Video games - The Longest Journey

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	Video games - The Longest Journey

The Longest Journey is a 1999 point-and-click adventure game by Norwegian studio Funcom.

It features a minimalist interface, rich mythos, and simple puzzles in response to the escalating difficulty in adventure titles at the time, focusing instead on involving storytelling. Its premise of a world being separated into science and magic generated interest in the mainstream, in an age where adventure games had long been driven into a niche.

The game’s graphics drew praise from critics for their persuasive portrayal of both fantasy and cyberpunk futuristic settings. While its translation into ten different languages was lauded, the game was criticized for its extensive dialogue of almost 8300 individual voice samples.

A sequel, Dreamfall
, is currently in development and is expected to be released in April 2006.

You play as April Ryan through 13 chapters of adventure and mystery to save the two worlds: Arcadia and Stark

Characters

April Ryan is the young heroine of the game who has artistic aspirations. As a resident of the technology-driven world, Stark, she discovers that she is a Shifter, a person with the power to move between worlds. Her journey begins when she unwittingly transports herself to the magical Arcadia. She is hinted to be the daughter of the White Dragon, as she herself felt a connection between the two of them. Moreover, her Stark parents adopted her. Is voiced by Sarah Hamilton.
Crow is a fast-talking, black-feathered bird who endured years of ill-treatment from his alcoholic master (who shut him up in a trunk) before escaping. He becomes April’s wisecracking sidekick and is integral to several of the game’s challenges. Despite his name (which April gives him), he is not actually a crow and becomes offended when he discovers what crows are in Stark. It is revealed that April named him after Crowboy, a cartoon hero of her childhood. Voiced by Roger Raines.
Burns Flipper was an eccentric, foul-mouthed hacker who provided April with invaluable aid. He lost his legs in an accident and hovered around in a floating wheelchair, a la Charles Xavier. Flipper was killed by Vanguard agents, when they discovered he was helping April. Voiced by Andrew Donnelly.
Gordon Holloway is Jacob McAllen’s right-hand man, warped by magic and science to become the next Guardian so that the Vanguard may disrupt the Balance. He speaks in a cold and collected tone and has no qualms about committing violence. It is revealed that he was stripped of the emotional part of his soul, which became the Arcadian Chaos Vortex. Voiced by Kevin Merritt.
Charlie, Emma, Fiona and Mickey are April’s friends and neighbors at the Border House. The game presents a possible attraction between Charlie and April, but it is not explored, and neither is Charlie’s character, very much. Emma was April's best friend and tried to save her from the Vanguard, but was gunned down for her efforts. She survived, however. Fiona and Mickey are the lesbian couple who own and manage the Border House. Emma is voiced by Julia K. Murney. Charlie is voiced by Mark Anthony Henry. Fiona is voiced by Francesca Longrigg.
Zack Lee is a tenant in the Border House who lives across the hall from April. Obnoxious and chauvinistic, he sold April out as revenge (she rejected his advances) and was gunned down by Holloway’s men. His death is disputable, but very few would mourn him. Voiced by Ron Gallop.
Vestrum Tobias was the highest-ranking Sentinel, who taught April Alltongue, a universal language. He was assassinated shortly before Marcuria, the Arcadian North’s capital, was invaded. Voiced by Ron Foster.
Roper Klacks is an evil alchemist who lives in a floating castle some miles away from Marcuria. He has a tendency to petrify his victims. April defeated him in a math duel with the help of a calculator, and when he tried to study it he was consumed by a bluish energy. It is unknown what exactly happened to him. It is later revealed that he was an agent of the Vanguard. Voiced by Ralph Byers.
Brian Westhouse is a former Stark native who resides in Marcuria. Nicknamed “The Rolling Man” by Marcurians because he rides a bicycle, a vehicle foreign to them. It is unclear how he found his way to Arcadia. It is suggested that there is another way of crossing the Divide rather than Shifting and that the Dragons (particularly Cortez) are aware of it. Voiced by Ralph Byers.
Adrian is the present Guardian, originally from Stark. He returned there, but was at a loss of what to do as no one had come to assume his position, and was captured by Holloway. One of April's main objectives is to locate him. Is voiced by Louis Aguirre.
Lady Alvane is a mysterious old woman who recounts the story of April's quest. She also appeared inside the story giving asylum to April when she was chased by Vanguard agents. Possibly, Lady Alvane actually is April from the future who has found means to travel in time. Apparently, her house is located between the worlds like the Guardian's Tower, since a Shift can be opened in it.
The White Dragon, also known as the White Mother, was a great protector on the side of the Sentinels and the only female Draic Kin. She died due to injuries sustained while battling the Chaos Vortex. She lives through her daughter, whom April calls sister. Voiced by Nicole Orth-Pallavicini.
Cortez is a peculiar old man who served as April’s mentor. She is wary of him at first, but later grows to trust him. He is much more than he lets on - in one of the game’s most memorable scenes, he reveals himself to be the Red Dragon, but apparently perishes at the hands of his brother, the Green Dragon. His pocket watch, which he gave to April and called his “heart”, ceased to function soon after his battle with the Green. Is voiced by Louis Aguirre.
Jacob McAllen is a wealthy magnate and leader of the Church of Voltec, a powerful Stark cult that is actually a front for the Vanguard. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that he is the Green Dragon. It is unknown whether he lived or died following his battle with Cortez. Voiced by Ralph Byers.
The Blue Dragon is the eldest of the Draic Kin. His gigantic form has slumbered at the bottom of the Arcadian ocean for millennia as he awaits the right time to return to the stars from which he came, together with his Alatien (winged folk) and Maerum (mer folk) children.

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