Opening on the mournful aftermath of the previous title’s conclusion, Dreamfall Chapters concludes the Dreamfall trilogy in a decent fashion. With a varied selection of interesting characters reaching the end of their story arcs after a two-decade wait, long-time fans and fresh players alike will find entertainment in this episodic adventure.
As my introduction to the series, I was anxious that jumping in at the end would leave me with loads of questions about character’s experiences and motivations. I’m happy to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong, with an extensive character biography screen and a well-made introduction sequence I felt caught up on enough of the story to keep up with what was going on.
Much of the gameplay involves solving puzzles by making use of your abilities your character may possess or items you find in the environment. As Zoe, you go about solving these by reading the thoughts of people, adjusting the light of objects and changing their speed. At no point was I frustrated with the difficulty of these puzzles, they were by no means a cakewalk, but I never found myself stumped for too long throughout my time playing.
Unlike the many Telltale episodic games you may have played such as their Walking Dead series, Dreamfall Chapters isn’t a licensed property and therefore allows for some beautiful settings and unique characters. Although this can help separate it from other games with its diverse cast, some of the characters are hit and miss, with occasional subpar voice acting and line reads.
On the topic of characters, I was especially impressed by the protagonists you control throughout the game. Zoe has depth from her already established story of course, but the dialogue options available to you allow for not only your cliché happy-go-lucky hero, but potentially an apprehensive one. Early on you can express you lack faith in your own abilities, changing the impression you get from her from the more “We did it once, we can do it again” approach to saving the world.
Like many episodic games before it, Dreamfall Chapters makes use of player choices which affect events later in the game. However, it clearly informs you if a choice you made is an important one with a large “the balance has shifted” message. Choices like scaring a child rather than comforting them have a far lesser effect on later events than killing a character, and this game sure as hell lets you know it. This keeps certain choices at the forefront in the player’s mind, rather than leaving them guessing at which decision may have substantially affected the plot.
Summary
Dreamfall Chapters for me was a wake-up call to a series I had previously missed. As an introduction to the series, it’s exciting as a standalone title, while long-time fans are sure to find a satisfying conclusion to this twenty-year saga within a package of interesting story and competent gameplay.
Connor is a games journalist, Staff Writer at VG247. They contributed 9 articles to ICXM in 2017, focused on game reviews, and Xbox news: now writes for VG247 (Gamer Network / IGN Entertainment), recognised in MCV 30Under30 2024.