It's been over a year since Funcom announced Dreamfall Chapters, an episodic and digitally distributed continuation of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, and even longer since players were left digging their fingernails into the dirt and hanging on for dear life at the edge of a narrative cliff. Is April Ryan still alive? What's happening to Arcadia? Is Zoë coming back? Find out ... eventually!

"Dreamfall Chapters - and, by proxy, The Longest Journey - isn't Funcom's highest priority at this point," writes series author and designer, Ragnar Tørnquist, on his latest blog entry. With Funcom staff frantically working on the newly launched Age of Conan, upcoming MMO, The Secret World, and "other games in various stages of development," it seems Dreamfall's continuation has been given the finger. No no, not that one -- the one you show when you're on the phone and need someone in the room to just hold on for a second, okay?

Tørnquist goes on to explicitly state that Chapters "is currently on the back burner - but it hasn't been abandoned." He should be relieved to know that while people hanging from cliffs probably aren't the most patient types, their predicament prevents them from angrily tossing things at him.

With Psychonauts and Indigo Prophecy already on Microsoft's Xbox Originals service, we're alarmed to think that we might have something in common with a gigantic corporation: A soft spot for overlooked games rich in narrative. Compounding this realization is next week's addition to the downloadable back-compat lineup, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.

The sequel to 1999's modern adventure classic (just entitled The Longest Journey) sees new protagonist Zoe stumble across the divide between Stark, a world driven by technology, and the whimsical fantasy realm of Arcadia. Though we can't say Dreamfall is a sterling example of adventure gameplay, it does succeed admirably as an interactive novel. If superb writing and multi-faceted stories draw you in, Dreamfall is well worth the trip (also: mash past the dreadful combat sections). If the 1,200 MS Point ($15) asking price doesn't sit well with you, there are plenty of other options as well.

We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.

The Player
Ragnar Tørnquist, designer of The Longest Journey and writer and director of Dreamfall, Anarchy Online and upcoming MMO, The Secret World.

The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.

The Inventory

• (1) perforated parasol
• (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
• (1) sealed manila envelope
• (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue

Check out Ragnar's thoroughly realized reasoning after the break.

We always were rubbish at poetry.

Stunningly devoid of pointy ears, robots and glowing swords, Funcom's newly announced MMORPG, The Secret World, promises to take all things massive and multiplayer and thrust them into a contemporary setting. It sounds like a fish out of water story for the genre -- players themselves may even feel out of place after all those hours spent in World of Warcraft. The publisher aims to put players in realistic cities (on Earth) and have them uncover the game's sinister plot, eventually involving the eponymous secret world.

With the secret world (accessible through a magical wardrobe, no doubt) being filled with monsters and magic, the game will need to be unique in its presentation there, lest it fall into the pit of clichés its trying so hard to avoid. Thankfully, the leadership and proven storytelling prowess of The Longest Journey's Ragnar Tørnquist should guard against that happening. "We always wanted a different kind of online world, something scary and contemporary, something deeper and closer to our reality," says the game's producer and director. "Our goal now is to create a detailed world where players feel empowered and part of something big, something mystical and epic."

The Xbox 360 and PC game, which is currently in a "playable state", has not been given a release date yet.

[Thanks, HaloBreaker]

Never had a chance to check out adventure gaming classic The Longest Journey or its sequel, Dreamfall? Want to get in before that episodic Dreamfall content starts? Think Ragnar Tørnquist is awesome? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then Aspyr wants you to know about Dreamfall Game of the Year Edition, available at retail for $29.99 this May. What that gets you: the original The Longest Journey, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey and the MTV award-nominated original soundtrack for Dreamfall: The Longest Journey." Not a bad deal.

Interested in the bundle, but have an unhealthy aversion to leaving the house? Well, this is your week. Valve recently announced the adventure titles are available now as a bundle on their Steam distribution service for $34.95, and the previously unavailable The Longest Journey is available alone for $9.95. Interested? Enjoy 20% off both titles all this week (that's cheaper than the boxed version)!

At last, someone has extended a gracious hand to the adventure gamers left hanging on the edge of a cliff since the conclusion of last year's Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. However, it may surprise you to learn that said heroic hand belongs to the Norwegian government. The powers that be have, via the Norwegian Film Fund, awarded Funcom with a grant for Dreamfall Chapters. The grant will partially finance the research and development of the base technology necessary to continue The Longest Journey saga in episodic and digitally distributed format.

Funcom views the project as an opportunity to evolve their business model, as well as The Longest Journey brand. The press release announcing the project even implies that if the brand was to gain enough popularity, a Longest Journey MMO could be brought to life. Given the series' intricate, parallel worlds and the rich culture that permeates both, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.

And neither does Dreamfall Chapters. The project is certainly aptly named -- it seems entirely appropriate to think of the forthcoming episodes as literal chapters torn out of an ongoing book. Those who appreciated Dreamfall (essentially an interactive film or novel), will likely find that a fitting analogy. The Longest Journey's author (as it were) and game designer, Ragnar Tørnquist, has confirmed to Joystiq that he will be writing the story and keeping a "vigilant eye" on the game's production.

Though Dreamfall Chapters is currently set for online release only, Funcom is considering retail releases featuring combined chapters at a later date, both for consoles and PCs. No release date has been announced yet.

The latest game to enter Steam's internet tubes is quite a gem -- at least if you find yourself yearning for a beautifully crafted story. Though Dreamfall, the follow-up to adventure darling, The Longest Journey, is somewhat devoid of traditional adventure mechanics, it succeeds admirably as an interactive piece of fiction. Much like David Cage's Indigo Prophecy, it's not particularly concerned with how you get from point A to point B, but rather intent on making you play until the early hours of the morning so you can discover what happens at points C, D and F (point E is killed in an unexpected plot development, you see.)

If you haven't given it a bash yet, the $29.95 Steam version presents a solid second chance for both you and the game.

[Via RagnarTornquist.com]

See also:

• Metareview - Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
• GDC: A meeting wih Ragnar Tornquist and Dreamfall
• GDC: Ragnar Tornquist is awesome

Aspyr has announced plans to launch a new game downloading service intended specifically for Mac gamers. Dubbed The Gamerhood, the application will enable gamers to purchase and download full Mac titles directly to their spinning platters, neatly avoiding disc-based media and inept cashiers in the process. Some of the promised features of the service include the automagic checking of system requirements, easy access to game patches and effortless organization of your personal catalogue.

The service launches in Fall 2006, giving Aspyr plenty of time to prep that elusive, purely hypothetical Mac version of Dreamfall: The Longest Journey and start up the online catalogue with a bang. If The Gamerhood can strike a balance between content and convenience, Mac gamers may find it awfully difficult to resist. If not, endless "gamer ghetto" jokes are sure to ensue (and they will all be terrible).

[Via TUAW]

It's been over five years since Funcom released The Longest Journey, one of the most enduring adventure titles in gaming history. At the time, Ragnar Tørnquist's narrative style and his world-hopping 3D heroine, April Ryan, breathed new life into a genre filled with Myst clones. However, Tørnquist's emphasis on dialog (lots of dialog!) was a bit draining for many gamers, and stood as Journey's only major criticism. Those who toughed it out were left with a memorable experience.

In Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, we return to the worlds of Stark and Arcadia where the balance of technology and magic is once again in danger. New main character Zoë Castillo exhibits all the charm of her predecessor, and the game's presentation quality doesn't disappoint. But if you combine that with Dreamfall's relatively short experience, its seemingly unnecessary gameplay elements, and some overly simplified puzzles, you're left with a genuine mixed bag.

I entered my meeting with Ragnar Tørnquist armed with an array of questions from self-professed Ragnar Tørnquist fanboy (and DS/Revolution Fanboy) Ludwig Kietzmann. By the time we were done playing with Dreamfall, it was apparent that Mr. Tørnquist was really cool and probably wouldn't mind making Ludwig's day with an autograph. He graciously agreed and asked what to write...

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of meeting with Ragnar Tørnquist, the creative director of Funcom, the lead designer of adventure gaming classic The Longest Journey and, it turns out, a loyal Joystiq reader ("every morning"). We met at the Hotel Montgomery a couple blocks from the convention center to take a look at his latest game, Dreamfall, a sequel (of sorts) to The Longest Journey.