Dreamfall Chapters Book Four: Revelations (PC) Review

After the long, drawn out adventures around Propast, the rather attractive Zoë Castillo (easy on the eyes, definitely, helped by the stunning visuals that have graced all the episodes so far) has now touched based with the same rebel group that the male lead, and second controllable character, Kian Alvane, has been colluding with to overthrow his own people, the Azadi, who he believes are totally in the wrong with their actions against the people in the small city of Marcuria, set in the land of Arcadia. At the end of Realms, they passed like ships in the night, with Zoë being held for questioning at the time, just as Kian was heading off to rescue a small Dolmari child who had been captured by the Azadi and taken away to the prison colony of Ge'en for 're-education' (the gruesome reality of what is actually being done to his people, as well as the Magicals also dragged from their homes, is only revealed towards the end of this latest episode…). It was gripping both in terms of story development, as well as being perfectly paced, with some smart puzzles in the mix, and the developer has continued with aplomb.

There was a definite feeling of Red Thread taking on-board comments from fans and critics, alike, and it is certainly the case again here, since the scenes are shorter, sharper, quicker, and there is far less aimless wandering around, relying on sketchy memories and oft-unhelpful or confusing maps. The impact of earlier consequences started to play more of a role in the last section, as well, and again come to the fore in Revelations, drastically changing events in certain circumstances - far more so than before (and coming with an updated notification that is much more subtle and suited to the style). It is at this point where the desire to go back and try different routes through the adventure feels strongest, just before diving into Book Five, to find out how events could have played out in other ways. Who knows when the next part will be released, after all? Nothing has been announced at this time, sadly. Anyway: more about the triumph that Revelations is…

Crow, the sarcastic and sometimes a bit dippy avian sidekick, returned in the last book, and he plays even more of a prominent role this time round. Having such close ties with April Ryan, of The Longest Journey lead role fame and important part in its successor, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, where now-primary-characters, Zoë and Kian, were introduced, Crow is probably the biggest draw for older fans that were around back in the late 1990s when Funcom (who's head now runs Red Thread) first hit the big time with The Longest Journey. It cannot be stressed enough how much of a breath of fresh air Crow is, bringing not only a massive extra dollop of humour to the table, but also guiding Zoë quickly around to the next location, preventing the lovely land of Marcuria from suffering the same fate that the futuristic Propast did in Book Two: Rebels - in other words, becoming stale, and a source of frustration due to so much trekking back and forth.

After a short time in Marcuria, new areas aplenty open up for the heroine, whilst the brooding Azadi warrior, Kian, is given a multitude of intriguing tasks to complete. The former moves from place to place at such a rapid rate, with all manner of puzzle styles tied together - sneaking towards creatures to avoid scaring them, scouting out hidden notes, timing events perfectly, and, well, there is a seriously hilarious part involving a conundrum that gets resolved by Crow and Zoë without any player-input. Everything about Book Four: Revelations feels, looks, and sounds top notch, as well as handling smoothly. The only exception is some weird story sections later on that drag a touch - nonsense about a 'darkness' required in the world to create a balance, and Zoë needing to feed said dark entity with details of some of the deceitful choices made during the previous books. It grates when compared to the rest of the tale, and seems a slight bit out of place, despite the running theme during the story being about the 'Balance' - something is off about its placement, yet thankfully it is over swiftly and the core continues to shine past the quirky 'Interlude' section, with Saga now a 14-year-old eager to escape the trappings of her home, right the way through until the end credits.