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REVIEW

Dreamfall Chapters Review

by Rob Pritchard, June 5th, 2017
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If there is one thing that films and games with parallel universes have taught us over the years, it is that jumping between them can be either highly productive or deeply catastrophic. This is certainly the case in Dreamfall Chapters, which is the third entry in The Longest Journey series which began back in 1999. Initially funded via Kickstarter in 2013, Dreamfall Chapters was originally released for PC, but has now received the long awaited port to both PS4 and Xbox One. The game has translated well to consoles, with only a few minor problems which survived the porting process.

The plot of Dreamfall Chapters takes place sometime after the events of the second game in the series, which was named Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Almost immediately, we are reintroduced to the three parallel worlds which make up the franchise’s universe. There is the technology focused corrupted utopia known as Stark, the medieval styled magical world known as Arcadia and finally the in between world known as the Storytime. You take on the role of both Zoe Castillo, a young woman from Stark who can travel between the dimensions, and Kian Alvane, an Arcadian apostle who betrayed the cause he once believed for a greater destiny.

Unlike the prequels, Dreamfall Chapters adopts the third person adventure game perspective seen in many modern adventures like Yesterday Origins. In combination with the usual inventory system puzzles and conversation trees, both Kian and Zoe are able to choose to touch and interact with several objects using an analogue stick gesture once they have been engaged. For the most part this works as expected, although the lack of cursor on screen makes it sometimes difficult to see where exactly you are looking at. What makes this mechanic feel unique is when Zoe enters the Storytime, and she is able to manipulate several elements such as the light sources to help break people out of their nightmares and return to reality.

The original PC release was divided into five separate episodes called Books, with several chapters and interludes woven into each of the sections. Unlike other adventure games such as Telltale Games adaption of The Walking Dead, Zoe and Kian’s journeys are presented as a continuous narrative. You switch between the two characters every so often, and eventually you will come face-to-face with your other virtual avatar when the story comes to its inevitable conclusion.  The previous two games were known for their dark social commentary on corrupted worlds, and it is pleasing to see the trend continue. Throughout the twenty plus hours I spent in the game, the excellent writing kept me hooked throughout, particularly with interesting characters such as Queenie, a mysterious woman with influence in the marketplaces of Stark.Whether you decide to play the game on the PS4 all the PS4 Pro, dream full chapters runs relatively at the same pace, although the frame rate is more stable if you play it on the more recent model. There were occasions where the frame rate did suffer on the enhanced hardware, but this happens so infrequently that you will rarely notice the slowdown. The facial mapping for the characters is particularly well executed, showcasing the character’s emotions effectively for Zoe and Kian, as well as their supporting cast. Having previously played the PC release of the game, it was surprising to discover that the console release suffers from extended loading times, but rest assured that none of them are as long as the horrors we had to endure with Sonic The Hedgehog back in 2006.

Despite the promise of enhanced audio quality, Dreamfall Chapters does suffer from some occasional volume problems during its cut scenes, for both the diegetic sound and the characters voices. The quality of the voice acting does vary on occasion, but Zoe’s self-assured confidence and Kian’s insecurities definitely shine through for the majority of their interactions. The volume issues does not represent itself in the music, which uses a combination of soft instrumentations and orchestral pieces to subtly change the mood, particularly with the haunting songs sung in the game’s opening sequence.

Overall, Dreamfall Chapters is an intelligent adventure game with a compelling story, and a vast range of believable characters. Despite its minor graphical and audio based faults, this continuation of The Longest Journey franchise is an example of the successes of Kickstarter funding, and an essential purchase for anyone who is seeking something that does not stick to the status quo.

8
A solid port of an immersive game that shows the true benefits of crowdfunding. If you are a fan of graphic adventure games, Dreamfall Chapters should definitely be one of your list of potential titles to play.

Filed under: Dreamfall Chapters

Dreamfall Chapters
Dreamfall Chapters Available Now For PS4 And Xbox One
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