The Long Dark is an immersive first-person survival game, developed and published by Hinterland Studios. In this captivating game, players assume the character of Will Mackenzie, a skilled bush pilot who finds himself stranded in the frigid Canadian wilderness after a powerful geomagnetic storm causes his plane to crash. Mackenzie’s ultimate goal is to not only survive but also successfully navigate through the unforgiving elements and challenging terrain that he now finds himself in.

Gameplay

The Long Dark is a survival game set in the freezing Canadian wilderness, and it is experienced through the eyes of the player. According to the game developers, it is a “survival simulation that considers factors such as body temperature, calorie consumption, hunger/thirst, tiredness, wind-chill, wildlife encounters, and various other environmental elements.” The Long Dark offers three distinct modes for players to choose from: “Story mode,” “Survival mode,” and “Challenge mode.”

The game’s map is segmented into various areas, including Mystery Lake, Coastal Highway, Pleasant Valley, Forlorn Muskeg, Desolation Point, Timberwolf Mountain, Mountain Town, Broken Railroad, Hushed River Valley, Bleak Inlet, Ash Canyon and Blackrock Mountain. These regions are all interconnected with each other.

Story

During the story mode, the player takes on the character of a pilot who has crash-landed and is facing challenges in order to stay alive following a geomagnetic storm. The player’s ability to explore the game world freely is limited as they can only move within specific geographical areas.

How long is The Long Dark?

When it comes to the primary goals, The Long Dark has a duration of approximately 21 hours. For gamers who aim to experience every aspect of the game, it would take around 236 hours to achieve complete progress.

Reception

After a period where only backers of the crowdfunding campaign had access to the alpha version, a release of the game that included only its survival mode in a sandbox-style was made available on Steam Early Access in September 2014 for Windows users. It was later introduced to Linux in November 2015. Initial feedback from reviewers tended to be positive overall.

As of September 2021, 5 million copies have been sold.

At the 2018 Webby Awards, the game received nominations for categories such as “Best Art Direction”, “Best Game Design”, and “Best Music/Sound Design”. It was victorious in two categories, namely “Best Writing” and “Strategy/Simulation”.