Do I need to know any backstory before I play?

[Joker]

Got it in humble bundle, and i'm not familiar with this franchise.

[vioray]

you'd be best playing both previous games (The Longest Journey and Dreamfall), both are available on Steam, but if you'd rather not do that then I'd suggest watching a Let's Play or at least reading a synopsis online. there is an intro in the game but it's extremely brief and misses several key points of the previous games

[Aggrocore]

I was wondering about this too. Looks very intruiging.

[Talwin]

I played this game before the other 2 and can't say I missed anything major. You mostly just miss some background info about some npc's that could affect choices you make, but the main characters don't really know these anyway. There is a short summary video when you start playing dreamfall chapters which may explain a bit what happened.

Personally I wouldn't recommend playing such outdated games unless you really commit to it. I did like the story though, but the gaming mechanics are so rusty.

ps probably want to wait playing this game until the last book is released

[casualsailor]

If you really want the story and don't care about playing the game, a gameplay of TLJ would be the way to go. The game is so old and the graphics so low that it just doesn't pay to play on modern machine.

There are many good gameplays out there. Here is one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_nVGx99y2Q

Dreamfall is a little more modern, although I did not enjoy the game mechanics. But again, if you want to play it go ahead, but if you just want the story watch a gameplay.

[Somebunny]

You won't miss that much. I started with this one and I loved it, so I played Dreamfall:The longest journey afterwards (its okay...but terrible camera movement and lack of choices), but I'll not play the first of the series (I hate April Ryan...seriously, I hated her through the entire Dreamfall: The longest journey part and I won't play a game that has her as a main character...+ even more outdated graphics/gameplay and stuff) While it gives you some background on characters and your relationship to them its not that important and mainly a completely different story. The main Characters Zoe and Kian got a different (and better) personality in Dreamfall: Chapters and they don't really feel like being the same persons as in D:TLJ half of the time.

[vioray]

if your reason for disliking April is because of how depressed and bitter she is, the first game will actually show you a different side of her and show you why she became that way

[2ouvenir]

I haven't played the previous two games and I am still enjoying this one. They have recap of what happened in the game, plus I vaguely remember watching some playthrough of the games.

I am not good at summarising such a long game "the longest journey" - but it has something to do with magic and science between once existing together, and some people wanting to separate/control them because they want power or something. I am sure this isn't it, but who cares, it's just a game. Or is it...