Random Thoughts Upon Finishing Dreamfall: Chapters

A few days ago I finished Dreamfall: Chapters, bringing an end to a series begun when I started The Longest Journey in college long ago (barring the possibility of another story some distant day.) Fortunately, it was a satisfying enough end, and I look forward to replaying the game all at once now that I can. And at some point I'll have to play through the whole trilogy again. But for now, I just want to note my random (spoilery) thoughts and questions about Dreamfall: Chapters and the worlds of The Longest Journey.

Walkthroughs, Or, In Praise of the Universal Hint System

Ah, walkthroughs.  In this digital age, the answers to any puzzle await a Google search away.  I can read exactly what to do in a game before I ever start it.  With some caveats, I consider this a good thing.  For puzzles, at least, there have always been a few where I just get stuck.  And in pre-Internet days, I usually wouldn’t figure it out.  I’d just remain, there, forever stuck, and never get to finish the game.  So the ability to actually see and finish all of the games I have is a definitely plus, to put it mildly.

I will admit there are times with more complex mechanical puzzles or codes where I just can’t be bothered.  I know I could figure it out given time, but my time is just too precious for something I find tedious.

Not all walkthroughs are equal, of course, and I have my preferences.  Firstly, I’ll take written over video, since I read faster than I watch and I can usually find what I’m looking for more easily.  Sometimes, for roleplaying games, walkthroughs will contain helpful suggestions for builds or party combinations or the lake.  These are interesting but not required.

And then there’s the overall format.  A cold list of instructions (and I’ve run into some without even spaces or numbers to separate the steps, which renders things practically  unreadable) might help me, but also runs the risk of spoiling me as to what comes next in the game.  And in a game with multiple paths or just optionable order to do some things, a walkthrough unnecessarily straightjackets my playthrough.

The truth is, I’m usually only trying to find my way past one obstacle.  I don’t need to know how to play the entire game; this might be the only place I get stuck.  Which brings me to the Universal Hint System praised in the title.  Not only does the Universal Hint System divide its solutions into non-spoilery individual puzzles but their solutions are hints of increasing detail, so I can at least feel a little accomplishment if all I needed was just a general idea.