To say I've waited (impatiently) a lengthy amount of time for The Long Dark to be fully released would be an understatement. I purchased the game preview in late 2014 on Steam and on XBOX in early 2017 (just for good measure) and was eagerly waiting to see the narrative behind the haunting and troubling world that Hinterland Games had created . I've played countless hours of survival mode since it was the only option available to players, and frequently checked for updates almost weekly over the years. So many hours of my life had been blissfully spent surviving long nights in lighthouses and caves, searching for that coveted rifle, and memorizing maps as they slowly kept getting released. After a while I had totally given up hope that it would ever be fully released and the story mode was just a fabled tale...then my XBOX game icon changed and I knew the time had come. Hinterland Games had finally blessed us with the story-mode for The Long Dark and it is a beauty. For those of you who aren't aware, The Long Dark is a survival-based game that throws players into the wintery wastelands of Northern Canada after a geomagnetic storm brings your plane crashing into the mountain side. It's a stark look at just how far someone would go to survive when pitted against Mother Nature. Your goal is to survive, by any means necessary, and search for a way out of the wilderness. It's an engaging game with an even more powerful, beautiful, and compelling story mode that was just released a mere twenty four hours ago. In the typical fashion, my first question was this - was it worth the wait? ![]() Hallelujah the answer is yes. I wholeheartedly love the story addition to this game and already managed to play through just a small chunk of episode one until the sun came up on release day and I realized I needed sleep. It really is that compelling and enthralling. The Long Dark has been one of my guilty pleasures for years, ranking right up there with Stardew Valley and Party Hard as my one of top played (and favorite) games on Steam, and I was unsure as to how this new addition would play out after so many years of waiting. Needless to say my expectations were met and exceeded. The story mode's first season, hauntingly titled Wintermute, has two available episodes for play as it currently stands. The narrative sees the player take on the role of Mackenzie, a pilot who wakes up in a ravine after a powerful storm brought his plane down into the mountainside a few miles outside of a small mountain town called Milton. Wounded, cold, and alone, Mackenzie must learn to adapt to his new surroundings and find ways to tend to his wounds, create drinkable water, harvest food, and make his way toward civilization (and that's all you get, it's worth the experience for yourself so no spoilers here). The goal is to attempt to not only survive but find Astrid who was lost in the chaos of the wreck. The story is told through short dialogue, flashback sequences unlocked by picking up key items, and conversations with locals as you uncover the mystery of the bright lights in the sky that brought you to this point. ![]() The stunning cell-shaded art style is enhanced by a realistically haunting soundtrack that truly makes you feel like you're at the will of the world around you. It leaves you feeling tense and altogether in awe of the breathtaking visuals as you hunt, gather, trek, and climb your way to safety before any number of things become your downfall and you fade into the long dark. It's everything that makes survival horror so loved, but amps it up to new levels with realism and depth. It really creates a sense of humanity in a genre that tends to focus on taking you out of reality, which is incredibly refreshing to see a game that pits you against the world in a familiar setting instead of focusing on fiction. The game is easy to control and has just enough of a challenge to it that makes it interesting without causing frustration. Mechanics balance time and resource management in a way that doesn't feel rushed but still creates urgency as every corner brings new challenges to face. You have to be vigilant, listening to the world around you and keeping focus on your health if you plan to make it to morning. Needless to say the story addition is well worth the wait and allows for a deeper look into a very familiar and loved landscape for a lot of players. Plus the addition of achievements, full survival mode capabilities, and new challenge modes adds a countless hours of extra play time while we eagerly await the remaining episodes of season one. Wintermute shows an all too possible look into a chilled apocalypse that begs to ask the question "how far will you go to survive" and dares players to step down from a genre saturated with zombies and wastelands to take on the challenges of the cold north. If you're looking for a challenge that's not only beautiful but daring, I highly suggest taking the plunge into The Long Dark and come face to face with Mother Nature at its finest. ![]() Written by Alycia D. (MaybeMockingbird ) All pictures are copyright Hinterland Games, in-game pictures taken from my personal play through. The Long Dark is out now on Steam for Mac and PC platforms, XBOX and PlayStation 4 systems.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJust your average geek chic gamer chick into all things ghostly and geeky (and vice versa) Archives
April 2022
Categories
All
|