Info about The Longest Journey:

Official game description:
The Longest Journey is an amazing graphical adventure, where the player controls the protagonist, April Ryan, on her journey between parallel universes. Embark on an exciting and original journey of discovery, where you will explore, solve puzzles, meet new people, face terrifying monsters, learn, grow, and live the adventure of a lifetime!  
*   Over 150 locations spanning two distinct and detailed worlds  
*   More than 70 speaking characters  
*   40+ hours of gameplay  
*   20+ minutes of high-resolution pre-rendered video footage  
*   Cinematic musical score

Release date: May 1, 2007

Categories: Point-and-click Adventure, Puzzle Solving, Dialogue-based Puzzle Solving, Narrative-driven Gameplay, Exploration, Interactive Novel Experience, Multi-world and Dimension-Traveling, Story-driven Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: 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.
- Steam Deck: score 40; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: 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.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Interesting and well-developed story (weight 0.97): The story was praised for being complex, interesting, and full of unexpected twists, with good character development.
- Memorable and well-developed characters (weight 0.83): Characters were noted for being charming, original, and well-developed, with excellent character development and distinct personalities.
- Top-notch voice acting (weight 0.69): The voice acting, particularly for characters like Crow and April, was praised as phenomenal and top-notch.
- Enjoyable and challenging puzzles (weight 0.46): Players appreciated the variety and quality of puzzles, finding them intuitive, engaging, and not overly frustrating despite some being tricky.
- Beautiful and engaging adventure (weight 0.45): The game is described as a beautiful and fantastic adventure, offering a wonderful experience and exciting plot.
- Rich world-building (weight 0.36): The game features detailed and immersive world-building, with rich scene details and a variety of locations.
- Relaxing and nostalgic gameplay (weight 0.14): Players found the game to be relaxing and nostalgic, providing a chill and fun experience.
- Mature and humorous content (weight 0.14): The game balances humorous and mature thematic content, providing a unique blend of tones.

Common complaints:
- Obtuse and illogical puzzles (weight 0.97): 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 (weight 0.45): 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 (weight 0.27): 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 (weight 0.26): 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 (weight 0.18): 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.
- Movement and interaction issues (weight 0.17): Players reported awkward movement controls and difficulties interacting with items. Some items required multiple clicks to pick up, and characters moved in a weird manner.
- Resolution and font issues (weight 0.17): The game had issues with higher resolutions and font display, affecting the overall visual experience and causing problems on some systems.
- Frustrating pixel hunting (weight 0.11): The game was criticized for requiring pixel hunting, where players have to search for small, often hidden objects without any visual cues. This mechanic was found to be frustrating and tedious.
- No auto-save feature (weight 0.09): Players were frustrated by the lack of an auto-save feature, which made the game less convenient to play.
- Long, uninterrupted dialogues (weight 0.09): Some characters were noted to talk for long durations without interruption, which could be tedious for players.
- Difficulty identifying interactive items (weight 0.09): Players found it hard to determine which items in the game could be interacted with, leading to frustration and unused items.

Gameplay feedback:
- Classic point-and-click adventure (weight 0.66): 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 (weight 0.46): 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 (weight 0.38): 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 (weight 0.27): Players are encouraged to explore the game world, interact with objects, and exhaust all character dialogue to fully experience the game.
- Dialogue-heavy gameplay (weight 0.19): The game features a lot of dialogue, which is central to the gameplay and story progression. Players can skip dialogue by right-clicking.
- Beautiful and cinematic graphics (weight 0.19): The game features beautiful graphics with cinematic 3D elements and pre-rendered 2D backgrounds, enhancing the visual experience.
- Linear and structured gameplay (weight 0.17): The game features linear gameplay with a specific order of actions required to progress. There is no soft-locking, ensuring a smooth experience.
- Requires patches for translation and graphics (weight 0.16): The game may require patches to improve translation and graphics, enhancing the overall experience for players.
- Female protagonist and representation (weight 0.13): The game features a female protagonist and includes gay representation, adding diversity and depth to the character roster.
- Pixel hunting mechanics (weight 0.11): Pixel hunting is part of the gameplay, requiring players to carefully search for small, interactive elements within the game environment.
- Long gameplay duration (weight 0.11): The game offers a lengthy experience, with an estimated 30-50 hours of gameplay required to complete it.
- Interactive novel experience (weight 0.09): The game offers an experience similar to an interactive novel, with a strong emphasis on storytelling and dialogue.
- Multi-world and dimension-traveling (weight 0.09): The game features a multi-world scale and dimension-traveling mechanics, allowing players to explore different worlds and realities.
- No death or lose conditions (weight 0.06): The game does not feature death or lose conditions, allowing players to focus on the story and puzzles without the fear of failure.

Performance notes:
- Compatibility issues with modern systems (weight 0.61): 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 (weight 0.49): 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 (weight 0.31): The game is prone to crashing and has stability issues. Players report that the game does not run or crashes frequently.
- Resolution problems (weight 0.3): 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 (weight 0.25): There are issues with dialogue windows and font display. Players report problems with YES/NO dialogs and font bugs.
- Hardware and performance issues (weight 0.23): The game has performance issues on modern hardware and may require compatibility mode or emulators to run properly.
- Issues with Steam integration (weight 0.19): There are issues with running the game through Steam, including incorrect game time reporting and compatibility problems.
- Difficulty exiting the game (weight 0.15): Players find it difficult to exit the game normally. Some report needing to use Ctrl + Alt + Delete to exit the game.
- Janky gameplay and technical issues (weight 0.15): The game is described as janky, with various technical issues. Players report issues with object interaction and general gameplay problems.
- Menu rendering problems (weight 0.15): The game has technical issues with menus not rendering correctly. Players also report issues with save/load menus displaying as blank.
- Pointer and control issues (weight 0.11): Players report issues with pointer sticking in fullscreen mode and trackpad sensitivity problems on Steam Deck.
- Save compatibility issues (weight 0.06): There are issues with save compatibility between different versions of the game, such as native and ResidualVM.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for point-and-click fans (weight 0.71): 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 (weight 0.45): 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 (weight 0.23): 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 (weight 0.15): 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 (weight 0.14): Players recommend using spoiler-free guides and saving often to enhance the gaming experience. The Universal Hint System is also suggested for solving puzzles.
- Play in moderation (weight 0.1): Some players suggest playing the game in little doses to fully appreciate its story and gameplay mechanics.
- Start with this game (weight 0.09): It is recommended to start with this game before playing newer entries in the series to better understand the story and gameplay mechanics.
- Check alternative translations (weight 0.06): Players suggest checking out alternative translations for a potentially better experience, especially for non-native speakers.
- Continue to other games (weight 0.06): Players recommend continuing to the other two games in the series after finishing this one for a complete experience.
- Use trilinear filtering (weight 0.05): The game benefits from using trilinear filtering, which can enhance the visual experience.
- Type Y for yes (weight 0.04): A specific tip for players to type 'Y' for yes in dialogs to streamline interactions.

Other player notes:
- Excellent Spanish dubbing (weight 0.07): The game features high-quality Spanish dubbing, which has been praised by players.
- Mods require virtual machine (weight 0.06): Some players reported having to use a virtual machine to get the mods to work properly.
- Technical fixes needed (weight 0.06): Players have used tools like dgVoodoo to fix technical issues with the game.
- Fan translations available (weight 0.06): There are fan translations available for the game, enhancing its accessibility.
- No gameplay time tracking (weight 0.06): Steam does not track the gameplay time for this game, which can be inconvenient for some players.
- Available on GOG (weight 0.06): The game is available on GOG, which includes a Polish version.
- French patch in guides (weight 0.06): A French patch for the game is available in the guides section.
- Mature themes and content (weight 0.06): The game contains mature themes and content, which has been noted by players.

Emotions:
- Nostalgia (weight 0.22): Players experience nostalgia due to replaying the game after many years, often recalling childhood or early adulthood memories. The enduring relevance of the game's story, characters, and atmosphere, along with its historical significance, evokes a strong sense of nostalgia.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Players feel frustrated primarily due to technical issues, such as crashes, compatibility problems, and bugs. Additionally, the game's difficult and illogical puzzles, along with outdated UI and mechanics, contribute to this frustration.
- Joy (weight 0.12): The game brings joy through its engaging and well-written story, memorable characters, and immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the unique blend of science fiction and fantasy, along with the game's creativity and humor.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Players enjoy the game's story, characters, and puzzles, finding the experience absorbing despite some flaws. The gameplay and narrative keep them engaged and entertained.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Players feel satisfied with the game's story, charm, and overall experience. Completing the game and appreciating its artwork, music, and narrative contribute to this sense of satisfaction.
- Admiration (weight 0.07): Players admire the game's narrative depth, thematic ambition, and unique setting. The game's design, story, and overall quality are highly praised.
- Disappointment (weight 0.04): Some players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of optimization, port issues, and certain elements that didn't age well. The story and gameplay did not meet everyone's expectations.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Players are excited by the game's epic story, breathtaking pace, and engaging gameplay. The game meets or exceeds their expectations, providing an thrilling experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Players are enthusiastic about the game's detailed story, characters, and world. The positive experiences with the game's features and narrative fuel this enthusiasm.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Игроки испытывают ностальгию, вспоминая старые игры и переигрывая эту игру, которая оставляет теплые воспоминания.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are pleasantly surprised by the game's story, which exceeds their expectations despite the outdated graphics.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): The game's puzzles and story keep players deeply engaged, making them feel smart and involved in the narrative.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players fall in love with the game due to its captivating story and characters, leading to a strong emotional connection.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): The game is so engaging that players find it hard to stop playing, leading to a sense of addiction.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): The game's narrative is so compelling that players feel deeply immersed in its world, enhancing their overall experience.}