The Longest Journey Review Summary

Interesting and well-developed story: The story was praised for being complex, interesting, and full of unexpected twists, with good character development.

Memorable and well-developed characters: Characters were noted for being charming, original, and well-developed, with excellent character development and distinct personalities.

Top-notch voice acting: The voice acting, particularly for characters like Crow and April, was praised as phenomenal and top-notch.

Enjoyable and challenging puzzles: Players appreciated the variety and quality of puzzles, finding them intuitive, engaging, and not overly frustrating despite some being tricky.

Beautiful and engaging adventure: The game is described as a beautiful and fantastic adventure, offering a wonderful experience and exciting plot.

Obtuse and illogical puzzles: Many players found the puzzles to be particularly challenging, often requiring the use of walkthroughs or guides. The puzzles were described as illogical, obscure, and sometimes nonsensical, leading to frustration and disappointment.

Aged graphics and mechanics: The game's graphics and mechanics were criticized for feeling outdated and not aging well. Players noted that the visuals and some gameplay elements have not held up over time.

Compatibility issues with modern systems: Players reported problems running the game on modern Windows systems, including performance issues and compatibility problems. Some users experienced crashes and freezes when trying to quit the game.

Poor pacing and slow gameplay: The game was criticized for its slow pace and poor pacing, which affected the overall enjoyment. Some players found the gameplay to be very linear and slow.

Unusable UI and menu issues: Players reported issues with the user interface, including problems with the Steam interface and minor menu glitches. Some users found the UI to be completely unusable.

Classic point-and-click adventure: The game is a traditional point-and-click adventure game with classic mechanics and puzzles. It features old-school gameplay elements typical of the genre.

Puzzle-solving gameplay: The game includes a variety of puzzles that require players to think creatively and use inventory items. Some puzzles may be challenging and require outside-the-box thinking.

Unique setting and worldbuilding: The game is set in a unique and detailed universe, featuring strong worldbuilding and a variety of locations. It takes place in the 23rd century Venice, offering a fascinating perspective on the past, present, and future.

Exploration and interaction: Players are encouraged to explore the game world, interact with objects, and exhaust all character dialogue to fully experience the game.

Dialogue-heavy gameplay: The game features a lot of dialogue, which is central to the gameplay and story progression. Players can skip dialogue by right-clicking.

Compatibility issues with modern systems: The game has various issues running on modern systems, including Windows 10 and 11. Players report crashes and difficulties getting the game to run smoothly.

Graphical and visual bugs: Players experience numerous graphical bugs and glitches. The game's graphics are considered outdated and typical of its time, with issues ranging from visual bugs to low resolution.

Game crashes and stability issues: The game is prone to crashing and has stability issues. Players report that the game does not run or crashes frequently.

Resolution problems: The game has issues with higher resolutions and often requires third-party software to improve resolution. Players report problems with screen resolution and low resolution issues.

Dialogue and font issues: There are issues with dialogue windows and font display. Players report problems with YES/NO dialogs and font bugs.

Recommended for point-and-click fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of point-and-click adventure games, especially those interested in the genre's classics and evolution. It is praised for its story and classic status, making it a must-play for enthusiasts.

Use ScummVM and HD mods: Players recommend using ScummVM for better performance on modern machines and suggest using HD mods to enhance the gaming experience. Specific settings and mods can significantly improve graphics and gameplay.

Worth playing despite its age: Despite its age and technical issues, the game is considered worth playing. Players appreciate its story and classic status, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

GOG version recommended: The GOG version of the game is recommended over the Steam version, especially for Linux users. It is suggested for a better overall experience.

Use guides and save often: Players recommend using spoiler-free guides and saving often to enhance the gaming experience. The Universal Hint System is also suggested for solving puzzles.

Steam Deck: The game generally performs well on Steam Deck with Proton compatibility mode, but users have reported issues with the user interface, such as small text and unnatural fonts. Some users also feel that other versions of the game provide a better out-of-the-box experience on Linux.

External guides: The user feedback highlights significant issues with the game's complex mechanics and hidden secrets, often requiring external walkthroughs and hints for progression. Additionally, technical issues and bugs disrupt the user experience, further necessitating external resources.

Excellent Spanish dubbing: The game features high-quality Spanish dubbing, which has been praised by players.

Mods require virtual machine: Some players reported having to use a virtual machine to get the mods to work properly.

Technical fixes needed: Players have used tools like dgVoodoo to fix technical issues with the game.

Fan translations available: There are fan translations available for the game, enhancing its accessibility.

No gameplay time tracking: Steam does not track the gameplay time for this game, which can be inconvenient for some players.