April Ryan - now and then

[redplague]

Why does young April Ryan have a moustache?

[HardWarUK]

Biggest marketing and financial mistake ever made in video gaming history when FunCom didn't make April the main character in Dreamfall.

Imagine no Gordon Freeman as the main character in Half life 2, or Lara Croft as the main character in Tomb Raider 2. And yet FunCom made April a bit player and turned her into a nut-job! Doing this cost FunCom around 5 million sales (Dreamfall sold 3 million on pc AND console - The Longest Journey sold 7 million on PC alone!) and around $30 million!

[Blackjack185]

@HardWarUK Lol, April wasn't a nut-job in Dreamfall. It's called character development and April Ryan is easily one of the most realistic characters because of her changes throughout the two games.

[thedarksaviour755]

April is easily my favourite charcter in TLJ and Dreamfall!!! April and Crow make the PERFECT/BEST game duo ever!!! I LOVE the hug Crow gives April when they met each other in Dreamfall <3 (as you can see in this video)

[HardWarUK]

Not having April as the main character in the second game was stupid. No wonder TLJ has sold 5 times more copies on PC than Dreamfall!

[8Quna8]

@HardWarUK I don't know. Many people who played Deamfall, hadn't even heard about The Longest Journey. I think the reason was that TLJ was one of the greatest in its genre. I mean, all required good-quest-elements were present. While Dreamfall, trying to get hold on action adventure, failed with gameplay, way too easy fights, and being practicaly an interactive movie. I think that was the reason. Don't get me wrong, I'm the kind of a gamer who likes Story-driven games, I'm just making a guess.

[HardWarUK]

All what you say is true. But I still say not realising April Ryan was another Lara Craft was the first and biggest mistake, all the the rest was about our multiformat market, where games are made simpler for the console market. I don't think console gamers are any dumber than PC gamers, so why publishers make simple games with action in every genre is beyond me.

In any event April was the first thing. If I started a story 'twice upon a wine' would you think a good story was on it's way?

[8Quna8]

Well, I do agree that having a little time with April was a mistake. I just don't think that it was the main reason why people didn't like the game so much. The TLJ fans, seeing that April was there, would buy the game definitly. Who hadn't played TLJ, wouldn't care about April being there, and it seems the most of them liked Zoe more than April.

By the way I don't think I understand what you meant to say about Lara Croft... ^..^'

[HardWarUK]

Do you think anyone at Core (TR developer), for one second, thought, "let's make Tomb Raider 2 without Lara as the main character!". Do you think Valve, for one second, thought "Let's make Half Life 2 without Gordon Freeman as the main character!". Was most of the gamer talk about TLJ about April, yes it was. Was this in the same way TR fans talked about Lara? Yes. So why FunCom didn't promote April like Core promoted Lara has always been beyond me!

[8Quna8]

Yeah, now I understand what you meant. You're right, they went intooo... untraditional way. How I understood it was that the whole The Longest Journey saga is not supposed to be April's story, but the story of the twin worlds in which there are many people, who's stories make change. Of course, that doesn't help the fact that they "wasted" one of the best protagonists and replaced her with someone less interesting :( They should have considered the rpesense of typical shopping psychology there

[DEFkon001]

I think the main reason (or at least a large part) that Zoe came across as a less interesting character was because she was sharing screen time with two other main characters, and the before mentioned change to "action adventure" : which IMHO has less opportunity for character development.

[HardWarUK]

@8Quna8 What you say, of course, is true, but this is in part because FunCom just did not release the follow-up to the 7 million selling (remember PC only!), translated into 11 languages TLJ. This meant it was released in our 'multiformat market' where game companies think console gamers are dumb and need 'non games' like Dreamfall. FunCom, quite simply, could have used the same TLJ engine for the follow up,. made April the main character again, released it in 2003 and sold another 7million...!

[Biopunked]

I kinda enjoyed the second as well..I was baffled with some of the story choices..but I bet it was done to prolong and enrich the overall story arc.

I didn't like how from perky/arty heroine she changed into a more generic fantasy leader..but there are roots for an inner turmoil going on there that might be resolved in future adventures..so we only have to wait and see.I believe Ragnar Tørnquist wont spoil it :)

[Brilin95]

I'm so upset! TLJ was THE best game i've ever played, and I want to play it again, but it wont work on ym new PC because it's too modern. are there any modernized versions that would work ??!

[RealEmotionX]

Windows 7 will contain a Windows XP Mode, and Vista may be able to run it with Xp Compatability on.

Windows XP runs it without problems

[01Damic]

Theirs a patch for the longest journey out thats suppost to fix the issues Vista has with the game.

[OMFGSEXYNESS]

You can buy a DVD version of the game that works on XP and Vista. Try googling "The Longest Journey DVD" :) Hope it helped.

(buy one for me as well :D)

[pinballfortress]

Patch your copy.

[xoxoHeavensDevil]

well :D i have one that works on my computer...which is quite modern i guess. so it means there has to be at least one :D

[MidgardEagle]

Why is she shooting bolts of light out of her breasts?

[reliewztag]

beautiful <3

[samtron77v]

well. Who the hell watches a video called April Ryan NOW and THEN if they don't want the ending to be spoiled? It's like looking up 'ending of twilight' and not expecting the ending of twilight

[Vilnia]

Well someone talked about dreamfall on a forum and posted this video in a link. And you're post is like, the first one on the page...

[oreolvrsshane1987]

ive uploaded all of the longest journey for all you fans

[WildRaven8472]

Happen to be one of those who thinks the old woman telling the story of the Longest Journey is an old April so i seriously doubt she died in Dreamfall. Plus the old woman's name is 'Lady Alvane' so if it IS April she probably got involved with Kian at one point. (They did show some mutual interest in Dreamfall.)

[HardWarUK]

It doesn't matter that she's alive or dead, as FunCom killed her by not having April as the main character again, and then having her like a broken down fool in the second. These two things killed Dreamfall in both gamer interest and sales, meaning a third title is unlikely. Imagine HL2 with no Freeman, or the second Tomb Raider with no Lara. Not having April as the main character in Dreamfall was just as stupid.

[samtron77v]

That is true I wouldn't play Hl2 without Gordon as the main character. Dream fall did not include any closure at all. The ending was just so retarded they made it too confusing and none of the things related to each other what so ever.

[kattenkari3]

April did survive at the end of the game cus of the breathing under whater thing she got in the first game.

ist true ai dunt lie

[HardWarUK]

nowhwere in Dreamfall did they tell you sh still had it, and when you controlled her, she did not have it in her inventory - so I am not sure you're right katten.

[reliewztag]

its not in her inventory because she ate it in the first game :D

[FrozenDreamfall]

don't say R.I.P she HAS to be in Dreamfall 2,read about it on Ragner's blog ppl,great video...

[LordAlexMorgan]

None of the three protagonist will ever die. The story writer doesn't need the stupid and long outdated cliché: kill-the-main-character to attach his audience and immerse it deeper. He's doing a fine job by weaving the story as it is. In the end everything will work out for everyone, one way or the other. It remains to see how... That's what makes the game what it is - the method not the result :)

[FrozenDreamfall]

I just hope it's gona end up well,I'd hate not being able to play with April again :'(

[akinkhoo]

April Ryan RIP... :`(

[pickpock]

It's not over until the next game ;)

[Blackjack185]

akinkhoo: Yeah! How dare you! If April has to die it should be because of a cooler death, not just getting stabbed and falling into the river! What the hell! I was like "WTF!" when that happened! But seriously what would TLJ be without April? She's the best character ever!

[akinkhoo]

i didn't want her to die, but we must accept that she was killed... :`(

[mortifagotenebroso]

I don't think so. In the end of the First TLJ , you can see that the old woman who appears is April Ryan some years later. You can know it, because the bird is with her and says: "We have lived a lot of adventures together!". For that, she didn't die and also she is called "Lady Albane" like Kian Albane...She married him? SHE IS ALIVE!

[outlawthorn5]

AAAAAAAAAAA....FUCK FUCK FUCK !!!! SPOILER !!! Screw you and your detectiv skills...bloody smart guys...they always ruin the fun ... :((

[mortifagotenebroso]

Hahaha. Sorryyyy!! xD And what do you mean with smart guy?! xD

Sorry, but If you are saying that the information contains spoiler...don't keep rading it xD

[badgersex76]

man seriously i consider myself a "casual console gamer" gears of war, halo etc. Played dreamfall it blew me away! so deep and incaptivating! but in my opinion even that is nothing compared to longest journey. The fact that sum1 like me who usually only plays shooters can be sucked into a ten year old point and click game is a real testament to its story and setting.

[speedaddict2008]

|-----***SPOILER ALERT!***----|

[Blackjack185]

I love April. She was an amazing character - very realistic. And what I really love about TLJ is that there's a sadness underneath it.

[DesolateLight]

April <3

[Suasasusaus]

Thx to all game designers ;*

Game is very beautiful, but I was sad when I discovered that April left Stark for Arkadia :/

If you play dreamfall after several years from playing TLJ.. eh.. xD

Best story/game ever!

[sandonicus]

this game is a piece of art

[PatroclusLover]

Thanks to developers of this game, of game, that let us go through strong emotional experience, that let us think about so many things. Awesome video. Really good idea to mix videos from both parts of the game. And April was & stays my favourite virtual character.

[dowika]

OMG! Thats my exact name!

[Harrower13]

April was the most complex protagonist of Dreamfall. A very interesting blend of hero(ine)ism and bitterness.

[soldersucker]

VERY cool video. I like how you grayed out the longest journey part 1 videos.

[dowika]

OMG! Its me....AHHHH!

[Thewhiteduke1618]

i love april ryan.......but unluckly dreamfall not going on my PC

[Harrower13]

Why's that? Pretty good game, though it leaves you with a cliffhanger in preparation for the Dreamfall Chronicles.

[mylunarcry]

Nice:)

[beloeng]

Great movie, easily five stars!!:) How did you capture the movies from TLJ? I couldn't get Fraps to do it...

[SitaAlvane]

You need TLJviewer :|

[forever77]

I can't get it because my Visual Basic 6.0 Setup Toolkit keeps screwing up. Hope you still have plans to make that second video. I'd be very interested in seeing it.

[SitaAlvane]

emm, me too xD but why?

[forever77]

Because I'm a huge Kian/April shipper.

[SitaAlvane]

My second video is about them :)

[forever77]

:) Looking forward to it.

[magnawiz]

April is called Lady Alvane when she's old :O

Kian Alvane?

[Blackjack185]

How do you know it's April? I have a strong feeling it's Zoe.

[magnawiz]

Kinda sad though because she liked Charlie before :|

[forever77]

I noticed the Lady Alvane/Kian Alvane connection. I replayed TLJ right after Dreamfall so it was kinda hard to miss.

But I have to disagree with you about April liking Charlie before. If you replay TLJ and read April's diary after she has been in the cave where she sees herself and Charlie, you'll see that she writes that she's not in love with Charlie.

[magnawiz]

Cave? The Banda (mole people) part? I missed that! :O

[forever77]

Yes, that part. See this as a brilliant excuse to replay TLJ (not that you need an excuse).

[forever77]

Wonderful work (5 stars). Switchfoot music is fantastic. And I LOVE you screen name.