The Longest Journey

I started it about 20 years ago, and only finally finished it today. I loved every minute of it - playing it in 2026 made me extra aware of how ahead of its time the world building, character dynamics and distinct flavour were back in 1999. It truly was a long journey, during which I explored two very different worlds, talked for hours with various characters, without ever getting bored. Truly, the storytelling here is on another level. Definitely one of the best adventure games I have ever laid my hands on.

It's less a long journey than a long conversation. And somehow, the conversation is good enough that you keep reading to the end.

even months after beating this game, i still find myself thinking about it a lot. i think about april, the setting, the dialogue, the feel of it. despite its age, and despite encompassing many classic fantasy tropes, it manages to be so wholly unique and enthralling, totally charming with a very memorable protagonist. i personally love the back-and-forth setting between a classic high fantasy world versus a grim cyberpunk one. it's such a fun, fascinating dichotomy that i just wanted to keep exploring. and i ADORED april. not just her dialogue and journey, but her VA manages to convey all her lines with such memorable charm. while this game does have its issues, like some really obtuse puzzles that you kind of have to find a guide for, or the fact that, on its own, it really struggles to run properly (100% recommend getting the ScummVM upgrade/HD upscale, as it fixes a LOT of the technical issues), they are absolutely worth pushing through for this truly special game. i cant recommend it enough, and i'll definitely be replaying it again in the near future.

Disclaimer: This is a point & click game, so this will already dissuade most people from playing. On top of that, it's older with very dated graphics. And there's not really much action or anything too exciting. What makes this game a classic isn't the graphics or gameplay, but the spirit, characters, and story it possesses. It's also quite long (as the title implies). Relatively speaking, it's not that long of a game, however it feels quite long for an old school point & click game. For some reason the game has really lingered with me after playing it... There's something about it that really resonates with me personally. It's probably a mixture of nostalgia & beauty - it was a very memorable experience. It's an interesting time capsule into the past. As someone who grew up in the late 90s, it encapsulates the feeling of the time when the punky, angsty, sarcastic Gen X attitude was still dominant in the zeitgeist. It has a really great conceptual design, and environments to explore. The atmosphere is something that's unreplicated, even with the later entries in the series. The city of Newport's Venice portion that you walk around in is so ambient, serene, and beautiful. Other parts of the city are very "Blade Runner-esque." Arcadia is universally very beautiful; Marcuria being my favorite. April is kinda whiny at times, and the dialogue is very dated. I'm sure that at the time it was released, the dialogue felt very fresh, but now it feels contemporary to the 90s. And by contemporary, I think the word "cringe" is an apt term for many dialogue options. But that's what adds charm and quirkiness to the game. Many of the puzzles are extremely obtuse, and unintuitive. As the game progresses, they get easier, but initially they are very strange puzzles. There's a lot of backtracking as well which is frankly a little annoying. The character animations and movements are super slow. There's the occasional "hiccup" where a character becomes bugged momentarily (nothing that will break the game or crash the game). And sometimes the arrow doesn't light up when it's supposed to. This game DESPERATELY needs a remaster. Many elements are very beautiful, and the vision is there... but a lot of things are really dated looking. The backgrounds and character models are pixelated and very low-resolution. It could really just use a polish on some of the character models, and backgrounds to really give the game a 'pop' in the modern age. There's a fan made HD Mod Available that upscales everything, it looks amazing, and it's the superior way to play this game. This game would be perfect for a Nightdive Studios treatment.

"Longest" does not do this justice. Imagine the longest journey you can imagine. Then up your estimate by about 150% as most of the puzzles are impossible. And then there is somehow a part two. It's very, very, long.

[h1][b] Reseña de The Longest Journey[/b][/h1] [h2]Resumen del Juego[/h2] The Longest Journey es ese clásico noventero que te mira desde la estantería virtual y te dice: “sí, soy aventura de apuntar y clic… pero también me voy a poner filosófico, cyberpunk y fantasioso en tu cara sin pedir permiso”. Controlas a una protagonista femenina en tercera persona y te avientas una historia larga (como su nombre grita) donde la narrativa manda y tú obedeces… a veces con gusto, a veces porque el juego te secuestra la paciencia. En términos de “Acción, Aventura, Rol”, la “acción” aquí es principalmente emocional (y de tu mouse haciendo cardio), la aventura es real y constante, y el rol se siente más en la interpretación narrativa que en estadísticas o builds. Es un viaje entre ciencia ficción y fantasía con una vibra atmosférica muy marcada: el tipo de juego que no te pide reflejos, te pide neuronas… y tolerancia a los rompecabezas de la vieja escuela. Primera impresión: si vienes buscando adrenalina moderna, te vas a aburrir. Si vienes buscando una buena trama y mundo con personalidad, vas a entender por qué sigue siendo un clásico de culto con tantas recomendaciones. [h2]Lo Épico y Lo “¿Quién Diseñó Esto en los 90?”[/h2] Lo Bueno: Historia potente y con identidad: mezcla de fantasía y ciencia ficción que sí se siente “gran viaje” Protagonista femenina bien al frente (sin pedir perdón por existir) Ambientación retro/cyberpunk con encanto atmosférico: vibra de “clásico” bien marcada Banda sonora memorable: acompaña y levanta escenas clave Aventura apuntar y clic con enfoque narrativo: ideal si te gustan los juegos que te cuentan algo Lo No Tan Bueno: Cero logros: Steam se queda sin tu dosis de dopamina por numeritos Rompecabezas de escuela antigua: a ratos brillantes, a ratos “adivina qué estaba pensando el diseñador” Acción limitada: si esperas combate o ritmo alto, aquí la emoción es leer y pensar… mucho Comunidad mínima en vivo (4 jugadores): no es que importe en un jugador, pero sí dice “esto es nicho” Presentación noventera: el “retro” es carisma, pero también es rigidez en lo visual y lo interactivo [h2]Tabla de Evaluación[/h2] [table] [tr][th]Aspecto[/th][th]Puntuación (0-10)[/th][th]Comentario[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Jugabilidad[/td][td]7[/td][td]Apuntar y clic sólido, pero con fricción vintage.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dificultad / IA[/td][td]6[/td][td]No es IA, es diseño: puzzles que a veces se pasan de listos.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Contenido[/td][td]8[/td][td]Viaje largo, con buen tramo narrativo y variedad de situaciones.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Gráficos / Video[/td][td]6[/td][td]Retro con encanto… y con arrugas visibles.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Historia[/td][td]9[/td][td]La razón principal para jugarlo; clásico de culto por algo.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Ambientación[/td][td]9[/td][td]Fantasía + sci-fi + cyberpunk bien sazonado y atmosférico.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Efectos (VFX)[/td][td]6[/td][td]Cumplen; no esperes fuegos artificiales modernos.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Música[/td][td]9[/td][td]Gran banda sonora que hace de pegamento emocional.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Voces[/td][td]7[/td][td]Aportan carácter; algunas líneas delatan época.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Diversidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Protagonista femenina suma mucho, pero no es un estandarte moderno.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rendimiento[/td][td]8[/td][td]En general estable para un clásico; no es exigente.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rejugabilidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Más para recordarlo que para repetirlo: pesa la sorpresa narrativa.[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]Total Puntuaciones (Excelente)[/b][/td][td][b]7.3[/b][/td][td]Una aventura narrativa brillante con asperezas de museo.[/td][/tr] [/table] [h2]Conclusión (Excelente)[/h2] The Longest Journey es de esos juegos que hoy algunos llamarían “lentos” y otros llamaríamos “bien escritos”. Si te gustan las aventuras narrativas con mundos raros, mezcla de ciencia ficción y fantasía, y una protagonista que carga el viaje, aquí hay mucho que amar… aunque el juego también te prueba la paciencia con rompecabezas que no siempre se sienten justos. ¿Vale la pena? Con 1810 recomendaciones, está claro que no es un capricho: es una pieza importante del género. Eso sí, no esperes que la comunidad activa (4 jugadores) lo mantenga “vivo” en conversación diaria; esto se juega como se leen los clásicos: porque quieres, no porque esté de moda. Si entras con mentalidad retro y exigencia narrativa, te llevas una experiencia excelente. Si entras buscando “acción” literal, vas a salir diciendo que el título fue una advertencia. [h3]Recomendación de Compra (Recomendado con reservas)[/h3] Puntuación Total: 7.3/10 Número de jugadores activos al momento de hacer esta review: 4 Descuento máximo registrado: -75% Veredicto: [i]Un clásico narrativo que merece jugarse, siempre que toleres su edad y sus puzzles “creativos”.[/i] Si te encantan las aventuras de apuntar y clic con gran trama, música potente y atmósfera retro, dale. Si tu paciencia tiene menos resistencia que un tutorial moderno, mejor míralo desde lejos y quédate con el mito.

Possibly my fav game of all time. Have played it through a number of times starting with the cdrom release (in both English and Swedish).

Let me keep this simple. I hate almost 100% of the point and click games I’ve tried since they’re a total mindf* when it comes to puzzles that make no sense. But this one pulled me in. The humor is relatable, the characters are very lovable, the puzzles are logically friendly, and the story is a banger.

german language pack which is available for this game, is missing! in this version of the game. I would have expected Steam to provide the best version of the game, with all final language packs included. This way i can not really experience the game how i remembered it, with the beautiful german voice over like "Du musst dich überwinden, April!"

Недооцененный шедевр, шикарная русская озвучка, молюсь на ремейк