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The Long Dark is a first-person open-world survival game developed by Hinterland Games for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Summary

The Long Dark begins with a massive geomagnetic anomaly that affects all electronic equipment. Cars, radios, computers and most other modern technology have been rendered useless. The world is quiet now, and, with no lights, the nights are long and dark.

Ld airplane

A front seat to the end of the world. Immersive first-person exploration game-play featuring a stunning, original art style. Navigate the savage beauty of the Northern wilderness while facing the hazards of a new post-digital frontier.

Survive by your wits alone. Be on the lookout for potential supply caches, all the while ameliorating and improving your survival skills to overcome the dangers of harsh weather, aggressive wildlife, lack of food and water, and the mysterious aurora that adds more uncertainty to an already uncertain survival situation.

Survival of the fittest. Deep survival simulation game-play whence every decision matters. Explore a large, open world in search of resources while balancing unpredictable conditions against the needs of your daily and, hopefully, long-term survival.

Game Modes

Wintermute

Survival Mode

  • Experience potentially hundreds of hours of free-form sandbox game-play. Push yourself and your skill to last as long as possible without the Story elements.

Challenge

  • Test your skills with scenarios designed to Challenge seasoned players. How fast can you complete these challenges?

Game Versions

As of December 5th, 2022, The Long Dark can be purchased in several different forms from Steam or Epic Games:

The Long Dark: Survival Edition

This version of The Long Dark includes Survival Mode and the Challenges, but not Story Mode. It is meant to be an "entry-level" version of the game, designed for players who interested in the core gameplay experience. This is the cheapest option.

The Long Dark

This version of the game includes all the content in The Long Dark: Survival Edition, along with the dedicated campaign of the Wintermute Story Mode. For players who know they'll be interested in playing both Survival and Wintermute, or who wish to play only Wintermute.

Downloadable Addon Content

The Long Dark: Tales from the Far Territory

This downloadable content for The Long Dark: Survival Edition or The Long Dark currently adds two regions: Forsaken Airfield and the Zone of Contamination, along with two connecting regions to Broken Railroad. Over the next year, one more region, Mountain Pass, will be added, along with three new Tales, two new animals, and more.

The Long Dark: Wintermute

This is downloadable content for The Long Dark: Survival Edition, and adds the content of the Wintermute Story Mode to the game. It is primarily targeted towards players who purchased The Long Dark: Survival Edition and have decided that they want to experience Wintermute.

Music for The Long Dark -- Volume One

Includes Volume One of the Original Soundtrack to The Long Dark, as composed by Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan. Features of 100 minutes of music composed across 4 discs for Episode 1: Do Not Go Gentle and Episode 2: Luminance Fugue, as well as ambient exploration music from Survival Mode.

Music for The Long Dark -- Volume Two

Includes Volume Two of the Original Soundtrack to The Long Dark, as composed by Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan. Features of 60 minutes of music across 2 disks composed for Episode 3: Crossroads Elegy, as well as additional ambient exploration music from Survival Mode.

Gameplay

Wolf

No electricity: Only you and the brutal, brumal weather. To stay alive you will need to provide for yourself from what you can find amongst the landscapes. Nearby structures may still stand, and, perhaps they are all abandoned; perhaps they still contain useful equipment. They definitely can provide shelter. And the woods—the woods are everywhere. You grew up with woods like these, you have fished waters like these. There is much that nature can provide and much it can take away.

Most important now is your health. It is only you, no one else to rely on. You must meet your basic needs. Where is food? Water? Where to sleep? What can be done to push back the constant, insidious cold? All must be answered by you.

With luck and determination, you may find relief — even comfort — here in the new wilds. But there are other places to be; there must be ways to get there.

Your only objective: Stay healthy, stay alive.

Mitigate the needs of survival.

Navigate a threatening region.

Eventually establish yourself after a while...

And find your way in the new world.

"How far will you go to survive?" — The Long Dark

Realism

Main article: Realism

The game is created whilst striving for realism in many areas and as such borrows many afflictions and core survival mechanics from real life. It gives players an interesting set of choices to play with safely. The creators do not, however, as a general rule, tune the gameplay for realism or to conform to real-world expectations. Therefore, new players may find some things intuitive from the beginning and may need to learn how some other aspects work during play or from other, more knowledgeable, players.

Wintermute Plot

Will Mackenzie works as a pilot for Jackrabbit Remote Transport prior to the First Flare event. Astrid Greenwood, his ex-wife, comes to Will after years of being apart to ask him if he can fly her to an isolated town in the Northern area of Great Bear Island to treat a patient of hers. She also brings a mysterious case with her and does not want to reveal the content to Will. While the two separated some time ago, both still wear their wedding rings. It is implied that they had a child together who had passed away. Mackenzie also used to have an alcohol problem that he claims is under control now.

After hesitantly accepting to fly Astrid to Great Bear Island, Will's airplane crashes into the Northern Canadian wilderness of Great Bear Island when a mysterious geomagnetic storm cuts all power to his instruments. After the crash, in Episode 1, Will finds Astrid's case but not his ex-wife. Thus, he begins a journey to search for her across the remote wilderness of Great Bear Island.

Reception

The Long Dark received "critical acclaim" from Steam users, according to Steam reviews. On release, it received mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics, praising its sandbox nature, the content and the atmosphere while criticizing the story. Fan base alike also criticized the story mode calling it a "fetch quest" rather than a story.

Achievements

Main article: The Long Dark/Achievements

Changelog

Main article: The Long Dark/Changelog

Gallery

Main article: The Long Dark/Gallery

Videos

External links

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P - S
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