Age Rating: 16+ (PEGI)
What is it?
An interactive adventure with a compelling storyline. Also available on Xbox 360.
Is it fun?
It’s… interesting. I wouldn’t say fun.
Is it worth the money? £17.99
No.
Why not?
It’s not a game, it’s an interactive story. And by interactive, I mean that you get the exciting tasks of walking around large areas, carrying objects from one section of the level to another (and back) and, if you’re lucky, the chance to hack into locks through a simple mini-game.
The storyline is entertaining - it’s just not a decent game. There’s hardly any challenge and you get no sense of achievement by playing it. For the most part you’re sitting around watching cut-scenes. You get to choose from dialogue options but it still feels like you’re forced into one outcome.
Also, I finished it in two sittings. Rubbish.
It does, however, make me want a Nabaztag. The characters have this fantastic thing called a “Watilla”. It looks like a friendly miniature gorilla, talks to you, plays games, keeps track of your schedule, tells you when you have messages and reads you the news, like a little purple cuddly feed reader. Plus, it’s super cute, especially when it hums out of boredom :)
On the bright side, this game actually allowed me to use my Thrustmaster Dual Power (mmm, phallic name), so I could sit on the sofa while playing it. Comfy. It was like watching a particularly tiresome film where I had to keep prodding the actors onto their marks.
I did like the way they modelled locations from the previous game, The Longest Journey. I would post comparison screenshots but my ancient Longest Journey discs have grown bored of being cooped up in a drawer with all these newfangled youngster games and retired to Blackpool. Or somewhere. They’ve left the manual behind but that’s not much good to me.
Dreamfall has a good story but a very poor gaming experience. Shoulda made a movie.
Links:
Official Site
Popularity: 12% [?]
May 26th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
I’d heard about how good TLJ was, so I bought it. The story was interesting, but the gameplay was boring, so eventually I stopped playing. Another one of those games that I didn’t finish.
May 28th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Yeah, the story and the artwork just about kept me going in TLJ and I got to think at least once or twice with puzzles. Somehow the matte-painting style backdrops were more compelling than the 3D rendered backgrounds in Dreamfall.
February 11th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Useless review. Next time you review an adventure game, don’t expect it to be a first person shooter. You probably should have just rented a movie, although if you had you’d probably have complained that there wasn’t enough to do.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I agree, no offense but this review is too harsh. The game has a wonderful feeling to it, and even though the gameplay itself is a tad boring, as you guys say, the story compensates. And even though the animations we’re poorly made and the game indeed has a few bad notes to it, this still is a great adventure game to play. In my point of view this is a game made for a certain group of gamers that don’t necessarily see shooting everything that breathes / moves as fun. If you are a FPS fan than this game is certainly not for you. But if you prefer playing a game for it’s story and feeling than I strongly recommend it.
Lastly, I must say that I do not agree with your reviewing, it being highly subjective and we can clearly see that what you said about this game is only and entirely from your own point of view.