The Longest Journey Begins

The Longest Journey and its sequels, Dreamfall and Dreamfall:  Chapters are games of deep stories and emotion that I've enjoyed a lot over the years.  It's been almost a year now since the last chapter of the last game was released, bringing an end to the saga.  For some time now I've been meaning to chronicle a playthrough of all the games, making note of my thoughts on the games' interconnections, artistry, and all the various little things I dislike or love.

All the games are conveniently divided into chapters, so I'll try tackling them one post per chapter.  I'll try not to bluntly spoil anything, but I will be pointing out some foreshadowing.

The Longest Journey is still one of my favorite games, but before I truly start the game, let's examine the menu screen (...I suspect the chapter posts will be long.)  Here it is:

There are children's drawings (and April's diary), with each a different menu choice.  Children's drawings are a recurring motif in all three games, so it's great to see them right from the start.  I'm not exactly sure what the grate or stone background represents.  Stark in general?  April's room specifically?  But the dark, cold CGI contrasts nicely with the warmth of the drawings (a dichotomy that will be repeated in the game, although I don't think the poorness of the CGI is intentional.)

Looking at the drawings in detail, there are some sort of water and flying creatures (credits), April's diary (settings), a sea monster (the Book of Secrets, the bonus material), a person with a stick bundle setting out on a journey towards mountains (starting the game), a campfire scene from a certain point in the game (continuing the game from a save), and the House of All Worlds (exiting the game.)  The same stick person (dressed in red) is in the last three, and I'm assuming it's April.

I'll talk more about what the drawings might mean or represent when I get to certain points in the game.  Now, to actually start a game!