Recoil Offgrid – August-September 2019

VIRTUAL

SURVIVAL

Hinterland Studio

The Long Dark

Notes:
“Preparation and self-control are vital to your sur-
vival.” This lesson from The Long Dark’s first segment is
reinforced through every aspect of the game. Two main
modes are available, an episodic Story Mode and an
open-ended Survival Mode; both are single-player only.
The story takes place in the “quiet apocalypse”
following a massive geomagnetic storm that has wiped
out all technology. You begin as Will McKenzie, a bush
pilot whose small plane crashes in the frozen Canadian
wilderness as a result of this global disaster. Dr. Astrid
Greenwood, your ex-wife, had persuaded you to fly
her out to treat a patient in a remote village, but she’s
nowhere to be found after the crash. Injured by the
hard landing and suffering from the onset of hypother-
mia, you must take shelter in a cave, start a fire to raise
your core temperature, and treat your injuries to stop
the bleeding. Your character’s vitals — thirst, hunger,
fatigue, and body temperature — must be constantly
monitored and maintained. Exposure is a continuous
risk, with varying weather directly impacting your
character as you scrounge up resources. You eventually
need to leave your cave and follow clues to find out

what happened to Astrid. This story has yet to be com-

pleted — two of the five episodes are currently avail-

able, with no concrete release date set for the third.

Despite its many realistic elements, The Long

Dark is about more than pure survival. It’s also a cin-

ematic experience with characters you grow close to

and a story you become invested in. We only wish its

story was complete and ready to play, but as in real

survival situations, sometimes you have to exercise

self-control and wait patiently.

PLATFORMS

Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux, PlayStation 4,

XBOX One (Nintendo Switch release TBD)

PL AY ER S

1

PRICE AS TESTED

$30

URL

http://www.thelongdark.com

Pros:

Beautiful, haunting soundtrack, unique art style,

and compelling voice acting pull you into the

story

> Survival mechanics often surprised us — starting

a fire sometimes fails, strong wind can blow out

your torch, and hunting a rabbit requires you to

snap its neck in a visceral manner

> Manage your time wisely, because food can burn

and water can boil away if left unattended. Stats

drop as you sleep, and your fire will go out before

morning if you didn’t add enough fuel.

Cons:

At time of publication, two of the five planned

story episodes have been released. Episode

Three was promised in December 2018 but got

pushed back, with no precise ETA given.

> You’re forced to melt snow and then boil the wa-

ter for 20 in-game minutes before you can drink

it, perpetuating the “minimum boiling time”

misconception (see offgridweb.com/?p=7392)

ISSUE 32

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