So there I was, left to my own devices, with only $35 measly dollars to me name. I’d been looking for something else to divulge my time to, for a good long while, wherever, and whenever I could spare it. Upon my time looking for such a title, I scrolled up and down the Xbox, PSN, and Steam Stores for sometime. Titles for the most part which interested my fell within the Fantasy, Rpg, and Adventure titles. But, then I saw The Long Dark.  

I wasn’t sure, so, I sat it out. Not knowing whether or not it was worth it. Being another survival game in a seemingly endless ocean of survival themes in today’s games, It had to stand out, and do things a bit differently in order to have any chance of competing. It also needed contain a level of grit, that games do not have as much as I remember them having when released in the late 20th to early 21st century. Not grit as in lack of quality, and large number of bugs and glitches, but something which the atmosphere is gritty which adds a sense of realism that nothing is perfect and contains polish by lack thereof.

After much consideration of all my other options, analyzing what else I could purchase, including a large amount of old classics which I’d played as a child, I decided on a new story, a new experience.

So I plugged myself in to what is The Long Dark, which developer Hinterland describes as in disclaimer that it is not “a experience steeped in realism”. Although, it does this very well, albeit being a bit rough on the edges, and some things could be added to increase this effect. The developer releases a update diary each and every month, showing and telling what features are being experimented with, which is a surefire sign that the game will only get better overtime.

Spawning in, as per choice of region, I was presented with various things to explore and discover. Which, I think is the main point of this game. Survival, of course, is another matter entirely.

Following a simple but necessary needs list, you will need three simple things, and so is the goal, for the entire game. Shelter, food, and water. If you don’t have some form of coverage for shelter in the game, you will freeze to death. If you don’t have food or water, you will die.

The Long Dark employs a permadeath system, which means if your character dies for any reason, you must start again from scratch. That was how it was. Play for a while, die of hunger. Try again, and die from a wild predator. Little by little I would learn a little more on how to survive. Soon enough I’d be self sufficient, only to travel too far from where I’d decided to headquarter at, only to get caught in a blizzard, and have to find immediate shelter.  Only after a long while I’d overcome the seemingly random weather fronts, and make my way back to my headquarters.

The grading will proceed as I did in my previous Onimusha: Warlords, game review.

Grading Scale: Grading will go as follows

Story: 0-10

Gameplay: 0-10

Graphics: 0-10

Sound: 0-10

Overall: 0-10 (Average taken from 4 categories)

Story: There isn’t much story, as the only story that can be had is the Wintermute Campaign. What can be had from the story mode is a little of actual narrated, and/or fully voiced dialogue, but nothing else. I found the story very bland and disguised as a lot of quests of fetching items for the npc’s. If I was to call anything remotely unique, it would be the environment, but that is graphics and gameplay.

I was generally disappointed in the story mode, but I knew all along that Survival mode was and is where it’s at.

2/10

Gameplay: This game is a slow journey where you must spend lots of time and a great deal of effort to get anywhere. While I played, I didn’t encounter and bugs and/or glitches, but I have heard of the game containing quite a few. So, if one is into that sort of thing, the gameplay is huge, and even includes a lot of potential to grow.

8/10

Graphics: Improvement can be had, particularly involving the player character models, although only seen in story mode, and the clothing screen. I found these downright hideous. I also found that the draw distance on my Xbox One S to be very subpar, to the point where some of the grass textures wouldn’t bother to appear in my draw distance until I was only steps from it. Another issue I ran into was the lighting. Some of it was so wonky at the edge of some caves, that it would appear it was in outside, sunny lighting, even if a blizzard was going on.  If the draw distance was improved, and the character models and lighting improved, it would be alright.

5/10

Sound: I can’t comment on the music, as I immediately turned that off. But, the nature sounds were great, and came in handy whilst hunting. This is a game which obviously is best had with a decent pair of headphones, or a surround sound system.

7/10

Overall (Average of scores): The Long Dark was a generally favorable experience, and contained much potential. I surely hope the developers aim to improve on this, so it can get the features it so desperately needs.

5.5/10