The Longest Journey (1999) (VG)

Directors:

Didrik Tollefsen
Ragnar Tørnquist

Writer:

Ragnar Tørnquist (writer)

Release Date:

17 November 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Have you ever had a dream so real... you are not sure if you are awake or still dreaming?

Plot:

April Ryan is a young visual-arts student in Venice, Newport. She's been having some strange dreams lately, but little does she know about the important role she'll have in changing the future... |

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Shell | Diary | Guard | Queen

Cast

Sarah Hamilton	...	April Ryan (voice: English version)
Louis Aguirre	...	Cortez / Adrian (voice: English version)
Roger Raines	...	Crow / Actor Cop / Vanguard Receptionist (voice: English version)
Ron Foster	...	The Wood Spirit / Tobias Grensret / The Ancient Dragon (voice: English version)
Nicole Orth-Pallavicini	...	The White Dragon / The Maerum Queen (voice: English version)
Helen Stenborg	...	Old Woman / Alatien Teller (voice: English version)
Ron Gallop	...	Zack Lee / Captured Banda / Stickman Woody / Thin Repairman (voice: English version)
Julia K. Murney	...	Emma / Young Alatien Woman / Female Visitor (voice: English version) (as Julia Murney)
Mark Anthony Henry	...	Charlie (voice: English version)
Victor Warren	...	Fat Repairman / Lost Banda / Cups Handler (voice: English version)
Andrea Bowen	...	Young April / Alatien Child (voice: English version)
Andrew Donnelly	...	Burns Flipper / Lorhan (voice: English version)
Kevin Merritt	...	Gordon / Male Visitor (voice: English version)
Ralph Byers	...	Roper Klacks / Brian Westhouse / Jacob McAllen (voice: English version)
Stephanie Garry	...	FACT Voice / Colonial Representative / Mickey (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

Den lengste reisen (Norway) (dubbed version)

Country:

Norway

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Spain:13 | Germany:16 | France:-16 | USA:M

Company:

Funcom

Trivia:

There are some indirect but obvious references to other adventure games, all of which happen to be from LucasArts. 1.: April has a toy monkey called "Guybrush" (The Secret of Monkey Island (1990) (VG) and its sequels). 2. and 3.: There is a crossing of two streets in Newport which are named after two LucasArts protagonists: "Calavera Crossing" (Manny Calavera from Grim Fandango (1998) (VG)) and "Threadbare Lane" (Bobbin Threadbare from Loom (1990) (VG)). Also Cortez's, one of the main characters, real name is Manny, like Manny Calavera from Grim Fandango. His accent is also a reference to that game...

Quotes:

April: Where's everybody this morning?
Fiona: Mickey's tied up in the basement... Mind you, she's not literally tied up, of course - although that is a tempting thought.
April: Are you getting into your sexual fantasies here, Fiona? Because it's a little too early in the morning for that, don't you think?

Movie Connections:

References The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

This story brings back the "adventure" to adventure games.

Undisputably the best adventure game I've ever played.

Right from the start you are drawn into the adventure like a moth to a light - your alter-ego April Ryan has an intriguing, wondrous dream that sets the pace for everything to come.

Stark and Arcadia, the worlds you will travel through in the course of the game, are beautiful and memorable in every way. Stark portrays the world as we know it perfectly, while in Arcadia is a mystical right out of fairy-tales - so amazing yet believable.

You will come to both know and love April Ryan as she discovers her role in the Balance and interacts with both friend and foe. In fact, all the characters in the game are well-developed and add a sense of depth lacking in so many games today. The diary she keeps is attractively written, lending colour to her life as it subtly guides you into her thoughts about her past, present and future.

As for the technical aspects, the background art is simply breathtaking. Every scene is lovingly rendered and brought to life. Although the 3D models themselves are a bit lacking, you will still be wowed at the lip-synching. The voice acting is just as good as any animated film, with Sarah Hamilton doing an impeccable job as the lovable heroine. The soundtrack is awe-inspiring - if only they sold it separately!

As far as i can see there are no drawbacks to this game. I'm running out of adjectives so here's the bottom line -

If you have given up on adventure games you obviously haven't played The Longest Journey yet. If you like adventure games, this is a must-buy. If you don't like adventure games, you'll become a fan once you've played this through!