When it comes to Canada, I’m sure we all think of maple syrup, hockey, and moose. We have become culturally learned about the land of ever-politeness from our TV and movies, and it has shaped a quaint understanding of what Canadian life looks like. The Long Dark is everything but that, save for it is set in the Canadian wilderness. The Long Dark has been around for a hot minute. The Initial launch was in 2017 and developer/publisher Hinterland Studio had been continually working on the game leading up to the release on Nintendo Switch (available now). The Long Dark is at its core a survival game. I am a little exhausted by the genre in a year when stepping outside feels itself like a survival sim, but ultimately, The Long Dark charmed me away into the call of the wild.
There are three main modes to play. Firstly, the basic survival mode. You spawn from your choice of a few different locations and your goal is simple: survive. It’s easier said than done, though. You have to drink enough water or you will die. Eat enough food to stave off starvation. Find wood and build a fire to sleep by, or else freeze during the night. It is mechanically dense, and early into my experience it was frustrating to try to manage all these different survival mechanics. After a few hours though, I began to feel the ebb and flow of survival, what I needed to do when, and how even just daylight and night can dramatically affect how I play. The second mode is challenge mode. It is functionally similar to survival mode, but with goals you need to accomplish while playing. The last game mode, and the one I want to spend the bulk of this review talking about, is the exceptional story mode.
Wow, there’s a lot to love. Currently in The Long Dark’s story mode there are three playable episodes (roughly 10 hours each) with two more yet to come. I spent most of my time here, and what a time it was. I don’t want to give too much away, but the story begins with Will Mackenzie, a pilot who is visited by the estranged Astrid asking for Will’s help to fly her out to a remote village with a mysterious locked case. Outside, weather conditions are severe and Will is reluctant about the venture. After protest from Astrid, he is convinced to embark. The travelers begin their voyage only to be met with a geomagnetic storm that crashes their plane. Separated, they are left to face the mysterious conditions of the island of Great Bear.
The mystery and intrigue are only part of what makes The Long Dark’s Story so compelling. To start, the voice cast is astounding. Mass Effect allums Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer (the voice(s) of Commander Shepard) play the two leads with extreme emotion and grace. Astrid and Will feel like real people, and you feel for them when they are put at their wit’s end. What really makes the game hit so well for me, is just the overall aesthetic. Having a consistent tone is super important in narrative works, you don’t want your audience to be confused as to what they are supposed to feel, and every aspect of The Long Dark has this tangible melancholy that I fell in love with.
The visuals are reminiscent of works like Ben Templesmith’s illustrations in the 30 Days of Night graphic novel, and feels like a mix of cel shaded graphics painted with muted watercolor which really stands out against the wintery landscape. There’s also the exceptional score. The music in The Long Dark again, adds to this sense of loss, this feel of survival by all means necessary. It is full of stringed swells that absolutely captivated me. And we haven’t even gotten to the world yet! Great Bear feels lived in, it feels like a real place, sans the mysterious circumstances of course. There are some minor graphical issues with rendering that I ran into (I played on PS4) but otherwise the design of this world felt cohesive. And I believe that is the key to this entire story experience. Every little detail, gameplay or otherwise, adds to the narrative. The empty town and scrounging for tools and food feed into Will’s desperation to be connected with Astrid. It plays and feels like a traditional survival game, but I feel the relationships with the characters and the story are only enhanced by the tropes of the genre.
And there are still two more episodes to come! I really cannot recommend this game enough. Like any good title, it lures you in with just enough challenge to keep you interested, and continues to present new obstacles as you progress. The Long Dark always had me wanting to play just a few hours more. I love when games can stand as “art,” and that may sound pretentious of me, but more than other titles I have played this year, every aspect of The Long Dark feels intentional and there feels a deep emotional, philosophical weight to its story mode. There’s some mystical realism, there may have been an apocalypse, but something is different as you venture through the lands of Great Bear.
When I was playing the game I couldn’t help but to think of one of my favorite TV shows, HBO’s The Leftovers, and how mood and aesthetic can mean so much to the narrative when used correctly. The Long Dark certainly channels that same energy.
Normally I end with some sort of punchline or chaotic comment about how, “now I know all I need to take a bush plane and endure for myself the wilds of CANADA!!” Instead, I will just say that The Long Dark is an underrated gem, and you really should give it your time and attention.
9.5/10
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For more information, please visit: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-long-dark-ps4/
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I am a writer from Portland,Oregon who has loved gaming since early childhood. Writing and sharing about the best in visual arts is one of my favorite things. Some of my all time favorite games are: The Last of Us, God Of War (2019), Journey, Persona 5, Borderlands 2, and Shadow of the Colossus.
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