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Dreamfall Adventures debut chapter arrives in late October
Despite earlier reports, developer Red Thread Games has announced that its episodic adventure game Dreamfall Chapters will premiere on October 21. "Book One of the Kickstarter-funded game will be distributed to project backers, and will be available to download on Steam for PC and Mac, and on Linux on Tuesday, October 21," reads the developer's announcement. No specific date is offered for the PlayStation 4 version of Dreamfall Chapters, but the developer claims the console game will be available in "early 2015." According to Red Thread, Book One will cover the game's prologue and first two chapters. The game's remaining four Books will complete the tale, though there's no word on when those additional episodes might arrive. [Image: Red Thread Games]
Dreamfall Chapters is now a PS4 console exclusive
A tweet from developer Red Thread Games has revealed that the PlayStation 4 will be the sole console home of upcoming episodic adventure game Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey. If the term "Dreamfall" sounds familiar to you that's because Dreamfall Chapters is a modern continuation of Ragnar Tørnquist's cult-classic adventure series The Longest Journey. Players will once again assume the role of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey heroine Zoë Castillo as she explores the ethereal, almost dreamlike realm of Arcadia and the comparatively staid world of Stark, though Red Thread also claims that April Ryan, heroine of the original The Longest Journey, will also appear in Dreamfall Chapters. Before you PC owners get too worked up, keep in mind that this is only console exclusivity. According to a later Red Thread tweet, Dreamfall Chapters will make its initial appearance on PC. There is currently no solid release date for Dreamfall Chapters, though Red Thread was initially aiming for a November 2014 launch. [Image: Red Thread Games]
Slip into the Dreamfall Chapters trailer for Book One: Reborn
Red Thread Games recently reverted to its original plan of releasing Dreamfall Chapters as an episodic series, and that kicks off with Book One: Reborn this autumn on PC, Mac and Linux. Dreamfall Chapters is the "long-awaited return of a classic adventure game series," according to one particularly handsome website. [Image: Red Thread Games]
Dreamfall Chapters is episodic, Book One due in November
By the time Red Thread Games launched its Kickstarter for Dreamfall Chapters in February, the studio had ditched its initial idea of developing an episodic adventure. Intentions aren't written in stone however, and an update from this week explains that Chapters will be episodic in its delivery after all. The switchback is meant to accommodate Red Thread's full vision for the game while still having something to offer fans in November, the launch date Red Thread had projected in its Kickstarter campaign. While the full adventure won't be ready at that time, Red Thread expects Book One, Chapters' equivalent of an episode, will be. Aside from an episodic release schedule allowing Red Thread to do a more thorough application of polish, the team also hopes to "start generating income" with Book One, which will "go right back into improving the quality and scope of subsequent books." Backers will still receive all episodes and rewards related to their pledge level, but a season pass will also be offered to newcomers on Steam, Good Old Games and the Humble Store. We recall a similar situation with Double Fine's Broken Age, which was split in half in order to use revenue from season passes to finish development of its second chapter. Given that Double Fine's plan totally worked though, we can see why Red Thread Games would try the same strategy. [Image: Red Thread Games]
Longest Journey voice actor seeking help for medical bills
Sarah Hamilton, the voice of The Longest Journey protagonist April Ryan, is currently raising funds via GoFundMe to help pay for medical bills. Hamilton, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2002 and Stage 2 parotic gland cancer 18 months later, recently had part of her spine fused - unfortunately, the cost of the procedure has caused an uptick in stress, which in turn caused Hamilton to experience a relapse of MS symptoms. "So what is my opportunity here?" Hamilton wrote on her GoFundMe page. "It's to acknowledge that I need help. Help with my bills. Once I am given the go ahead to go back to work it will be part time, and in conjunction with all my regular bills I won't be able to pay my previous doctors bills let alone my new ones. I also acknowledge how so very grateful I am for being allowed the time to get well and for having those around me who love me. Yet I need help. And if you are able to do so I would be so grateful to all of you for the rest of my healthy life." Hamilton is seeking $13,800. As of this writing, she has raised $2,916. [Image: Sarah Hamilton]
Dreamfall Chapters gameplay video shows social side of adventure game
Red Thread Games have released a gameplay demonstration video of Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, their Kickstarter-funded entry in the Longest Journey series. The video showcases almost 30 minutes of pre-alpha gameplay, complete with developer commentary. The game's dialogue system works a bit differently than most adventure games; before making a choice, a player will hear the thoughts of the character they are playing. This could help inform decisions or reveal more about a character. Creative Director Ragnar Tornquist states in the video that the feature will be of particular benefit to players who haven't played the previous two games in the series, since they'll be able to understand situations that would otherwise be confusing. When given a choice between mercy killing a prisoner, the team also showed how it was possible to bring up statistics that showed how many people chose each option. "We're giving sort of a social element to the single-player, story-based experience by letting you see what the world has chosen and what your friends have chosen," Tornquist says in the video. Tornquist also points out that while every moment can be shared, they don't have to be; players will have the option to turn off the feature. It won't be a long journey before players can test it out for themselves - Dreamfall Chapters is slated to arrive on PC, Mac and Linux in November of this year, with a Wii U release sometime after.
Dreamfall Chapters dev wins grant for Norwegian horror game
The Norwegian Film Institute has awarded Red Thread Games a $144,000 grant which will fund the developer's next project, a first-person survival horror game dubbed Draugen. Inspired by Scandinavian legend, Draugen is set at some point during the 1920s amongst the mountains and fjords that make up Norway's west coast. Players assume the role of an American nature buff who travels to the area to study its flora and fauna. Beyond this, scant details are known, though a hint at the game's content can be found in its title. "Draugen" is a Norwegian word most commonly used to refer to the undead - specifically ghosts, though the term's colloquial use is broad enough to cover a wide range of creatures who prefer spooking people to mouldering in the grave. This grant is a double-edged sword for fans of Red Thread Games. The developer states that this money will allow it to form a new development team, specifically devoted to the creation of Draugen. Dreamfall Chapters, the developer's other, much-anticipated adventure game project remains in development, but will not be aided by any of this grant money. There's still no official word on when we can expect Dreamfall Chapters to make its public debut, though Red Thread plans to reveal more information on the game's characters "before Christmas."
Dreamfall Chapters on a long journey to Wii U
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey will be coming to Wii U, Red Thread Games confirmed to Edge. The game was a resounding success on Kickstarter, hauling in over $1.5 million in March 2013. While the crowdfunding project didn't have a stretch goal related to Wii U development, Creative Director Ragnar Tornquist said Nintendo approached the developer in late autumn last year about porting the game to Wii U, and were the first console holder to do so. "At that point, however, we weren't ready to make any commitments regarding engine and platforms, so we decided to wait," Tornquist said. "We got back in touch with Nintendo in late May of this year, and they were very interested in working with us." Red Thread Games hasn't indicated when Dreamfall Chapters will come to Wii U, but it is slated to launch on PC, Mac and Linux in November 2014.
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey concludes Kickstarter at $1.5M
Dreamfall Chapters' $850,000 Kickstarter goal concluded at nearly twice that yesterday, with a final pledge count of $1,538,425. The 3D adventure game is scheduled for release in November of 2014 and will launch on PC, Mac and Linux.The pledge drive missed out on its $1.75M goal of a mobile version for iOS and Android, as well as the $2M goal for another game called The Longest Journey Home. We can dream that these will still happen anyway.%Gallery-178358%
Dreamfall Chapters gets a richer world and full trailer treatment
This trailer for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey sets the tone for the adventure players will embark on in November 2014. Red Thread Games' Kickstarter project recently hit its $1.15 million stretch goal with six days left in its campaign, granting the game an improved soundtrack and in-game gallery.Of course, that means the project also landed its $1.1 million "Storytime" stretch goal, which will provide players with an interactive novel that retells the stories of The Longest Journey and Dreamfall.
Dreamfall Chapters crests $1 million in funding, debuts in-game footage of 'Europolis'
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey's Kickstarter fundraising drive has accumulated more than $1 million of crowd-sourced capital, with 15 days still left to go before the campaign comes to an end. Having reaching this stretch goal, developer Red Thread Games plans to add "new characters, locations and things for players to do, see, interactive with and talk to" in Chapters' two works, Stark and Arcadia.The Norwegian developer also recently updated its Kickstarter with the above video, an in-engine look at "Europolis," a dystopian, crime-filled city that appears to be home to the world's most successful umbrella salesman.
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey hits Kickstarter goal ahead of schedule
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey hit and ricocheted off its funding goal of $850,000 on Kickstarter with three weeks remaining, which can only mean one thing: It's stretch goal time."And now it's our time to deliver," Red Thread writes in its Kickstarter success update. "We promise to make the best game we can possibly make, one that lives up to your expectations and the legacy of The Longest Journey saga. A game that we can all be proud of. A game worthy of your generous pledges. And we'll keep you involved, every step of the way. But first: stretch goals!"If the Kickstarter hits $900,000, Red Thread will develop Mac and Linux versions of Dreamfall Chapters. Earning $950,000 gets The Loremaster, an in-game library with books and mythology of the universe, and $1 million makes A Longer Journey a reality, adding new locations, characters and stories to the game. Red Thread has stretch goals planned out to $2 million – which marks The Longest Journey Home – though they're all shrouded in mystery for now.By current count, the Dreamfall Chapters Kickstarter has almost $890,000 and 20 days to go, making at least that first stretch goal a very probable thing.
Dreamfall Chapters shows off prototype footage, early UI
Martin Bruusgaard, lead designer on Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, introduces us to some prototype gameplay footage in today's Kickstarter campaign update. The presentation is admittedly a bit rough around the edges, but indicative of what players should expect of the final product should Dreamfall Chapters reach its funding goal on Kickstarter (it's nearly there with 23 days to go).Bruusgaard says the game will have fully explorable and varied environments, though all the prototype shows is a wooded glen and some gerbil guy ... thing. Programmer Quintin Pan also jumps in to demonstrate the control system, which allows for free movement yet incorporates a traditional point-and-click control model for interacting with the world.On top of the prototype video, developer Red Thread Games has announced that Sarah Hamilton has signed on for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey. Hamilton voiced protagonist April Ryan in the previous two games, The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.
Dreamfall Chapters stretch goals to be Mac, Linux releases, possibly Ouya, Steam Box
The Kickstarter campaign for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is getting initial stretch goals for Mac and Linux versions in addition to PC, and potentially ones for Steam Box and Ouya too. Speaking in yesterday's Reddit AMA, series creator Ragnar Tørnquist confirmed Mac and Linux are to be the first additional platforms unlocked by achieving stretch goals, with iOS and Android stretch goals "definitely" in line beyond that. Tørnquist said he'd also love to bring the adventure game to Steam Box and Ouya, but only listed them as possibilities, while next-gen consoles would come after all of the other platforms, and even then wouldn't be a "focus area" for his team.When pushed about other stretch goals, Tørnquist indicated they'd be based around additional content like side stories and returning characters. He also hinted at "a pretty huge stretch goal" by cough-dropping the acronym 'TLJH.' Tørnquist mentioned TLJH earlier in the AMA when asked about the different challenges in making a 3D game as opposed to a 2D one, saying cryptically, "2D is easier, in a lot of ways. I'd like to go back to 2D again. We have had discussions. There are ideas. TLJH." Stretch goals are likely to play a big part for Dreamfall Chapters, given that the fundraiser sits at just over $600,000 of its $850,000 target at the time of writing, with 26 days left to go. An update on the Kickstarter page says developer Red Thread Games will divulge more on the stretch goals once it's in "battling range" of the $850K finish line, so expect them to be revealed shortly.
The Longest Journey creator Ragnar Tørnquist opens up in Reddit AMA
Ragnar Tørnquist, the creator of The Longest Journey adventure game saga and founder of Red Thread Games, is answering all the leftover questions from his mind-numbing puzzles with an Ask Me Anything thread on Reddit, right now. Tørnquist and Red Thread have a live Kickstarter for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, a continuation of the Dreamfall tale that's been rooting around development for six years. If all goes as planned and the Kickstarter raises $850,000, Dreamfall Chapters is scheduled to launch on PC in November 2014.If you have a question for Tørnquist, check out the AMA thread on Reddit, but be warned, hackmed already asked the most important question: "How the hell did you guys come up with that rubber ducky puzzle?"
Dreamfall Chapters Kickstarter goes live, aiming for Nov. 2014 release
The Kickstarter campaign for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey launched this morning, and Ragnar Tørnquist's Red Thread Games hopes to conjure at least $850,000 in funding through it. That's the amount the Norwegian developer envisions will be enough to bring the Dreamfall sequel to a digital launch on PC in November 2014.Although Red Thread secured $175,000 via the Norwegian Film Institute to help resurrect its classic adventure series, the developer revealed it was planning a Kickstarter campaign soon after announcing Chapters. Red Thread says it needs the additional funds to expand its development team, acquire hardware and software licenses, and for other base costs.Chapters sees players reprise the role of Dreamfall heroine Zoë Castillo, taking her back to the twin worlds of Stark, and its science-heavy cyberpunk motif, and Arcadia, a magical and capricious reflection of the human world. Chapters introduces a new landscape too, Storytime, which Red Thread describes as a "mysterious dreaming realm... where every story begins, and where dreams come to life." Chapters also continues the storyline of The Longest Journey protagonist April Ryan, answering the question hanging over her fate from the previous games.Red Thread announced this week it's partnering with Blink Studios on Chapters, meaning Christer Sveen, art director on Dreamfall, is now on board. Chapters also welcomes back to the series Dreamfall co-writer Dag Scheve.Red Thread has yet to outline any stretch goals. The developer is offering a variety of game editions through various pledge rewards, but the base cost to secure a copy of the game is $20 for 5000 early-bird funders, or $25 for those who aren't so quick on the pledge button.%Gallery-178358%
First Dreamfall Chapters screen, details revealed
No, you're not dreaming, that's an actual work-in-progress screenshot from Ragnar Tornquist and Red Thread Games' Dreamfall Chapters. Beyond the single screen, the Red Thread website provided a handful of details about the long-awaited continuation of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.The game will return to the magical city of Marcuria some time after Dreamfall: The Longest Journey took place, and "things have changed." Exactly how they've changed is something Red Thread is keeping secret for now.Furthermore, the game will take place across multiple seasons, with the new screenshot representing autumn. And that's really all we know for the moment, though Red Thread promises "tons more very soon."
