Introduction

The Longest Journey is a trip through/between two worlds: Stark, a world governed by science and logic, and Arcadia, a world of magic and mystery. You play 18 year old April Ryan. April has the ability to shift between the two worlds, although at the beginning of the game she doesn't know it. The balance between the two lands has been upset by the disappearance of the Guardian of Balance. As April, you must traverse the two worlds to discover the fate of the Guardian and restore the balance.

This game seems to be a level above most adventure games being published nowadays. It is also  pretty non-violent. There are few action sequences and no combat.

Be ready to shift gears as you play this game for it has an excitingly rich story line.  The depth of the two worlds, Stark and Arcadia, are presented to the player through lengthy and absorbing dialogs between April and the characters she meets.  The Longest Journey is not a game to be played quickly.  Play it leisurely and with your full attention otherwise you will surely have less than the full experience.

Prologue

1. Move to the far right until the screen scrolls to the view where there is an earth tremor and the egg rolls down onto a branch hanging from the cliff edge.

2. Take the twig from the left side of the tree. Listen to the tree and then talk to it.

3. Take the scale from the nest that’s to the left of the tree.

4. Go right one more screen to the stream. Use the branch and then the scale on the stream to divert water to the tree.

5. Go back one screen to the left until you can see the egg. Talk to the tree then watch the animation that ends the prologue and starts chapter one.

Penumbra

1. Take the diary and the picture from the nightstand at the end of the bed.

2. Open inventory and look at the diary. Take the timesheet from between the pages.

3. Open the closet and take the toy monkey (Constable Guybrush) from the box on the lower left.

4. Examine the monkey closer and take out the eye.

5. Leave the room and go downstairs. April can’t avoid Zack the Jerk in the hallway so go through the dialogue but don’t promise to go out with him.

6. Once downstairs go to the corkboard. Take the pink note from the upper right-hand corner and read it.

7. Give the note to Fiona who is sitting on the couch and she gives you the ring.

8. Take the matchbook from the coffee table.

9. Leave through the front door and head to the right. Talk to Cortez who is sitting on the bench. He tells April he knows about her nightmares and cautions her to be careful.

10. Continue off the right side of the screen and go to the Bridges. From the Bridges, take the exit leading to the Park.

11. In the Park, take the exit that leads to the Academy.

12. Enter the Academy and you’ll see a trash can with a yellow glove hanging on the lip. Take the glove.

13. Go upstairs and take the Paintbrush and Palette from the shelf on the wall left of the sinks.

14. Use the Paintbrush and Palette on the Canvas on the easel.

15. Soon Emma arrives with a message for April. Talk to Emma and find out that Cortez wants to meet April "where children visualize their dreams."

16. After talking to Emma leave the Academy. Go back through the Park to the Bridges and take the exit to the Café.

17. Notice the "Mystery Door" at the head of the steps left of the Café entrance. Enter the Café and take some candy from the candy jar on the counter.

18. Talk to Charlie, the guy behind the counter.

19. Go left into the next room and talk to Stanley, the guy in red sitting at the bar. Keep asking to get paid until he asks for the timesheet. Give it to him then threaten to quit when he stalls. You need the money for the subway. After he pays you don’t agree to work that night.

20. Go to the juke box and read the poster to the right and discover where to meet Cortez. Take a complimentary ticket from the lower right of the poster. Go in inventory and look at the ticket to find out where the Gallery is.

21. Take some bread from the breadbasket on the table in front of where Emma’s sitting. Talking to Emma and Marcus is optional.

22. Exit the Café and go back to the Bridges then take the exit to the Boarding House.

23. At the entrance of the Boarding House, go left one screen and look at the machine there. At the left top of the screen are two cables (wires) hanging in front of a rusty flanged pipe. Use the Gold ring on the two wires to make a connection.

24. Below the wires is a red light. Below the red light are two yellow things identified as "left screw" and "right screw." Below them are four elongated blue levers. You have to get all the blue levers in the horizontal position. Underneath each of the blue levers is a light.

25. If you click on the left screw one of the lights below a blue lever will turn red. That means that lever is locked. If you then click on the right screw, the other three blue levers turn. By alternatively locking different levers and turning the other three you can eventually get all the blue levers in the horizontal position. It’s not difficult, so mess with it until you get it right. When you are successful, the red light above the left and right screws will turn green and you’ll hear a humming sound.

26. Locate the Valve on the left side of the screen. It’s on top of a gray bottle just left of the round wheel. Turn the Valve and the needle of the Pressure Gauge will drop. Now turn the Wheel and water will drain from the Water Tank left of the gauge. Take the red-handled Clamp from the hose.

27. Enter the Boarding House and go to April’s room. Open the window and look outside. Down below you’ll see a rubber ducky and a clothesline. Click on the clothesline so it falls into the water.

28. Use the bread on the Rubber Ducky and watch the sea gull puncture it.

29. Pull the chain to bring up the clothesline and get it into inventory.

30. Leave the Boarding House and go back to the Café by going to the Bridge and taking the Café exit.

31. On the Café screen you’ll find the Rubber Ducky stuck in a grate in the lower left of the screen. Pick it up, go in inventory and look at it and remove the Band-Aid.

32. Go back to the Bridges and take the exit to the Subway.

33. Once down in the Subway, use the Gene Scanner. Click on the button labeled "Week". Take April’s Cashcard from inventory and click it on the Lens. Exit the Gene Scanner screen and walk onto the platform.

34. Look at the sparks coming from the tracks in the lower left. April discovers there’s a key down there.

35. I’ve seen warnings about a possible bug at this point. It’s not certain that it exists in the English version but to be safe get the key this way. Save the game. Go into inventory and do the following quickly. Blow up the deflated Rubber Ducky by clicking on it then selecting the mouth icon. The Ducky has a hole in it so it immediately begins to deflate. Quickly place the Ducky on the Clamp then the Clamp on the Clothesline. Use this contraption on the Key to get it. The inflated Ducky holds the clamp open, when it deflates the clamp closes on the key. If you are slow and the Ducky deflates before you get the key, you can remove the Ducky from the contraption by clicking on the contraption and then using the hand icon on the Ducky in the close up. Then reassemble the contraption and get the key.

36. Enter the Subway. Directly above April’s head is a subway map. Click on it for an enlarged view then click on the Watertown Bridge picture.

37. Once out of the subway go off the right side of the screen and enter the building. Inside, go to the right until you see Cortez and have a long talk with him.

38. After Cortez leaves go back to the Subway. Click on the picture of East Venice.

39. Exit right and go back to the Bridges then to the Boarding House.

40. Mickey and Fiona are on the sofa. Talk to Fiona then Mickey. They’ll talk you into watching a movie with them during which there’s a strange occurrence that leads to the next chapter.

The Longest Journey > Page 2