The Longest Journey
By Annette Bechamp
5/25/00

Article Discussion Forum

The Longest Journey brings me back to those days gone by when we used to gather around a 7 inch monochrome computer screen and spar with a text parser engine, playing Microsoft adventure and Zork (text only games). There are no similarities here save one: TLJ has all the magic and wished-for fantasy that was fresh and exciting back when we relied on our imaginations to visualize worlds and the characters that populated them. TLJ is fresh right down to the smallest detail, captivating the player in a world that is paradoxically realistic and fantastical at the same time. April is any teenager, or anyone's daughter. She is wisecracking and sassy, yet vulnerable. She puts on a brave front, yet one senses early in the game that she carries hurt and loss from her childhood days.

First Impressions

This isn't just another lame computer game story. This is a story rich in characters with real emotions, scenarios possible in another time and place, reactions you can easily relate to. This is a novel from one of the best of storytellers, but here, you are invited to experience it in full graphical splendor. This is a game created for all the dreamers who get lost in books and music, for the adventurer inside all of us, just waiting to embark on a quest. Take the journey with April and see what I mean…

Storyline

We begin with an elegant tale of magic and science co-existing harmoniously for a time in a balanced world. The premise for this story is quite probable in the realm of human nature, given that it has been historically proven that humans tend to become bored with euphoric bliss. Although some grow complacent, there are others that begin to exploit the very things they treasure. And so it happened here. As the corruption seeped in, the delicate balance began to teeter and hover on the edge of destruction. To prevent history from being repeated, as had occurred in other worlds before, an order called the Draic Kin (dragon) offered to preserve the balance. They proceeded to separate magic & science, creating two new worlds called Arcadia & Stark, both co-existing without association. All manner of living things were then split up to go to either world. Friends and families were torn apart; much like our war history of choosing sides. They appointed a Guardian to oversee both worlds for a length of 1000 years, at the end of which a new Guardian would be chosen. The Guardian's responsibility: to monitor and channel energies in and out of each world, and redistribute the required amounts of chaos and order to keep each world balanced.

So out of one world, two were created: the world of reality and the world of dreams.

April's story begins with a dream. She receives an inkling of her destiny in that dream and slowly gleans bits and pieces of information throughout her journey. Her first encounter with the forces of good and evil is with her subconscious, but later she learns to face them in her wakeful state. The action starts as April wakes up and goes about her daily routine, only to discover that strange things are happening in her ordered world. She begins to see what she thinks are hallucinations, until she realizes that others see them too. She meets a mysterious man called Cortez who speaks to her about dreams and destiny. He tells April that she is the chosen one to restore order to the twin worlds, telling her about a world called Arcadia that she never knew existed. April learns that because the Guardian is missing, the balance of both worlds is out of sync. The magical world called Arcadia is starting to bleed into Stark, which explains the hallucinations of strange characters and places the people of Stark are seeing. Because of April's talent enabling her to open a door and shift between worlds, she embarks on a quest to find the missing Guardian, as he alone knows the entrance to the Guardians' realm. Once there, the balance between worlds must be restored before both worlds are destroyed by chaos. There's more still. April discovers that she has been chosen to become the 13th Guardian of the two worlds, and in the end is responsible for bringing balance to the new Guardian. Thus, she begins the ultimate journey of her life.

The world of Stark is ruled by science and technology. It is easy to see this by the modernized buildings with their sterile environments, flying transports, hi-tech advances, polluted canals and radioactive sewers; all built on a city crumbling with decay and despair. Drug addicts litter the streets, tourniquets still wrapped around their arms, graffiti assaults the buildings, and street punks rob people in broad daylight. This is a city without dreams.

Magic and backward bartering govern the world of Arcadia. People speak in riddles and consider relaxation a grand occupation. The world is green and sunny with none of the afflictions that encumber Stark, except stagnation. They, unlike Stark, are aware of their twin world and accept it as a normal occurrence.

It is clear that either world is incomplete without the other. Stark needs the optimism and beauty from the magic and dreams of Arcadia. And Arcadia needs the implications of advancement that Stark brings. Much the same as our world would be lost without great people wanting to share their dreams.

Characters

There are so many memorable characters it is difficult to pinpoint a few, as each brings their own color and unique personality to their environment: There's April's boss who tries to talk her out of getting paid with his old world charm. As she mutters about him under her breath, he responds with his back turned: "I heard that." April's sleazy neighbor Zack tries to get into her pants any which way. Her gay landlady goes on and on about her sex life. Emma and Charlie are her best friends; Charlie believes her outlandish story because he knows she is a truthful person. And then there's Cortez with his otherworldly charm. When she questions stepping into the shift that will take her to Arcadia, he coins the phrase, "why Alice I'm sending you through the looking glass."

In Arcadia, there's the irritatingly chauvinistic (yet strangely likeable) Captain of the White Dragon who refuses to help April until she completes several tasks. On one of these side quests, April confronts an annoyingly superior evil magician that beats her at a lot of amusing challenges including hopscotch. She finally bests him at a math contest with the aid of a calculator. At the marketplace, April cheats a vendor to win a chatty crow called Bird that accompanies her through her travels, and becomes her friend for life. And she meets many more delightful characters such as the Alatien marathon storytellers, the wonderful stickmen and their humorous anecdotes, and the giant Q'aman whose large heart more than compensates for his tiny brain.

April: Lead Character

April herself is endearing because she is so normal, allowing the player to relate to or identify with her. She carries within her the innocence and frailty of youth, that thin thread of self-esteem that can be strengthened into steel. You can see in her the little girl still searching for rainbows after the storm. Through the game you witness April begin to grow with each new experience. She begins to readily accept her responsibilities that she shunned at the beginning, wonderfully summing up the problem and her role to fix it. She also begins to command respect for her inner being, rather than the outward perception of others.

April's journey consists of a lot of soul-searching on her quest for answers to the truth. There is one segment, during what is similar to a Native American spirit journey, where she confronts her own mirror image. This allows her to resolve some inner issues about her self worth and helps her realize how much people care for her. Other segments where she dances behind a reporter on camera, as a typical teenager is wont to do, and makes narrative comments under her breath, all give her the quality of realism and charm. April and her friends' behavior demonstrate good examples that underneath the despair there is still goodness and hope left in the people of Stark.

The Longest Journey is a marvelous blend of drama and humor. The developers are not shy about generously poking fun at other games, as well as themselves. For comic relief, there's a cop that moonlights as a Shakespearean actor and a reporter that's a primadonna off camera. If you click on April she remarks to the effect of "it's frightening to be so aware of oneself" and at one point makes pirate noises. April constantly talks to herself and makes witty observations that are genuinely funny.

Gameplay

The game uses a point and click interface that is completely mouse driven. Right clicking will give you potential access to up to three icons, eye (look at), mouth (speak to), and hand (take or use). Clicking on the mouth will give you conversation choices. Because of the story-driven linearity though, clicking on most options will lead to one final conclusion. Sometimes it is best to go through the longer conversation choices to gain some amusing anecdotes. The player is also given the option to learn more of the story or more about certain characters. This is not necessary for gameplay, but can be insightful. On the menu page you are given a diary that April writes into as she goes along. This can be referred to if you miss any part of the storyline or require greater understanding.

There is usually a logical and intuitive order to the progression of puzzles in conjunction with the story. You can't always get away with things in the game environment, which is refreshing; as most adventure games allow you do ridiculous tasks just to throw in a puzzle.

Sound

The voice acting is superb and the best I have ever encountered in a computer game. Out of the dozens of characterizations, there was only one that fell short of a truly professional caliber because the actor was (I assume) trying to differentiate their voice from a character already played. The sound effects and music perfectly complemented one another in smooth transitions. The result was that the game was not inundated with either but just the perfect amounts to gain the best in atmosphere. From the giants' mispronunciations to the clicking crab to the swell of the musical score, a lot of care went into getting the perfect end result.

Graphics

The artwork is enough to make you gasp in awe. The first time April goes out you see a cut-scene of flying machines and belching smokestacks that is quite wonderful. If you can punch your video to the limit with 32 bit graphics and 3D acceleration, then you are in for a masterpiece of visual beauty. The alliance of 2D rendered backgrounds with 3D modeling, creates a world of stunning complexity. Each scene is alive with colorful nuances, Stark with its drab undertones and seedy lifestyle and Arcadia teeming in vibrant characters and color. The developers knew the player would want to see some of those cut-scenes more than once so they put in a video replay option on the menu. Good thinking on their part, the cinematics are simply gorgeous. Each scene has a perfect blend of drama and intensity to keep you riveted, as well as the constant cornucopia of visual delights.

Enjoyment

There are a few rare movies that come along where every line is perfectly written and the actors deliver the lines with perfect timing. TLJ is one of those with a near perfect script. Years ago, when I first began to read a book called the Neverending Story, it amazed me the depths of imagination the author had. I kept thinking the further I read, that it can't get any wilder than this, but it did. This game reminds me of that book. I wondered if the story was going to fall off and become mediocre, but it didn't. It is also the longest adventure game I have ever played. Not because it has fillers such as ridiculously difficult puzzles or horrible mazes, but because it's crammed full of dialogue, locations, characters, puzzles, etc. etc. This is the extra value meal for adventure gamers, except this game is truly exceptional and top of its class. It is also one of the very finest examples of what an adventure game was, is, and should be. It is all about the story.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women

April is a likeable, realistic role model for young women. She isn't overly agressive but she refuses to let people (men generally) demean her, beginning with deflecting unsavoury comments and learning further on to use more subtle methods. Even though the player is given the option to choose different responses, it is clear by further conversations and cut-scenes that the developer meant for April to refuse disrespect. Throughout the game the player witnesses changes to several facets of April's character resulting in conflict resolutions. But the most important element is April's moral growth and maturity throughout the game. Starting with her first reaction of not wanting to get involved, later she begins a calm acceptance of her role as a saviour, or hero.

Most women can relate to April on one level or another because the character of a young female adult is captured so accurately it is so very easy to identify with her.