The Long Reach Reviews
I left the game feeling frustrated more than anything else. With arbitrary, esoteric puzzles and a wildly inconsistent tone exacerbated by technical issues, I found it hard to get sucked into the game's atmosphere.
The Long Reach just barely misses the mark thanks to a painfully tone deaf script full of juvenile dialogue and puzzles that rely on process of elimination as much as actual thought-work. The general aesthetic of the world is appealing, with just well-crafted sprites, and the atmosphere is appropriately oppressive, but the overall story feels bound together by a script that can't decide between humour and tension. When every character speaks the same way, alternating between sarcastic quips and actually moving the plot along, it makes for an exhausting experience. Along with repetitive dialogue trees, it's hard to immerse oneself into the narrative. The game is short enough and might be worth buying on sale, but it certainly shouldn't be purchased for full price.
All told, The Long Reach could have used some more time in the oven. It presents issues that seem readily solvable—lighting, object highlighting, proof reading—but in its current form, the game is frustrating and not particularly enjoyable. Maybe some of the problems can be patched out, but until that happens, I can't recommend The Long Reach despite its intriguing storyline.
The Long Reach has a good potential and some clever puzzles, but eventually never manages to fulfill its promises in terms of atmosphere and scenario.
Review in French | Read full review
Brief, endearing moments become lost in a sea of infuriating dialogue, mindless wandering, and obnoxious puzzle design. Don't be fooled by the Steam page; the game fails to deliver on all of its baffling yet grandiose promises.
Overall, the hook of The Long Reach, the mystery, the horror elements, and the suspense, needs to be the primary thing you’re looking for in order for it to be a good fit. If you’re invested in that aspect of the experience I think there’s enough meat there to chew on for a few hours if you’re willing to be a bit patient and understanding. If what I’ve described of the story doesn’t sound very appealing unfortunately I’d say that the rest of the elements won’t be able to make it compelling.
An ominous feeling of despair and lunacy prevails over The Long Reach, with Calvin trapped in a mad game that gets more insane the deeper it goes. Between the lives lost and minds gone insane, it all builds up to a mid-game twist that will most certainly amuse you. The Long Reach is ultimately short and to the point. Repeat playthroughs should clock in at two and a half hours, while your first time through should be longer as you figure out puzzle solutions and experience the story for the first time. Gameplay and the presentation are mostly solid even with some technical issues notwithstanding. With the resurgence of point-and-click adventures in the wake of Thimbleweed Park, you could do a lot worse.
A quirky horror title that's too big for its own boots.
The Long Reach could easily be considered as one of the better point-and-click games of recent years providing you like your games to be a bit more challenging. If you’re easily frustrated you will probably give up way before the four or so hours it takes to beat the game, which is a shame because it’s a title that has something to give. It has an intriguing story that will make you want to carry on, but the narrative is a little off sometimes, which counteracts what it is trying to achieve. It’s certainly an alienating game, one that has some serious glitches, but those that stick it out and for those who enjoy classic games in this style, there is certainly enjoyment to be had.
A quirky 2D adventure with hints of psychological horror and some classic puzzles. Though its gameplay is riddled with glitches and its narrative full of flaws, The Long Reach keeps tempting you to peer around the next murky corner.
A dark and pixelated adventure game as arrived on the Nintendo Switch, should you play it?
There's some potential in the game, but you can't shake off the feeling that developers could do more with it.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Overall, The Long Reach was an interesting experience encompassed with an array of psychological horrors. The happenings in Baervox are a bit of a headscratcher, but that's the point - you're not supposed to fully comprehend what's going on.
The Long Reach presents a unique horror premise, while also providing some familiarity to the faint of heart.
At the end of the day The Long Reach is worth the short time it takes to play, I'm just not sure at full price. Had the ending really stuck the landing on everything the gameplay was delivering I'd say it's a must, but unfortunately the story is just alright. On sale I think any adventure fan will find enjoyment in The Long Reach.
The Long Reach is a well-written game that suffers from backtracking, pixel hunting and not always logical puzzles. We hope that the next game from Paint Black Games will take into account the shortcomings of this one, and it will be much more fun and addictive.
Review in Russian | Read full review
While the gameplay and story of The Long Reach are lacking in a lot of ways, its look, sounds, and feel encapsulate the best of the horror genre. Therefore, I think it's a good game you shouldn't miss, despite the problems it has.
The Long Reach is an independent horror themed game, in which we will have to overcome a series of puzzles to continue advancing. We are in a medical building doing experiments on the transfer of knowledge. When suddenly everything starts to go badly and we will have to try to save our companions. The OSB will introduce us completely into the game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Long Reach offers an enjoyable and intriguing horror adventure, with its puzzling and narrative both standing out as high points throughout. There are some genuinely clever puzzles on show that force you to think outside the box, whilst the world design itself is incredibly atmospheric and certainly unnerving as you explore each dark corridor. There are a few issues with the game though, with some puzzles feeling overly obtuse and the over-dependence on exploration to solve them feeling a little boring. There are a few little gameplay bugs too, though they’re more of an irritant rather than game-breaking issues. The pros outweigh the cons though, and those flaws don’t stop The Long Reach being an enjoyable adventure that fans of horror and point-and-click style adventures will definitely want to check it out.
For $14.99, I think The Long Reach is a solid game that should be looked at by anyone interested in adventure games or short, bite-sized indie titles. While it doesn't do anything that's new gameplay-wise, I found the narrative to be intriguing throughout and worth sitting through to the end. I'd say the game is best experienced on a big screen, with speakers or a headset that'll make each scenario feel all the tenser. I can't imagine the experience would be nearly as compelling on-the-go with the Switch version. While it's by no means the best the genre has to offer, this adventure is definitely one that's worth checking out.