Introduction

One game I’ve been really into lately is the long dark. In fact I’ve been into it so much that I’ve decided to make a review on it. So to get started this game is in fact an indie game developed by Hinterland Studio Inc and The Long Dark being their first game they have developed they have set the bar really high with this one. Its a brutal survival game at its core and is refreshing since its only single-player and is devoid of zombies, instead you'll be up against wolves, bears and mother nature.

The Gameplay

The game has a story mode, of which is in seasons and episodes, currently included in the purchase of the game is season 1 and episodes 1 and 2 with 3-5 being released later on. I’m not going to deliver any spoilers on the story but the cinematics are stunning and cartoon like but thats for the better as they seem to set the scene and tone perfectly, the dialogue is suprisingly good and not cheesy, basic or unnecessary and the characters are developed well enough that I actually care about them. The only thing I didn’t like about the story, at least from the episodes playable right now is that the gameplay feels too linear and scripted, one instance of this was when the game literally forced me to hurt myself to teach me how to heal myself. I guess in a way you could say the story mode or 'wintermute' as the developers call it acts as a tutorial and to be honest I'd recommend people completely new to the game to play the story mode first. If you don't like the linear feel of the story mode then survival mode has you covered so props to the developers for that. Survival mode will plonk you somewhere random on the map you chose and from there you must gain supplies, stay warm, stay fed and hydrated and try not to die from a fall, or an attack from a wolf or bear. The game tries to be realistic as possible, it doesn't miss many details in terms of survival elements. It is possible to get sick if you don't boil your water, you can bleed out from an open wound, die from hypothermia and heck even your clothes will get wet and deteriorate over time.

All those survival elements can make the game is brutal at times. I simply sprained my wrist, ankle and grazed my chest from what looked like a 2 meter fall to avoid a wolf which prevented me from welding anything in my hand or being able to run, luckily a nearby wolf wasn’t interested and I was able to limp away. There's a real sense of progression and the game caters to all difficulty styles through different maps and difficulty settings, you can level up multiple skills through practising the skills or reading a book about a skill.

The Visuals

The art style of this game is rather unique but it’s something that I like, its a good colour pallette and considering how picky I am with colours, there’s not too much at fault here, some people may find it bland but what do you expect when you’re in the northern regions of Canada? The games visual and weather effects really immerse you in the environment of where the game is set and in terms of graphics quality I really couldn’t care because where the quality of detail in textures lack it is made up for in the colour palette and atmospheric visual effects. Its important to mention that you WILL need a light source at night time especially when indoors as the game is literally pitch black so make sure you always have some wood, tinder and matches handy or a torch with batteries. Also, be prepared to have a 10 hour sleep and still wake up in the dark, the game isn't called 'The Long Dark' for nothing, it literally simulates winter sunlight hours in northern Canada which can be rather short.

The Audio

There’s a real sense of atmosphere due to the ambience and soundtracks the game provides. You’re completely alone in the wilderness and the game makes sure you know of it. Though It could be a little overdone though as a mate of mine found himself freaked out by the excessive noises while inside a building making him paranoid, constantly making him think someone or something was in the building. That aside, I particularly liked it especially when there is a blizzard, it makes you feel alone, doomed, fighting for survival and that's what this game is about. You’ll know when you’ve been spotted by a wolf or bear as rather sad music will start to play while a wolf viciously growls and confidently stalks you making for an intense fight or flight situation.

The Score

To conclude the review, this is a game that I recommend you buy. You should however remember that it is a singleplayer only survival game and since it is built around that concept the develoopers have absoulutely no plans to deliver multiplayer in a future update and thats a good thing, it makes the game unique, the game isn’t meant to be a game where you work together to survive its supposed you, yourself, nothing else. I just suppose I needed to make that clear though as a quick google search will reveal a plethora of questions asking about multiplayer support for this game.

Positives

1. Amazing atmosphere
2. A pure survival game at its core
3. Limited assistance on how to survive
4. Story mode is solid
5. Lives up to its name

Neutrals

1. Single-Player only

Negatives

1. Can feel like it takes forever to walk between places
2. No character customization (would be a nice addition)

Score
8.5/10

A video version of this will be available on Youtube soon at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqDFU_vuW7Td8OPWMosZiBQ/videos