I liked the ending, because it wasn't the cliché of a happy ending.
In my opinion it means that the way to self knowledge never comes to an end. April has to go on...

About April's father:
Spoiler:
Doesn't matter how often I play the game I am still unsure if it was "only" physical violence or also sexual abuse. What do you think?


The importance of 13?
Spoiler:
Lady Alvane tells us that the 13th guardian is the last one. We had 13 chapters to play...
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Old 04-21-2011, 02:14 AM   #166
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drunk View Post
I liked the ending, because it wasn't the cliché of a happy ending.
In my opinion it means that the way to self knowledge never comes to an end. April has to go on...

About April's father:
Spoiler:
Doesn't matter how often I play the game I am still unsure if it was "only" physical violence or also sexual abuse. What do you think?
I have been wondering the same thing. Though i was a little confused about his excuse...

Spoiler:
He dropped her as a baby and injured her, so when she began to walk he abused her?
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Old 04-27-2011, 10:28 PM   #167
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skeeter_93 View Post
I have been wondering the same thing. Though i was a little confused about his excuse...

Spoiler:
He dropped her as a baby and injured her, so when she began to walk he abused her?
Yeah those undertones were definitely there but after the game I leaned more towards 'no'.
Spoiler:
This dad clearly had issues, not only with April not being his biological daughter (I think he did know it, I don't remember how they got her now but even if he didn't he could 'sense' it or something). This 'excuse' may seem silly for a normal person but abusers have some very weird, twisted logic and they often do love the people they abuse. On the other hand it could just be that there actually was supposed to be sexual abuse and the final chapter was cleaned up to be more family friendly.


Anyway I have forgotten surprisingly much about this game, thinking about it now I probably should have joined this playthrough afterall .


SPOILER FROM DREAMFALL, BE CAREFUL
Spoiler:
Regarding to April not going back to her friends in the end, in Dreamfall she's been gone for years. I wont go into more detail just in case some people do read it despite the warning.
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Old 04-28-2011, 03:09 AM   #168
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Quote:
Originally Posted by millenia View Post
Yeah those undertones were definitely there but after the game I leaned more towards 'no'.
Spoiler:
This dad clearly had issues, not only with April not being his biological daughter (I think he did know it, I don't remember how they got her now but even if he didn't he could 'sense' it or something). This 'excuse' may seem silly for a normal person but abusers have some very weird, twisted logic and they often do love the people they abuse. On the other hand it could just be that there actually was supposed to be sexual abuse and the final chapter was cleaned up to be more family friendly.
Aah, I didn't realise that she was not
Spoiler:
his biological daughter. You're right, abusers do have some twisted logic, but I do think it could've been explained better. There were hints that all was not well at home, but that ending bit just confused me.

Last edited by skeeter_93; 04-28-2011 at 03:15 AM.
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Old 05-08-2011, 04:47 PM   #169
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Finally finished - epic game. One of the best ever.
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Old 05-14-2011, 08:53 AM   #170
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Sorry I missed the playthrough, but I have such fond memories of this game, that I decided to try to get my copy (4 CD version) working on my Vista laptop, and was delighted that the suggestions I have seen helped. I won't read through this thread, lest there be spoilers, but I look forward to bringing back old memories. The good thing is that I played it so long ago, that I have forgotten the puzzles and story, so it will almost seem like a new game.
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Old 05-18-2011, 01:15 PM   #171
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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?
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Old 05-21-2011, 09:29 AM   #172
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Speaking of Dreamfall...
Spoiler:

Does anyone know if the writters were planning on hooking up April and Kian , cause in Longest Journey when April comes to her in the future, she said that her name is Lady Alvane, and Alvane it's Kian's name too...so...
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Old 05-22-2011, 03:23 AM   #173
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harald View Post
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.
Wow! What remarkable observation skills! I didn't notice that.

@kate me:

Spoiler:
I think so. But I don't know if these plans already existed during TLJ or only when making Dreamfall...
Therefore I have always been convinced that April didn't really die in Dreamfall.


By the way, does anyone know, whether the continuation plans of TLJ have already existed from the beginning or did they decide to go on only because of the success of TLJ?
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Old 07-27-2011, 06:11 AM   #174
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Unfortunately I couldn't shop up for the ending But I did finish my 1st college year with excellent success.

This game was a wonderful experience building up itself and culminating with the ending. I had the feeling of the night being darkest just before the dawn and the dawn did come. It is wonderful how Crow was a true character even more so than some characters in recent story driven games.

I can't wait for Dreamfall playthrough but I think The Longest Journey should have been a single game.

BTW Where do the old threads go? I found this one because I had a link in my signature
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