S
et in a brutal, freezing
Canadian wilderness,
The Long Dark is
quietly one of the best
survival games on PC.
Set in the aftermath of a bizarre
geomagnetic storm that plunged
the world into darkness and
rendered all technology useless, you
have to battle nature to stay alive. A
task made difficult by the wolves,
blizzards and inhospitable terrain
surrounding you.
The Long Dark left Early Access in
August, 2017 and it was here we got
our first taste of Wintermute, its
episodic story mode. Previously the
game was limited to an open-ended
sandbox, but now there was a story
to follow, characters to meet and a
goal to strive for. Wintermute still has
more episodes to go, so the story is
still steeped in mystery, but a
mysterious locked briefcase seems to
be at the heart of it.
The problem was: Wintermute
wasn’t great. It was a nice way to
learn the game’s many survival
systems, but it just wasn’t as
compelling as making your own
stories in the sandbox, and it suffered
from forcing you to do too much
busywork. That could’ve been the
end of the story, but developer
Hinterland listened to the feedback
of reviewers and players alike and
revamped Wintermute in response.
The core of the story is still there, but
the flow is more streamlined, making
it a less frustrating experience – but
retaining that feeling of always being
on the edge of death.
The opening in the first version of
Wintermute was a cutscene, but now
there’s an interactive sequence where
protagonist Will Mackenzie explores
his airplane hangar as a storm howls
outside. Little details are scattered
around here, giving you some insight
into his character. It’s a much more
satisfying way to set the scene than
just watching a cinematic.SCRIPT NOTES
The story has also undergone some
big changes. Before, when you
climbed out of the ravine, there was a
long, difficult slog to Milton, the
isolated town where much of the first
episode’s story takes place. But now,
shortly after locating your plane, you
stumble on the town much earlier.
The tutorials are also less invasive
and more spread out, which makes
Mackenzie’s escape from the crash
site way more dramatic.
Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale
(yes, both Commander Shepards)
play main characters Will and Astrid
brilliantly, and the solemn, downbeat
score reinforces the gloomy
atmosphere of the world. Theproduction values are impressive
throughout, and some of the scenery
is stunning.
Dialogue has been rewritten and,
in some cases, revoiced and feels
much more developed as a result.
There are no more long, silent,
entirely text-based conversations, and
now everything is viewed from the
first-person perspective, which makes
story sequences feel more integrated
into everything else. The relatively
simple addition of voices for all
conversations improves the story, and
your immersion in it, massively.
Other changes include a looser,
less prescribed structure with
occasional optional sidequests,
rebalanced difficulty across the
board, and a little more ammo
sprinkled around the world. But the
important thing is, even with these
tweaks, this is still a brutal and
uncompromising survival game.
While you’re following the story youhave to be smart about gathering
resources, seeking shelter and staying
well fed, rested and hydrated.
The Long Dark’s sandbox is still
the star of the show, however. Here
you have the freedom to explore a
series of large, varied, interconnected
maps, and choosing how you spend
each day is more engaging than
following a path set by a developer.
This freedom can result in some
memorable (and completely
unscripted) moments, like when I
ducked into a cave to escape a
blizzard, only to see a ravenous bear
rise up on its hind legs.
By making these changes to
Wintermute, Hinterland has made
The Long Dark a much more
complete package. The sandbox and
story are different experiences,
despite their shared systems, but now
they’re both much closer in terms of
quality. To the point where this is
probably the best pure survival game
on PC right now. Its understated,
painted wilderness is a gorgeous
place to spend the end of the world,
and the moments of relief when you
scrape through another day, barely
alive, are exhilarating.NEED TO KNOW
RELEASE
August 1, 2017
PUBLISHER
In-houseDEVELOPER
Hinterland
LINK
http://www.thelongdark.comTHE LONG DARK
Hinterland has given its survival sim’s story an overhaul. By Andy Kelly
STAYING ALIVE Some of the best gear you can wear
BEARSKIN COAT
You’ll need to kill a bear for
this, but it’s worth it. Not
only is it warm, but it will
intimidate wolves, making
them less aggressive.WOOL LONGJOHNS
This underlayer is one of
the warmest, and rarest,
pieces of clothing. The
downside is they need to
be repaired often.SKI BOOTS
These hefty boots offer
warmth and resistance to
wind chill, but they’re
clunky and give you a large
penalty to your mobility.IT’S A MUCH
MORE
SATISFYING WAY TO
SET THE SCENERABBITSKIN HAT
Skin a few rabbits and you
can craft this headgear. It
has a huge warmth bonus,
but it’s heavy and adds a
lot of carry weight.WHAT’S NEW IN THE BIGGEST GAMES
UPDATE