A fantastic jogging simulator.

Let me first state that I purchased this game with an open mind. I usually don't play story-based adventure games, but I wanted to try something different. That being said, I still have mixed feelings about my overall experience. Seeing that the game is rated "overwhelmingly positive" on Steam, I can only absolutely express a general opinion of this game as "not recommended" to most players, with the caveat it is a very unique game and will be enjoyable to a specific audience.

To begin with, I was immediately captivated by the characters and the settings. The game presents the story in a straightforward, satisfying way. The voice acting, world-building, and overall art style is great. Controls are simple and responsive for the most part, except for the camera movement, which feels a bit clunky for this style of game.

However, halfway through the game, I already found myself being frustrated at several points due to a lack of clarity in the presentation of objectives within the level. While the game mechanics focus on exploration and discovery to advance a story, there are several parts where less dedicated gamers will most likely either resort to taking a peek at a walkthrough, or spend an unreasonably significant portion of time backtracking and stumbling around in trial and error.

Some crucial objectives or pieces of information relevant to the narrative are not presented clearly enough, even though these are relatively small level designs, where there is not much to distract you, and you have a Journal to keep track of tasks. In the words of a very angry nerd, it can feel like one of those "where the **** do I go?" kind of games. When these obstacles are common enough, it ruins the sense of discovery, and overall gameplay flow that is the essence of an adventure game.

So, if you are impatient, this is not the experience for you. You might feel like you're on a Runescape quest from hell, jogging from point to point, only to experience a tedious puzzle, or click through inconsequential dialogue trees.

There are some points where the player has some efficacy over the outcome of certain encounters through their choices, but these events are rare, and lack depth or consequence on the overall narrative the player experiences. The only way to properly play this game is to sit back, have a beer, and be patient as the scenery passes by, while anticipating the next compartmentalized combat scenario.

That isn't to say there aren't great moments to enjoy in this game. The narrative thread is written with competence, and each beat of the story feels well placed and interesting. Each character has a convincing, distinct persona that is supported by excellent voice acting and some interesting dialogue. There are no convoluted plot twists, information overloads, or pointless side quests. And, when you do get to fight something, although clunky, it is a satisfying victory. This stark contrast of precipitate confrontation is jarring compared to the majority of passive exploration, and is a quite welcome experience.

Dreamfall presents a fantastic, almost psychedelic cinematic experience that many modern games fail to emulate. Is it a journey you will enjoy? Well, that's the question...

A fantastic jogging simulator. Let me first state that I purchased this game with an open mind. I usually don't play story-based adventure games, but I wanted to try something different. That being said, I still have mixed feelings about my overall experience. Seeing that the game is rated "overwhelmingly positive" on Steam, I can only absolutely express a general opinion of this game as "not recommended" to most players, with the caveat it is a very unique game and will be enjoyable to a specific audience. To begin with, I was immediately captivated by the characters and the settings. The game presents the story in a straightforward, satisfying way. The voice acting, world-building, and overall art style is great. Controls are simple and responsive for the most part, except for the camera movement, which feels a bit clunky for this style of game. However, halfway through the game, I already found myself being frustrated at several points due to a lack of clarity in the presentation of objectives within the level. While the game mechanics focus on exploration and discovery to advance a story, there are several parts where less dedicated gamers will most likely either resort to taking a peek at a walkthrough, or spend an unreasonably significant portion of time backtracking and stumbling around in trial and error. Some crucial objectives or pieces of information relevant to the narrative are not presented clearly enough, even though these are relatively small level designs, where there is not much to distract you, and you have a Journal to keep track of tasks. In the words of a very angry nerd, it can feel like one of those "where the **** do I go?" kind of games. When these obstacles are common enough, it ruins the sense of discovery, and overall gameplay flow that is the essence of an adventure game. So, if you are impatient, this is not the experience for you. You might feel like you're on a Runescape quest from hell, jogging from point to point, only to experience a tedious puzzle, or click through inconsequential dialogue trees. There are some points where the player has some efficacy over the outcome of certain encounters through their choices, but these events are rare, and lack depth or consequence on the overall narrative the player experiences. The only way to properly play this game is to sit back, have a beer, and be patient as the scenery passes by, while anticipating the next compartmentalized combat scenario. That isn't to say there aren't great moments to enjoy in this game. The narrative thread is written with competence, and each beat of the story feels well placed and interesting. Each character has a convincing, distinct persona that is supported by excellent voice acting and some interesting dialogue. There are no convoluted plot twists, information overloads, or pointless side quests. And, when you do get to fight something, although clunky, it is a satisfying victory. This stark contrast of precipitate confrontation is jarring compared to the majority of passive exploration, and is a quite welcome experience. Dreamfall presents a fantastic, almost psychedelic cinematic experience that many modern games fail to emulate. Is it a journey you will enjoy? Well, that's the question...