THE LONGEST JOURNEY

Reviewed By: Nathan Rossin
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: PC
Produced by: FunCom
Price Range: $21-30
Learning curve time: under 30 min.
Age level: Mature Teen to Adult
ESRB Rating: Mature

Genre: Action/adventure
Christian Rating: 2 of 5
   (offensive)
Gameplay: 4 of 5
   (good)
Violence: 4 of 5
   (barely present)
Adult Content: 2 of 5
   (heavy)

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

"The Longest Journey" is a 3D adventure game that tells the story of two worlds, Stark and Arcadia. April Ryan is an 18-year old art student in 23rd century Newport (somewhere in the United States). April has dreams of becoming a great artist but it soon drawn into an epic battle to save the world from destruction. It turns out that the world she lives on is not the only Earth. In the beginning, magic and science existed side-by-side in perfect balance. But soon, the powers of both began to grow too strong. The Balance was in danger of collapsing. So an alien race know as the Sentinels split the Earth into two separate realms, Stark (the world of science, also the planet we know as Earth) and Arcadia (the realm of magic).

Thousands of years later, however, a group of people known as the Vanguard threaten to rejoin the worlds of science and magic…which would cause the Balance to collapse, ending all life. April Ryan is the “chosen one” and must stop this from happening.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is excellent and the graphics are adequate. The thing that really stands out about this game, however, is the great voice acting. Every line of dialog is acted out with perfection. April's comments are often hilarious. Some conversations, however, seem to drag on for an eternity and will definitely completely confuse you. But the game makes up for it when April responds with "What the heck did you just say?"

Screenshot from 'The Longest Journey' The game consists of a lot of walking around, talking to different characters (all of which have very unique personalities), picking up items and solving puzzles. The puzzles are almost always very basic what-item-do-I-use-here mentality.

The story is completely engrossing and will have you playing for hours to find out what happens next.

LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, SENSUALITY
This game contains some of the worst language I have ever encountered in a game. Two characters in particular are more offensive than any Quinten Tarantino film's characters. Commonly used four-letter words, including anatomical references, are scattered throughout the entire game.

No violence, nudity, or sexual situations are shown onscreen, but again, the language makes up for it.

OVERALL
Overall, I would have to say that this game has a fantastic story and gameplay, but the developers could have done a lot better had they not including so much unnecessary language.

As a Christian, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this game to ANYONE under the age of 18. And even then, be careful.

Year of Release—2000

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.