The Long Dark - Game review

What is it?

The Long Dark is a first person sandbox survival game in which you don't punch trees to survive. In fact, you barely have any enemies but nature itself.

You are dropped somewhere on one of the maps (either at random or one of the 5 of your choosing) and all you have to do is survive. To do so, you will need to find food and water, sleep, occasionally fight or avoid predators(best you do the second) and most importantly shield yourself for the cold. Thus, finding resources is paramount. You'll need to find twigs and tinder so you can make a fire so you don't freeze and on which to cook food and melt snow. In the mean time you have to scour cabins and dead bodies of people trapped in blizzards for clothes, tools and weapons.

Progression and exploration

Doing tasks such as making fires, cooking, fishing, repairing, sewing etc will increase your skills and grant perks. But even if you find a fishing hole, you can't stay there for long as resources in this game are limited, and soon enough you'll be forced to find another place to call home for a few days. But be sure to be prepared as a blizzard might hit, and if you're caught in a -40C blizzard with not much clothing you're sure to die. Sure you can make a shelter, but it is impossible to sleep in them, and being exhausted will diminish your capability to carry stuff, thus becoming encumbered, thus decreasing your chances to find shelter before the storm ends. So make sure to avoid walking outside when they hit because not only are they extremely cold, but also limit your vision to a few metres. The art style, while cartoony, does an excellent job of instilling fear and awe of your environment. It is also complemented by top notch sound design.

Conclusion

In my opinion this is one of the best survival games out there. While it doesn't boast procedurally generated maps or complex crafting, the tools, weapons and other items you are able to build and obtain give the sense of desperation while trying to survive in a pre-digital Canada.
Right now the game is still in Early Access on Steam and the only game mode is Sandbox with 4 difficulty levels. But it is set to launch on August 1st, 2017 along with the first two episodes of a story mode, with 3 more set to launch at a later date.

( Photos and video used in this post are taken from the game's website )

Thank you for reading!