The Long Dark Reviews
The Long Dark is a very ambitious survival title that ages like wine. The older it is, the better it is. The fans of the survival genre should be thrilled and the casual players won't be disappointed either.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
The Long Dark is a well cultivated survival game with an enthralling story mode heavily influenced by the early access survival mode which granted the game success back in 2014. The Long Dark beautifully pairs together intense survival an intriguing story resulting in an entrancing and addictive experience. With more content to come in future The Lone Dark is rewarding and enjoyable game, one that makes it worth struggling through those long cold nights.
You wake up to a faint voice, whisper and can barely make it out. After gaining consciousness you call out a name, Astrid! In front of you are multiple fires of what was once your plane. A cave lies ahead in the distance, you slowly make your way to it. Your breath forming in the cold winter night. If you look around you will see some of your belongings, get them. They are key to your survival. Once in the cave your very first mission for staying alive and bringing your body temp up is making a fire. So, you head back outside to collect sticks, branches and cedar. You will need tinder and other items to make this fire that is needed to survive. Directly after your achievement, you pass out.
The Long Dark is by no means perfect, but what it lacks in finesse it makes up for in attention to detail. The survival is tough but addictive, coming with a vast array of supplies to find and stats to manage, while the challenge mode and story accommodate players with different levels of experience and ability. It’s got a lot of ground to cover in patches and updates, but there’s still a mighty fine game underneath its shortcomings.
Calling The Long dark a "survival game" is not enough. It is a thoughtful, moving experience about loneliness in the wilderness, how to respect nature in order to be respected by it. Easily one of the best, if not the best, in the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
In all honesty, the Wintermute should have never been released in the state which it is in right now. And if you take it out of the equation, the Survival and Challenge Modes which also share flaws with the Story mode, are simply not worth the baffling $34.99 which the developers are asking for.
I’ve played plenty of the different survival games that are available at the moment, yet it’s The Long Dark that has hooked me in the most. The desolate wintery setting just appealed to me from the get go, whilst the tense ‘risk vs reward’ gameplay kept me entertained from start to end. Plus, I can always appreciate a story mode in a game like this – even if it’s not quite finished it… It’s not without its flaws, but overall I’d easily recommend The Long Dark to survival fans. It’s tough as nails and you’re going to die a lot, but it’s so intensely enjoyable that you won’t be able to help but to keep coming back for more.
The Long Dark is the perfect example of the kind of game you can make when you aren't rushed to release.
Yes it has a few niggles but overall its a fresh look at a very stereotyped genre.
I would highly recommend giving The Long Dark a go, especially if you’re after something different and love the idea of a survival sim with an interesting story.
The Long Dark takes an interesting approach to the bustling survival genre by adding a story-heavy campaign, and it looks to be paying off so far. The tale being told in Wintermute has not developed into anything wildly deep at this point and there has yet to be given much of a reason to care for the characters in play, but by the end of the second episode I still felt the desire to see everything through to the end. I needed to know how this unique apocalypse pans out, so the developer is clearly doing something right. The slow, methodical pacing may turn some potential players away, but those that can carry the weight of the game’s encumbering systems will find a gorgeous adventure worth the time investment.
The Long Dark is not only one of the best survival games available, it also features a thrilling story with twists and turns at every corner. Thanks to the multiple play modes that provide many many hours of entertainment, The Long Dark is truly the type of game to want if ever stranded on a deserted island, or stuck in a lone cabin in the middle of the Canadian Arctic.
I’m a sucker for survival games, so when the opportunity to review The Long Dark came through I jumped at the chance to review it. Playing The Long Dark on the Nintendo Switch isn’t my first experience with the game. I had previously played the game during its early access state on the Xbox One way back in 2017/2018. Back then The Long Dark was just a shell of what it is now and only contained two explorable areas and none of the episodic story.
If you want a challenging but enjoyable title, this is definitely it.
The Long Dark has finally taken the shape of a real product with the introduction of the Story mode that keeps you motivated to survive and never give up.
Surviving is difficult and for every mistake you make you are going to be punished. The Long Dark shows this the right way with an exellent gameplay, although some technical issues can get in the way sometimes. The campaign mode has its problems, but since the game is based on episodes, it can be improved and the game's whole mystery encourages you to follow its story.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Long Dark is a satisfying experience of survival that is both realistic and has good game mechanics.
Keep that fire burning, stay warm… and beware the wolf.
The Long Dark is a triumph. At times it may feel a little grindy, but there's always a level of tension thanks to its finely tuned systems never letting you get complacent.
In the end, The Long Dark won me over through the same war of attrition it demanded of me during playing. What starts as an oppressive wilderness and battle of the elements eventually unfolds into a gratifying progression as I learned how to survive efficiently through trial and error. They say that adversity builds character, and if you can grow some thicker skin, there's a lot of character in The Long Dark to discover.