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''The Longest Journey'' (''Den lengste reisen'') is a Point-and-click Adventure Game developed by Norwegian Studio Funcom for the PC . First published by IQ Media Nordic in Norway in 1999 , it was later localized for and released in France , the United Kingdom , Germany , Belgium , Canada , Spain , Denmark , Finland , Sweden , Poland , Czech Republic , Russia , and the United States . The game takes place in the parallel universes of Arcadia , a world of Magic , and Stark , a world of Science and technology. Players take on the role of April Ryan , who is called upon to restore the now unstable boundary between the two worlds. ''The Longest Journey'' features a Minimalist User Interface , and places the majority of its focus on Storytelling . Its use of both Fantasy and Science Fiction elements broadened its appeal and helped to generate widespread interest in the game among the mainstream gaming audience at a time when adventure games were increasingly being forced to compete with the growth of the action and strategy genres. The game drew praise from critics for the quality of its localizations (having been translated from Norwegian into ten different languages), but was criticized for having what some regarded as an excessive amount of Dialogue (the game features almost 8,300 individual voice samples). A '', was released on April 20 , 2006 . STORY Synopsis April Ryan, an 18-year-old art student living in Stark, is having strange dreams. A conversation starts between her and a strange man outside her home, who tells her why she has these dreams and the meaning behind them. The man also tells her that the line splitting two worlds is growing thin, and that the dimensional cracks between them will widen, causing chaos on both sides. April later learns that she is a "Shifter", one who is capable of walking between these worlds, and is then tasked with restoring the Balance between those dimensions before it is too late. Plot summary The story begins in Stark, where April is sleeping in her apartment in the Border House. While sleeping, she unintentionally shifts to Arcadia. There she meets the White Dragon, one of the Draic-Kin. The White Dragon says that April is the mother of the future, and also her child. At that moment a dark ball-shaped lightning cloud, called the Chaos Vortex, attacks April. She awakens in Stark and dismisses her experience as a nightmare. Outside the house she meets an old enigmatic man, Cortez, who sits outside the house every day. He tells her that she has a destiny and if she doesn’t face the nightmares she’s having, they’ll start appearing even when she's awake. April is freaked out on how he knows about the nightmares, and refuses to talk to him any further. Later, with strange dreamlike mythical things happening to not only her, she knows Cortez has the answers. With Zack being the only one who knows where Cortez might be, she trades information on his whereabouts for a date with the jerk. Meeting Cortez, he reveals there are players bigger than the police after him. He then opens a shift and persuades April to step through. April appears in a temple in Marcuria. There she meets Tobias Grensret, Vestrum of the Sentinel. By allowing the magic into her she learns Alltongue , common language in Arcadia. There Tobias tells her about the Balance, the Sentinel, and the Vanguard. He says it has been 200 years since the current Guardian, Adrian, needed to be replaced. Growing tired, Adrian started to pollute the Balance, and had to return back to where he was born, Stark. This meant that the Balance is now unguarded, allowing Chaos from Arcadia to breach the Divide, explaining all those strange things happening in Stark. As Adrian is no longer in the Guardian’s Realm, the only way back there is through the original location where the Guardian’s Tower was built. He is also the only one who can open the entrance. Tobias reveals that April is a strong shifter. As April doesn’t know how to shift yet, she visits Brian Westhouse, a friend of Cortez and originally from Stark. There he gives her a pocket watch, which April uses to unintentionally open a shift. Back in Stark, Cortez fills her in with more information about the Vanguard, also known as the Church of Voltec. That night April ruins Zack’s date, establishing a vendetta with Zack. The next day April visits Warren Hughes, a homeless boy with clandestine activities and connections. He agrees to help April if she infiltrates a police station to wipe his criminal record and find his sister. April does this, and also finds a data cube on the Church of Voltec. Hughes then refers her to Burns Flipper. Flipper then reads the data cube and finds out that Jacob McAllen, a Hitler-type person, is the head of the Vanguard. And Gordon Halloway, a cold ruthless person, is McAllen’s right hand man. Halloway was meant to be the next Guardian, but Vanguard experiments split him into two, Chaos (in Arcadia) and Logic (in Stark). He tells her that MTI (a very large multinational company) is the front of the Vanguard, and its HQ is located in Grendel Avenue, upper-level Newport. She needs a fake ID, which Flipper will make, to access the upper levels. Meeting Cortez and Father Raul in a Christian cathedral, Cortez tells April that Arcadia is on the brink of war. Still waiting on fake ID, she goes back to the Border house for the night. She then unintentionally shifts back to Arcadia. Entering The Journey Man inn, she meets the innkeeper Benrime Salmin. Also there is a strange creature, Abnaxus, ambassador of the Venar who happens to know who April is. His species sees all of time, but there is a dark veil in the future that he cannot see past. That is the time of uncertainty and chaos. After he leaves, April falls asleep in a chair in the inn. In the morning, she visits the great Library of the Sentinel Enclave. She learns there are four magical species that guard the parts of the disc, and each has prophecies of a savior who will restore the balance, only to finally break it. She gets a lead, the island of Alais, where flying creatures called the Alatian have tales since the start of the Divide. She gains passage on a ship that will take her to Alais, The White Dragon. She does this by rescuing a talking bird that she named Crow. However before she can leave, she has to first free the wind, which an evil Alchemist, Roper Klacks, has put a spell on. Leaving for Klacks Tower, Crow escapes from his drunken owner and joins April on her journey. On the way to the tower, she gets captured by an evil woman, the Gribbler, in the forest. The Gribbler eats humans and furry creatures called the Banda. April kills the Gribbler, while rescuing one of the captive Banda. The Banda honor her for saving their species and give her accommodation for the night. That night, she gets visited by their spirits who gives her the name April Bandu-embata. This then fulfills the prophecies of the Banda, and they give her the first piece of the disc. When April arrives at the tower, she finds herself in a labyrinth. After much searching, she finally finds Klacks. She challenges him to a maths duel: his magic versus her calculator. He loses and snatches the calculator from her. He is intrigued with the device to the point of insanity then gets sucked in it. With Klacks' magic, April manages to free the wind. Just before April sets sail for Alais, Tobias tells her that she is the next Guardian, and gives her the Talisman of the Balance. April is shocked with this news, especially because Tobias kept this from her until now. On the voyage to Alais, a Chaos Storm attacks the ship. The captain changes course, but with the fate of the Balance in peril, April sabotages their compass with her talisman to resume course. In the middle of the storm, April wants to retrieve the talisman, but is noticed by the captain. He realizes what she has done and prompty locks her Talisman in the deck down below. April tries to retrieve the talisman, which is locked in a chest, with an axe, but ends up sinking the boat. She wakes up on a wooden debris raft, with only Crow to be found nearby. The rest of the crew had been rescued, but left her to drown as punishment for sabotaging the compass. Just after Crow leaves to search for land, April gets pulled down to the bottom of the ocean by the Maerum (Mermaid-like creatures). Initially there to serve them as a fishing slave, she meets the Maerum queen, recovers her Talisman and uncovers an ancient cave showing the history of the Maerum and Alatian (who are both enemies). The two species are revealed to have the same ancestors and have lived in peace for many years before the war. They used to live together with no problems at all, however now food has become scarce as they both left their initial territory. April shows the Maerum her discovery, which happens to fulfill one of the prophecies of of the Waterstiller, some sort of savior for the Maerum. After fulfilling the second prophecy, killing a dangerous Snapjaw, only one prophecy remains: for her to reunite the Maerum and the Alatian. As such, the Maerum take her to Alais. After searching through ancient ruins, going through large forests and climbing up in trees, she finally arrives at the Alatian village. Learning the four important tales of the Alatian, she manages to get an audience with the Alatian Teller, who is as a Queen her people. She fulfills the prophecies of the Windbringer by flying without wings (with the help of a little magic) and convinces the Alatian Teller to try to make peace with the Maerum. In an abandoned coastal sea cave where both species once lived together, ambassadors from each side (the Teller's guard and the Maerum Queen) brings stones which combine to from the second part of the disc. April then asks the Maerum to take her to their sleeping God. There she meets the Blue Dragon, who gives April one of the Jewels which are to fit into the disc. The Blue then takes her to a a ship inhabited by the Dark People, which had set sail for the specific purpose of giving April the third piece of the disc. The Dark People had also searched through their extensive library to locate the position of the Guardian’s Realm entrance. It is revealed to be space and they give her a star map with its location. Back in Marcuria, the city is abandoned and on the edge of a Tyren invasion. At the Harbor she gets attacked once more by the Chaos Vortex, now even bigger than before. Petrified, she accidentally opens up a shift behind her leading to the Cathedral in Stark. Father Raul reveals he is a Sentinel Minstrum of Stark, and tells her that Cortez has gone missing. April then goes back to the Borderhouse, where Gordon Halloway is waiting for her. Zack has sold April out as revenge for standing him up. April manages to escape, but Emma and Zack get shot as bystanders. April heads for the Fringe Café but Halloway's assistants quickly catch up with her. Miraculously, a shift appears that leads to a wooden cottage with Lady Alvane. Alvane had opened the shift for her, and tells April she is in neither Arcadia, nor Stark, nor the Guardian’s Realm. She reveals that the Vanguard are holding Adrian captive, and teaches April how to shift at will. Alvane sends April back where she visits Abnaxus, who was expecting her, the Kan-ang-la. His people have been guarding the fourth and final piece of the disc, which he gives to her. At the Enclave, April learns that Tobias has been murdered. There, she unites the four pieces of the disc into one. With the Tyren army having just arrived at Marcuria, the road back to the city is blocked. April then finally opens a shift by herself and arrives back to the location of the White Kin. The White is dying, with her fight against Chaos taking its toll. She gives April her jewel and then dies, only to be reborn again through the egg she had laid. Shifting back to Stark, she gives Flipper the star map for him to decipher. Receiving the fake ID, she goes up to Grendel Avenue. Whilst digging through McAllen’s office, she triggers an alarm and McAllen traps her in the room. He tells her he has Cortez captured, and has the two Stark jewels of the Kin. He plans to place Halloway in the Tower, and reveals the Chaos Vortex is the Arcadian half of Halloway. Unable to shift out of the building due to magical barriers McAllen had installed, she surrenders the 2 jewels and the disc, which he then stores in a safe. Refusing to tell him where the Guardian’s entrance is, McAllen leaves April alone in room containing a machine that breeds Warrior Shifters. One of them manages to break free and attacks April. She manages to escape out onto a hoverpad high above the city, but is once again trapped. Cortez then appears in the nick of time, having escaped, and kills the monster. McAllen then appears confronting Cortez. It is revealed that they both are the two Stark Kin. Also revealed is that McAllen had created the Vanguard and wanted accelerated reunification so the Kin could be free of humankind, even if this meant an age of Chaos. The two Kin then attack each other but and end up falling off the pad into the city. They transform from their human form into dragons, but it appears they both die. Retrieving the disc, and the 4 jewels, April returns to Flipper. He had been mortally wounded by Halloway who took the deciphered map, but managed to make a copy. The entrance to the Realm is near the Morning Star, the busiest space station in orbit around Earth, and Halloway was bringing Adrian there. At the station, April locates and frees Adrian. Launching themselves in separate maintenance pods, they approach the entrance and Adrian opens up a massive portal. They both enter, and Halloway sneaks in behind them just before the portal closes. In the Realm, April crash-lands alone. Before she can reach the Tower, she must complete 3 trials. On her way to the tower, she encounters the Chaos Vortex once more, this time sealing it into her Talisman. After the first two trials, she manages to summon Crow through a small portal. He then helps her complete the third task but goes missing, so April continues forward. Adrian then appears and lets April inside the Tower. Inside, it is revealed April is not the next Guardian, but Halloway, who just enters, is. April then reunites Halloway with his other half which was in her Talisman, making him balanced. As April’s job is now complete, she leaves Adrian and Halloway to complete the changing of the guards. Uncertain of her future, April, whose life has completely changed, continues her journey back to the 2 worlds. Crow finally returns to find April has left. In the Epilogue, the scene returns to Lady Alvane’s home. She has finished telling April’s story to two teenagers, who look like they are from Arcadia. She reveals that Halloway was the last Guardian and during his reign the two worlds were reunited. When the children leave, Crow enters who is clearly well accustomed with Alvane. They have had a long life together with many great adventures, raising the suspicion that Alvane could be April in the future. He also asks Lady Alvane to recount the tale of the young beautiful " Warrior Princess " who single-handedly won the war of the balance. Alvane remarks she doesn't remember it quite like that, but the story begins a long time ago, when Stark and Arcadia were still to be united, and the Guardian was still on his throne. It is possible this is a reference to the sequel, Dreamfall . Characters
Note: the actor names above are for the English Language version. SETTING Balance Ages ago the Earth was once one planet, where technology and magic co-existed in harmony. But human-kind began to exploit that power, putting the balance of the cosmos in peril. An apocalypse would soon come and destroy the Earth. To prevent that, four extraterrestrial creatures, Draic Kin , came as eternal servants and custodians of the Balance. They split the Earth into two, Arcadia (magic and chaos) and Stark (technology and order). This was done by constructing a tower joined with a magic disc. That tower now exists in the Divide between the two worlds, in the Guardian’s Realm, and is occupied by Humans who are born to the task by the Balance. Those guardians each live in the tower for 1000 years, and it is their responsibility to balance the flow of magic and science. The two worlds are only visible to each other by the way of dreams, and the divide is passable only to Shifters. The four Draic-Kin remained in order to protect the Balance, with two in Stark and the other two in Arcadia. Factions The Sentinel is a religious order formed by the Kin , whose mandate is to protect and keep the Balance, and was equally split between Stark and Arcadia. In Arcadia the Sentinel has great influence over the major human cities, especially in Ayrede (where Marcuria is located). In some respects they are the Government with extensive tradition built in their culture. However in Stark their philosophy doesn’t mix amongst technology and logic, and became weak, having to exist in secret. The Arcadia Sentinel is entrusted with the safety of a stone disc, counterpart to the one that exists in the Guardian’s Tower. That disc is the key to the Guardian’s Realm and isn’t complete without four jewels, which each Kin has. Due to risk of human theft, the disc was broken into 4 pieces, and given to 4 magical species for safe keeping. Should the realm need to be repaired, it is their job to assemble the disc. The Vanguard/Church of Voltec is a religious order that opposes the Sentinel. As the Sentinel thrived in Arcadia, and diminished in Stark, disagreements ensured and many in the Stark Sentinel wanted reunification, a return to the old days where humankind could control the cosmos, disregarding the risk of total chaos. They then broke off from the Stark Sentinel and formed the Vanguard. When the current Guardian, Adrian, needed to be replaced, the Vanguard started to kidnap those born to the task and perform experiments on them in an effort to control them. In Stark, the Vanguard is known as the Church of Voltec, with a massive financial empire that can rival governments. They own multinational companies, planets, and armies. They own literally all of Newport and dominate space. In Arcadia, they openly preach their ideology, and are slowly gaining influence amongst the people in Marcuria, who are tired of old tradition and looking for change. In Arcadia they have an alliance with the Tyren, a warring and aggressive race, whose armies are more powerful and experienced than the armies of Ayrede. Locations Newport, Stark is a city based on our world in the future of 2209, where humankind is a space faring race and the gap between the rich and the poor is immense. The city of Newport is one of the great cities of the age, with flying cars and immense skyscrapers that dominate the skyline. Newport is separated into three levels. The lowest level is dirty, noisy and bleak. It is occupied by the poor and homeless who do not have access to the upper levels without proper ID. The mid and upper levels are very clean, and fashionable with a higher level of technology. The main form of transportation on the lowest level is the subway. In the upper levels there are shuttles and tubes. Venice, Newport is situated just outside the city on the lowest level. It is a converted industrial sector away from the noise and mess of the city. Its residents are poor and homeless, with most of them young students, looking for a better life. Border House is a where April lives. It is run by Fiona and Mickey. April’s two best friends, Emma and Charlie, both live there. As does Zack, a jerk that April and her friends hate. Fringe Café is a small single story joint where Charlie and April both work. The café reflects Venice in both its décor and customers. Marcuria, Arcadia is a city with a level of technology reminiscent of colonial times. The city is heavily influenced with magical and mythical themes in its culture. It is mostly inhabited by humans, but magical species can be found. The city is the capital of Ayrede, and is one of the greatest cities of the age. It is enclosed by fortress walls and is a major port. As maritime travel is the best form of transportation in Arcadia, maritime culture is also heavy in the city. Species
SOUNDTRACK See Also: The Longest Journey Soundtrack An original soundtrack album has been released and can be downloaded from the official site . There are 36 tracks on the web release. The CD can also be ordered from Funcom's store, but this version only contains 30 tracks. There is however one track on the CD that is not available from the website. The order and names are also different. TRIVIA
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