Review: Dreamfall Chapters Book 3 – Realms
After the literally explosive conclusion of Chapter 2, we’ve officially reached the midpoint of Dreamfall Chapters with the recent release of Book 3. We’ve also officially reached the point where it can be safely said that if you are not familiar with the series as a whole, you will start getting lost.
On the one hand Book 3 feels even more on the rails than the previous instalments. There are fewer major choices to make (though the consequences of previous choices do play out) and some graphical issues that have yet to be solved.
On the other hand…as a fan of the series, this was still an incredibly satisfying experience. The world is expanded even more. The story finally starts moving forward. Best of all, my beloved Crow is back and I simply can’t stay frustrated when he’s around. The moment he flapped into view with Abnaxus I may have done a little happy dance in my chair.
But let’s get into the nitty gritty. The game begins with an interlude back with Saga, previously seen as a giggling baby and now a somewhat awkwardly voiced child. I won’t dwell on it much here since it is a child and heck, finding talented child voice actors on a budget would be difficult but after the rather impressive child voice work in The Longest Journey, I was a bit disappointed in these results.
Also awkward is the opening puzzle which I finally had to break down and run to the forums for answers. It involves searching for paintings around Saga’s mysterious house. Nothing was particularly obvious and a couple of drawings were just downright almost impossible to spot. Once found, it is quickly discovered that they tell the story of the Longest Journey, further deepening the mystery of just who Saga is. I just wish it hadn’t taken me an hour to reach that point.
The rest of the game though quickly distracts from the frustrating opening. About two months have passed since the events of the last episode. On the Marcuria side of things Kian has begun to fit in with the locals by growing an impressive beard and developing a rather obsessive taste for yams (seriously he hilariously mentions it about five times during gameplay).
Things are not looking too great for Marcuria. Due to my own decision not to torture and kill Captain Pedophile (although I think the outcome would have been the same, it just wouldn’t have been my fault), the magicals of Old Town were all rounded up and sent off to prison camps. The Resistance is having trouble Kian soon learns that there’s a chance to learn more about the ever-expanding pipe system in Marcuria and so he must play spy once more to try and get to the bottom of whatever is going on.
Things are just as grim on the Stark side. After the explosion, the Eye has locked down even harder on the frustrated population. No one is allowed outside without an escort and only have a few authorized locations they can visit. Just about the only good thing to come from it was Zoe’s new look. Aside from the facial burns, she now sports a pretty wicked mohawk style hair cut.
Unlike Kian who is surrounded by help and friends (apart from the ever grumpy Likho of course), Zoe is very much on her own. The only one left to help her is Mira, the foul mouthed hacker. Luckily for Zoe though, the mysterious Queenie makes a return and before she knows it Zoe is off to join her own world’s resistance and more importantly confront the Dreamtime that has been haunting her since the game began.
That is a lot of plot for such a short game but it works. I’m continuing to enjoy just how much Marcuria has been expanded this time in the series. An upcoming harvest festival really helps to further colour the world fans have already come to know so well. It also gives players something different to look at which is a blessing in a setting. I wish the same could be said of Propast, which still remains the same dreary, rainy world episode to episode.
Gameplay has been significantly streamlined this time around. Gone are the endless fetch quests. Both game settings have been limited: Kian’s by the increased security around city gates and Zoe’s by the mandatory escort who will not allow Zoe out of eyeshot. While this did make the game feel more like a story on rails, it also was a bit of a relief not to have to try to find my way around the vast game world again.
Apart from Saga’s scavenger hunt, the rest of the puzzles are actually very straightforward and even entertaining. Kian’s involves figuring out a way to intercept whatever is going through the pipe network. Zoe’s involves a reunion with my other beloved character, Shitbot. It also involves a bit more actual thought process and I hope to see more puzzles like it in the future.
Finally, the story progresses in a big way with Zoe’s return to the world of Arcadia and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s a joy to see Marcuria in the light for a start. It’s also great to see some of the more comedic dialogue come back into the series. Watching Zoe try to converse with the locals is probably my second favourite part of this episode. The first is Crow. It’s always Crow.
The only thing I will say about it was that Zoe’s regaining of her memories seemed either a little too quick and a little too cavalier. After stating “Hey, I remember you” to a character, Zoe apparently recovers all of her forgotten memories and shows not even a hint of disbelief nor does she seem to need any time to process this. For her character, it didn’t entirely jive well with me.
There’s also some graphics issues which continue to plague my gameplay. This time around it was a giant black box that obstructed my view in Kian’s wanderings of Marcuria. This made gameplay more frustrating though I’m sure a patch or two will be released after this review is released.
Apart from those issues though, this instalment of Dreamfall Chapters is finally getting the game truly underway. Zoe is gaining her powers back. Kian is off to seek answers of his own. Crow is along for the adventure. Who knows what craziness lies ahead.
