The Longest Journey Review The Fantasy Epic That Proved Adventure Games Were Not Dead

From the mind of Carl here (primarily because Timothy insists on ranting about how modern narrative games like Life is Strange invented emotional storytelling whilst Joe quietly mumbles that adventure games died with LucasArts) but both of them are wrong and The Longest Journey is precisely why. This 1999 masterpiece by Ragnar Tørnquist both proved adventure games weren’t dead and that they could be something much deeper than expected.

Adventure games were “dead” by 1999. The golden era of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle was eons gone crushed by the likes of real time strategy and first person shooters worldwide throughout the late nineties. Then came Funcom with this Norwegian developed epic scored a 91 on Metacritic and reminded everyone what these point and click adventure games were really about: evolution.

April Ryan and the Art of Character Development

The Longest Journey’s true achievement is not its lofty ambitions in the realms of dual worlds or its beautiful pre rendered backdrops but in the character of April Ryan herself. Usually we get by only with witticisms and quips from our adventure protagonists barely disguised as players’ vessels for taking action and solving puzzles. April Ryan on the other hand feels like a tangible person growing and changing throughout the game as her actual character traits happen to be more than whatever the gamer deems discardable in her profession. A typical 18 year old art student April tries her best to get her rent paid deal with difficult flat mates and chart her own career path. The writing establishes her personality through naturalistic dialogue and real world concerns long before throwing her into adventure across the globe. When April learns she can move back and forth between Stark and Arcadia her reactions are believable instead of feeling forced into heroic arcs.

What makes April special is the way she internalises the impossible. Most heroes adapt to strange situations with snappy one liners and instant acceptance. April argues. She questions things she literally breaks down once. She slowly internalises her role as the new Guardian between worlds instead of being an instant pro. The writing doesn’t assume she’ll immediately be capable of dealing with this news. She flounders in places. She entangles herself in events that get her in over her head and she sometimes does things that are morally iffy and not necessarily the action a player would choose to take.

Make no mistake the voice acting is key here. Sarah Hamilton performs April in such a naturalistic human way that it never descends into overacting and drama where the absurdities of games can lead to great humorous moments. She sounds genuinely concerned as she fights with her flatmate Emma. Alarming to think how badly these acted dialogues could damage dramatic moments but hardly anything ends up in the funny column here.

We get to see April’s character arc grow throughout the game. A vague unsure person even just a week ago about her art about her boyfriend her relationships everything by game’s end she’s seen enough of the world and accepted enough responsibility to fill up the impossibly large boots of the man who left the Guardian post empty. The change isn’t unearned and we don’t jump from chin scratching contemplative conversations with grandmas in the slums to confident acceptance of the fun side of ruin the way most RPGs do. April proves herself in dozens of game defining conversations. We learn how she learns and how her worldview adjusts along with her growing task.

The Dual World Concept That Actually Works

Where most extremely effective fantasies get futuristic science bullshitted right into existence and shoved into wizards robes The Longest Journey is one of the only games that takes on the premise of two worlds or realities co existing without complete dissolution of either. It’s easy enough to throw different styles of locations at the player for variety’s sake but The Longest Journey pairs its locations into worlds that exist in a yin yang state. Technology leads to age and despair in Stark. In Arcadia we see a fantasy Elder Scrolls world alive and vibrant that comes with its own problems lies and slander and blinding blue blood fury. Each world makes sense from its own point of view and having explored these areas it’s clear both worlds are flawed. In this world of glittering skyscrapers technology never sang one note but Tørnquist proves that technology does have its shortcomings. In Arcadia the laws of technology yield finally to magic and fantasy whilst revealing that creativity can yield monsters. In other words this isn’t a trivial war of Luddism vs Progressivism.

And yet one doesn’t get the impression that this is a “technology bad magic good” message. Where some fantasy is evidently often looking for a punk with an anarchist hairdo so they can guillotine progress in The Longest Journey the magic is neither a naive ideal of existence nor a pessimistic mechanisation for computers. The Longest Journey doesn’t have space magic.

More genius strains through the filter in how puzzles change in kind from world to world. In Stark physical laws apply grammatically if not scientifically it’s computers and machines and it’s how these systems are manipulated how parts and worlds interact to create cause and effect. Then by simple mantras such as “walk it off and throw a rock at a bird” we flooring it through Arcadia where things happen when we chat with animals or touch the right enchanted object just right. It’s environmental storytelling through puzzle design reinforcing the thematic split through the mechanics of how you interact with the world.

The switching back and forth between worlds means that neither world can overstay its welcome. Just as Stark’s cyberpunk dystopia can feel oppressive and grim you are whisked off to the forest and magical cities of Arcadia. When things get too silly in Arcadia you’ll be set back into Stark’s much stricter sense of reality. The pacing keeps both worlds interesting throughout the course of the lengthy adventure.

Puzzle Design That Respects Player Intelligence

Adventure game puzzles in the 90s had developed a reputation for arbitrary logic and pixel hunting with every player expecting to combine random things in their inventory through trial and error until something worked. The Longest Journey jettisons that model in favour of puzzles that feel logical in context and respect the player’s time.

Most puzzles emerge from the flow of the story rather than feeling like they were inserted by someone who was told to do it. When April needs to get past a locked door the solution comes from understanding the person standing in front of it and finding a way to convince them rather than to try every item in her pockets at random. When she runs into something technological blocking her path in Stark the solution comes from understanding how that technology is supposed to work in the world.

The inventory deserves a special mention. April very rarely carries dozens of random things waiting for the right puzzle to come up. Instead her inventory is kept smaller and tighter and items usually have a clear purpose or obvious connection to the problem she’s trying to solve. You’re rarely left wondering what the wrong coloured widget you picked up is supposed to be used for because April understands what she’s carrying and why.

The dialogue trees within the game function as puzzles themselves. Conversations are not just exposition delivery systems they require you to understand character motivations and choose approaches that successfully cope with each person’s personality. Getting information out of a shady merchant requires a different tact than convincing a scared child to help you. These are social puzzles and they are just as important as the mechanical ones.

Hints are given reasonably through April’s internal dialogue and her observations of things. She comments on objects and situations in ways that guide your thinking without leading it’s just right overall so that if you are stumped visually combing over an area for a clue will usually give you enough contextual hints to suggest solution without delineating it.

A few also lean towards being obnoxious and a little bit dated in that they rely on understanding obscure references from the design team or stumbling into a logical leap that isn’t quite as obvious as they thought it was. Most are pretty fair though and are rewarding to solve.

Visual Storytelling Through Pre Rendered Environments

This game was from the very beginnings of the transition from 2 dimensional to 3 dimensional graphic games. Funcom made the right choice to use pre rendered backdrops as opposed to utilising primitive 3D environments. The game looks amazing even today its painted backgrounds creating more atmosphere and mood than many more recent titles.

Each location tells a story an example being April’s cramped Newport apartment which has her character as a struggling student embedded in it through the clues of clutter and cheap furniture found therein. The Academy where she learns art is a neoclassical building being retrofitted to add new technology the literal meeting of tradition and progress quite unlike Stark. Arcadia’s locations are reverently referencing fantasy tropes whilst being unique enough not to be generic.

The character animations whilst not particularly technically impressive as 3D graphics were limited to what the game could afford focus on expressiveness rather than technical showoff. April’s gestures and body language are all grounded in her personality. The team seem to explore that clear characterisation is worth more than smooth movement and instead of technical curlicues focus on what best serves the storytelling.

The lighting effects create a specific mood to each world: Stark is artificially overlit with technology bathing everything in cold neon lights. Arcadia is beautifully overwhelmed by warm natural colours. They could have been more subtle but the contrast serves to underscore how Stark and Arcadia are opposites.

The interface is natural and comfortable to use within the existing visual design. Inventory displays dialogue boxes menu screens all integrate into the game and never feel like some garish digital scab. Modern adventure games should take note of how cleanly The Longest Journey presents the information without pulling the player out.

The Epic Story That Actually Earns Its Length

At 20 hours it’s definitely a chunky game and things could easily have ended up feeling padded or boring. For every story arc there is an early enamoured drab exposition. However Tørnquist is smart enough to use that time to properly develop these themes and characters as well as learnings rather than simply stretching the playtime with busywork. The pacing keeps everything steady between low key character moments and epic fantasy sequences; the early hours let us settle into April’s normal life and slowly draw us into the supernatural that she must face. The middle of the game lets us explore both worlds extensively thoroughly learning of their histories and the conflicts they are involved in. The finale of the game ties all the plot threads and character arcs together in a way that feels earned instead of hurried.

Supporting characters get enough development that they don’t feel like backdrop to the puzzles or potpourri dispensing expositors. April’s relationships with her resolutely no nonsense flatmate Emma her experienced and street wise mentor Cortez and the allies she meets on her journey all contribute to her growth and to the greater themes of the game. Even the tiny characters often have arcs that develop over the game along with equally insignificant but more rounded personalities to help make the world come alive instead of thrown together.

The mythology behind the two many worlds for us is revealed to us a little at a time without overwhelming dumps. We learn of the war of Order against Chaos and the ancient conflict’s major players in Guardian status. Through conversations descriptive environmental storytelling and April’s investigations we learn the history of how the world got divided in two. Whilst not voluminous the lore feels rich without being stuffed.

Religious and philosophical themes are woven throughout the narrative without coming off as preachy. The game raises questions of balance responsibility and scores of other issues; we see the sacrifices made in the pursuit of doing the right thing and we’re treated to a realistic adult view of what growing up is. April’s journey is as much about her growing as it is about her external adventures and gives lasting emotional weight to the epic events.

Playing The Longest Journey Today

Today The Longest Journey is easy to play; it is available on Steam and GOG though I heartily recommend the GOG version for its compatibility improvements and bonus materials. PCGamingWiki has technical information for players that are experiencing problems on modern PCs.

I think it holds up remarkably well even twenty years later; the pre rendered graphics are still beautiful the voice acting is still convincing and the story themes are still more relevant than ever. Modern players that are more accustomed to fast paced games might find the pacing slow and tedious in spots but patience will reward with one of gaming’s most satisfying character driven adventures.

The official website contains background information and introduces us to the later games in the series. April’s story continues in Dreamfall and Dreamfall Chapters but The Longest Journey is perfect as a stand alone experience.

Adventure game fans quarrel if the game is the peak of the genre or a good game found amongst many solid choices. The Longest Journey is the one I believe succeeded where so many of its contemporaries failed in proving to gamer hearts that adventure game narrative could escape its puzzle game shackles and grow into true interactive fiction. When Timothy argues to me that modern narrative games invented the emotional stories I simply point him towards April Ryan’s journey and I see in his awed expression that the best stories were hiding in so many adventure games all along.

Respecting both the genre’s traditions as well as its players’ intelligence is how The Longest Journey found its way into gaming history. It is essential gaming for anyone that believes that stories can matter and proof that the total death of the adventure game was greatly exaggerated.

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