The Longest Journey: Xplosiv Range

As art student April Ryan you'll soon discover you have the ability to bridge two worlds--the 23rd-century, science-oriented Earth that you live in, and its counterpart, Arcadia, where magic is reality and technology is the stuff of legends. Telling you more than that would spoil the story, but suffice it to say that your ability to cross between the two worlds must be used to save both.

The game spans four CDs and needs all that space to hold both the gorgeous graphics and hours of high-quality speech. Everyone you meet has plenty to say, and you'll want to listen to everything because the game contains some of the most brilliant voice acting ever recorded.

Each character has such a distinct and engaging voice that you could play this game with your eyes closed and it would maintain much of its beauty, although you likely won't want to blink after your first glimpse of the game's detailed environments. The graphics run at a feeble maximum resolution of 640 x 480 but are packed with enough atmosphere and animation to make them look great even on a large monitor.

The Longest Journey obviously excels from a technical standpoint, but it's the writing that really makes it memorable. April maintains a diary that can be read to give players further insight into the game's strange events, and into April's mind as well. Lengthy conversations that seem tedious at first later serve to really make you care about the game's characters.

They become more than simply people who exist to dispense items or tell you where to go next, and it's fascinating to watch April develop as she slowly absorbs the gravity of the situation into which she's been thrust. This game may seem like the longest--and most boring--journey at the beginning, but after a few hours adventure fans and anyone else who likes a good story will probably wish it would never end. --T Byrl Baker, Amazon.com

And... To my excitement, it did itself justice and actually earned itself place as my favourite game of all time...

The story line is absolutely amazing, it's so interesting that you will definately be hooked and finding yourself wanting more when you complete the game...

There is alot of swearing(Generally only by one or two characters. ('The Flipper' mainly) but then, i'm sure everybody knows someone who is like that?!

All in all, an absolutely brilliant game, and I can't wait for TLJ 2!!


You havent adventured till you done this one   December 13, 2004
Mr. T. Shepherd (UK)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful

I have played loads of adventures like Monkey Islands, Broken Sword 1 2 & 3, Sam & Max, Full Throttle etc but this must be the best and there is more Dreamfall is coming soom (TLJ2).
Has a small glitch with requiring a patch but soon fixes the prob (police station bit)


Best adventure game ever   February 27, 2004
Jouni Miikki (Finland)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

First time when I installed this game year 2001, I was amazed, I played it through, took weeks to get it through and prize which it gave to me was a sweet tear drop at the end of the game.

2003 I played it through again and it made me drop tears again. Monkey island, zak mckracken, space quest etc, can't compete with this game. It just was so good experience, landscapes it did fill up in my mind, sounds and most of all the story did bring me down to another reality.

Characters in-game are awesome as after playing many hours of this game you really feel like you would be between two realities.

I wouldn't suggest this game for younger persons of age 15 or below, just because of the jokes and inside stuff the game has.

Now I'm really waiting for longest journey 2: Dreamfall. Hopefully that game is as good as first one.

Who ever likes even little bit adventure games, this is one that is going to be legend on adventure game history.


Boooring!!!   September 7, 2003
7 out of 29 found this review helpful

I was looking forward to playing what should have been a good game. I am a fan of graphic adventures, and i should have enjoyed this but i sadly didn't.

It took me months to finish mainly because i kept putting it down and forgetting about it because it sent me to sleep.

The interface is your standard point-n-click with inventory objects to use etc. You can talk to characters and have lengthy boring conversations that seem to last hours and i got so bored of solving the puzzles I used a walkthrough through most of it.

The story is your basic "you have been chosen to save the world" kind of thing or in this case "worlds" but it is pumped up to make it seem more complex. The only half decent thing was April was an all right likable character, and some of the creatures you meet are imaginative but that's about it. There is way to much swearing which spoils an otherwise family game.

The character graphics are poor and pixelated, but the backgrounds look ok. It could've done with some more cinematics, the ones it does have last about 5 seconds each, maybe a few more during the conversations, then they might not have been so boring.

overall too long, too boring, save your fiver.


Disappointing   December 14, 2002
DiBosco
15 out of 52 found this review helpful

Sometimes a computer game can pull you in and lose you in a virtual world with graphics; sometimes by requiring a high skill level; sometimes with a gripping story; sometimes with great puzzles. Sadly, this game has nothing that can raise it above being a somewhat below average adventure game.

Without the puzzles of the Myst Trilogy, the interaction or story of Gabriel Knight or even spectacular graphics, this game really isn't worth spending money on.

Each Christmas we buy a game to entertain us at the only time of year we have to waste time in a virtual world. From Lemmings through all the Mysts to Gabriel Knight we've had holidays where we've immersed oureselves in games to the point where we were holding imaginary mouses in the kitchen and clicking imaginary buttons to remove pans from the cupboards!

The Longest Journey seemed just like that. Interminable. With little fun on the way.