Closing the Book on Dreamfall Chapters

Game of January? After half a year of playing on and off—and a staggering 12 years after I backed it on Kickstarter with a probably ridiculous amount of money—I finally finished Dreamfall Chapters.

After half a year of playing on and off—and a staggering 12 years after I backed it on Kickstarter with a probably ridiculous amount of money—I finally finished Dreamfall Chapters. Released episodically between 2014 and 2016, this game is the long-awaited conclusion to The Longest Journey saga. If you're into adventure games, chances are you’ve at least heard of it.

This final installment blends sci-fi and fantasy, following two protagonists: Zoë Castillo, navigating the cyberpunk-esque dystopia of Stark, and Kian Alvane, a rebel warrior in the magical realm of Arcadia. Meanwhile, April Ryan—the heroine of the first game—remains a central presence, her story interwoven throughout.

The game is steeped in themes of dreams, identity, and rebellion, offering moral dilemmas and philosophical depth that make it more of a cerebral experience than a classic point-and-click adventure. However, rather than traditional puzzle-solving, it leans heavily into interactive storytelling—so much so that at times, it felt like listening to an exceptionally long audiobook.

And that’s my main issue with it. While the narrative was strong and satisfying, especially as a conclusion to the trilogy, Dreamfall Chapters lacked the magic of its predecessors. It’s probably my least favorite entry, but seeing the story wrap up still felt like closing a deeply compelling book—one that made my eyes wet. Not as wet as after finishing Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, which I replayed multiple times (good for Christmas break), but still.

This is absolutely not a game for newcomers—playing it without prior context would be frustrating. I also shamelessly used a walkthrough because, let’s be real, some puzzle solutions were more cryptic than they needed to be. That said, the multiple branching choices give the game solid replay value, even if the long-winded dialogue makes it hard to dive back in immediately.

Final verdict: worth it for fans of the series, but bring patience… and maybe a guide.