The Long Dark

 PC
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 484 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 279 out of 484
  2. Mixed: 92 out of 484
  3. Negative: 113 out of 484

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  1. GhostSniper189
    Sep 23, 2014
    10
    The Long Dark, so far, is an amazing survival game. Survival games have been all about zombies or similar creatures, never the pure realistic struggle against nature. That's where The Long Dark comes in. It's not a friendly game despite it's soft art style, you will starve to death, freeze to death or die to exhaustion (not to mention wolves). It uses this kind of cell shading graphics yetThe Long Dark, so far, is an amazing survival game. Survival games have been all about zombies or similar creatures, never the pure realistic struggle against nature. That's where The Long Dark comes in. It's not a friendly game despite it's soft art style, you will starve to death, freeze to death or die to exhaustion (not to mention wolves). It uses this kind of cell shading graphics yet it impresses for how much it feels real. The sense of clinging to life is always present when you constantly find new places, train tracks, trailers, a dam, makes you hold on to hope, for a better day tomorrow. It may sound easy, but believe me - it's not. There are a lot of different ways of dying and you never know what will kill you this time, so the game itself makes you feel nervous...… Expand
  2. gameking
    Aug 15, 2020
    6
    The game generally boring. The maps are too big and you walked a lot. In this game you are doing same things again and again and again. The same foods same drinks etc. Everything is same.
  3. ProfAmateur
    Feb 25, 2021
    6
    Story:

    + Literally refreshing Story
    + Nice Atmosphere
    + Sounds

    - Can't change Difficulty during or between Levels
    - Far Walks (Time Killer) but it's kind of okay, because you are even more happy when you reach the Target
    - Sometimes Gameplay/Quests felt repetitive, especially in Chapter 3
  4. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    9
    I would wait until all 5 episodes are out. I really like the survival + campaign combibation. Atmosphere and art are great. Downsides are, that it often feels like a boring walking Simulator and the bizarre times he needs to do simple tasks. Non campaign mode seemed boring and pointless to me.
  5. ThCrowbarViking
    Jan 25, 2021
    3
    This is a game that is in development since 2012 and it shows.
    Graphics were decent for 2012 but were already dated on release in 2017.
    AI of wildlife is on the same level as guards in metal gear 2, only guard mode. The AI in "The Sims 1" had to take care of needs, here the AI has no needs, just patrol duty. Action and Itemwise the game is also very limited. Crafting is VERY    This is a game that is in development since 2012 and it shows.
    Graphics were decent for 2012 but were already dated on release in 2017.

    AI of wildlife is on the same level as guards in metal gear 2, only guard mode.
    The AI in "The Sims 1" had to take care of needs, here the AI has no needs, just patrol duty.

    Action and Itemwise the game is also very limited.
    Crafting is VERY rudimentary.

    Game Design follows the dated graphics, like in many games from the 2000s and 2010s this is not a real open world game. Yes, you can move freely, but transitions between Areas are only possible via specific routes. Imagine a chessboard, each field is an area in the game, to switch areas you must move through "transition tubes".

    Despite the game's release in 2017 in early 2021 the story mode is only 3/5 finished and it is expected to finish in 2022, 5 years after the release, with 10 years of development.

    Bugs are fixed very slow, with some bugs, like a cooking bug that did not make cooked peaches warm you up taking 1 YEAR to fix.

    Hostile animals can spawn in front of you and kill you, that is extremely bad as this is a rogue game, i.e. permadeath, where a "playthrough" can take weeks, which will then be lost.

    Instead of fixing the bugs, adding the final 2 chapters, the developers have been busy with porting the game to every game console, with ports for PS4, XBOX ONE and Switch. Of course there is also a MAC version.
    In preparation to the launch of Stadia they pulled the Game from GeforceNow, and put it back on some months later when Stadia was failing.

    The game is nice if you get it for    … Expand
  6. razorwind
    Mar 29, 2021
    9
    I'd say it's one of my favorite games ever. The art style, the game mechanics, the sound design (the ooomph in every step, clank, and rattle) really make it something else. I'm only giving it a niner out of ten because they're still not done with it yet. The first launch of story mode wasn't any good (and devs recognized that - hence the redux which ate A LOT of time). I think if theyI'd say it's one of my favorite games ever. The art style, the game mechanics, the sound design (the ooomph in every step, clank, and rattle) really make it something else. I'm only giving it a niner out of ten because they're still not done with it yet. The first launch of story mode wasn't any good (and devs recognized that - hence the redux which ate A LOT of time). I think if they would save a bit on voice actor and hired a better scriptwriter instead, this might've been one of the truly best survival games of this decade. Well, show me a perfect person and I'll show you a liar.

    The game is fantastic, and we'll see how its journey comes to an end - in the long dark.    … Expand
  7. titooo7
    Mar 2, 2020
    0
    I bought the game few days ago om Steam as I wanted to play it om Geforce Now on my crappy laptop.
    Now it turns out I can't play it anymore because the developer isn't happy because Nvidia didn't ask them for permission to support their game in their service. It seems they don't like free marketing and they dont appreciate those sales that they got thanks to GFN that they wouldn't have got    I bought the game few days ago om Steam as I wanted to play it om Geforce Now on my crappy laptop.
    Now it turns out I can't play it anymore because the developer isn't happy because Nvidia didn't ask them for permission to support their game in their service. It seems they don't like free marketing and they dont appreciate those sales that they got thanks to GFN that they wouldn't have got otherwise.
    I don't see why the publisher cares if I execute the game on my local pc or a remote one. I bought the game so they already earn money with it.    … Expand
  8. Boras
    Aug 3, 2017
    10
    WINTERMUTE UPDATE: ok, 3 years of waiting for the story mode. The story is fine, at least it seems. What has been done is remarkable. But....
    but....bugs, glitches, wolves popping out of nothing, invisible wolves, wolves running madly, stupid checkpoints, story vicious circles that force you to start over again...and above all, Italian language (a feature promised in early access)    WINTERMUTE UPDATE: ok, 3 years of waiting for the story mode. The story is fine, at least it seems. What has been done is remarkable. But....
    but....bugs, glitches, wolves popping out of nothing, invisible wolves, wolves running madly, stupid checkpoints, story vicious circles that force you to start over again...and above all, Italian language (a feature promised in early access) suddenly disappeared.

    I love this game, seriously, but this way of managing the game is by an amateur at best
    VOTE 3 to Hinterland, what the hell are you doing?

    ********
    I played this game for 50 hours so far... and yet there is so much to be explored! the Game has huge potential, but now it is crucial to see toward which direction it will go.
    I have two different approaches to this game:

    1) Pure Survival Experience: in this aspect, the game is wonderful, no objective, no ultimate explanation of what happened, no ending. It's just you, alone, in the wilderness.
    Walking quietly in the snow, you look for animal tracks, collecting herbs and mushrooms, you hear, you see, you feel the environment.
    and while playing you start thinking: "it's getting late, better turn back and my way home, a shelter, a cave, anything to protect you from wind and snow...and you light a campfire, the night is dark and cold, wolves are howling, minutes, hours passing, pure relaxation.

    2) Survival with a scope: after some days of survival and exploration, you start feeling there is something wrong in there, too many corpses, all human activity ceased, what happened here? Surviving isn't enough, you start feeling the urge to explore and understand, you have a scope, there is an end to the game (apart from dying of course).

    In the end, what can I say, I love Sandbox mode, no clue, no objective, just you and nature. Very mature and relaxing.
    On the other side, what will be the Story mode? will it be another among countless catastrophic survival game that ends to be meaningless and lose their appeal after few game hours?

    I hope the developers keep improving the first aspect of the game, Nature, its mechanics, the environment, everything that is moving around you. Story maybe an intriguing part of the game, but definitely, this game is great for the atmosphere and the amazing details of the environment, wind, tracks, sounds, calories, cold, dehydration...

    I hope the game will improve more and more on this side    … Expand
  9. xor7589
    Mar 2, 2020
    1
    Bought it for nvidia now, but greedy dev f-cks want more money and power to decide where I should play. Got refund, never buy anything from them again.
  10. awolcz
    Mar 2, 2020
    0
    One of the worst games. Really boring. And greedy developer. If you can, try to avoid this game and save money for some better indie game - which you can play where you want to, even on GFN
  11. Spottdrossel
    Mar 3, 2020
    0
    Delayed year after year after year and still not complete.

    They started early acces on Steam in 2014 and their episodic story mode is still missing 2 of the 5 episodes. Then they kill modding, because "it's unofficial" and affects "my vision". Of course they want to support modding in the proper and official way, but there's been nothing but empty words. Now they took it from    Delayed year after year after year and still not complete.

    They started early acces on Steam in 2014 and their episodic story mode is still missing 2 of the 5 episodes.

    Then they kill modding, because "it's unofficial" and affects "my vision". Of course they want to support modding in the proper and official way, but there's been nothing but empty words.

    Now they took it from Geforce Now because "they didn't ask permission".

    Who would have thought than an indie developer who left AAA because he was fed up with it, starts showing the exact same behaviour?! Stay away from this company!    … Expand
  12. Goncas2
    Mar 2, 2020
    1
    Bought it to play on Geforce Now. Yesterday the greedy developer pulled it out of the service. Refunded and **** every dev and publisher that does this.
  13. Daneal
    Mar 1, 2020
    0
    The game is ok, the devs are not. Indie devs caring about where I play their game. They're just stupid
  14. jeffcloudy
    Jan 5, 2018
    4
    Survival mode is decent, but the Single-player (story mode) is utter garbage. Needs more testers because certain sections are just broken. One section has you square off with a wolf, the game recommends that you avoid the wolf. However, there is no way for you to avoid it, because no matter what, it will always go straight for you (almost like a bug). You can light a torch to keep it atSurvival mode is decent, but the Single-player (story mode) is utter garbage. Needs more testers because certain sections are just broken. One section has you square off with a wolf, the game recommends that you avoid the wolf. However, there is no way for you to avoid it, because no matter what, it will always go straight for you (almost like a bug). You can light a torch to keep it at bay, but once your torch runs out - you are a dead man.

    Graphics are utter garbage, call it artistic but i call it garbage.

    Sound is amazing, they at least got that one right.

    Gameplay, is garbage. Why can I not boil water and do other activities? They should have allowed us to multitask. It's clunky, slow af, boring, and frustratingly annoying to play.

    I do not enjoy this game at all, I blame the singleplayer.    … Expand
  15. Frank70
    Feb 12, 2016
    10
    The time i died ...After about 250 days of surviving ( for a bad strike of misfortunes ), was the most painful death of all my video games life . If they nail the story mode it will be an awesome game . And please i will like a The Long Dark 2 with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter graphic !!
  16. HGrimm23
    Oct 3, 2015
    9
    As far as survival games go, The Long Dark is by far one of my favourites. Instead of becoming so cliche like so many crafting survival games to come before, it does not include zombies or other such overused horror creatures that we have become far too accustomed to. It instead is simply man vs wild and it does his well.

    One pleasant aspect of this game is the differences that the    As far as survival games go, The Long Dark is by far one of my favourites. Instead of becoming so cliche like so many crafting survival games to come before, it does not include zombies or other such overused horror creatures that we have become far too accustomed to. It instead is simply man vs wild and it does his well.

    One pleasant aspect of this game is the differences that the difficulty provides, making the game enjoyable for whatever mood one is in. Whether you just feel like wandering and trying to survive the starvation and cold, or if you are ready to brave all that this harsh wilderness has to offer, The Long Dark has the perfect balance of this.

    I continuously look forward to further updates to this early access game. Nothing but high hopes of an amazing finished game.    … Expand
  17. Heimdall74
    Mar 5, 2020
    0
    why did you remove your game from Geforce now I can no longer play when I am on a business trip, my laptop does not support pc games it is not powerful enough, I signed up for Geforce now because it allows me to play without having to buy a new laptop when I'm traveling !!! Mr Dev, you are stupid !! I ban your game for now !!
  18. hgfdasfdgfdsa
    Mar 2, 2020
    1
    Very unhappy with the developers decision to pull this from GFN. Absolutely childish and greedy behaviour. I would refund the game if I could!
  19. Ridden
    Mar 4, 2020
    0
    the developer said that I have no right to play the game until I buy a new computer from him. already sued for extortion. Now I demand a refund for the game.
  20. L337FOOL
    Mar 2, 2020
    0
    Game by a greedy developer who publicly outed himself online. Boring game not compatible with GeForce Now.
  21. RipGeforceNow
    Mar 2, 2020
    1
    The developers behind this game are restricting users on how their customers play the games they PURCHASED from them by refusing to let them stream on Geforce Now. Shame on them.
  22. Zodiacbraves
    Mar 4, 2020
    1
    Anti-consumer dev. Wants you to buy the game multiple times. Dont support this dev.
  23. Yaroslav0202
    Mar 3, 2020
    0
    Ребятки! Ловите свой 0/10 за то, что удалили свой продукт из Geforce Now. Больше играть в Ваши продукты я нормально НЕ МОГУ!
    Если Вы действительно считаете, что я должен еще заплатить Вам за Вашу игру, чтобы играть на виртуальном ПК, и, при этом, для ёё работоспособности на этом виртуальном ПК Вы не прикладываете ни единого усилия, то Вы глубоко ОШИБАЕТЕСЬ!
    Удачи Вам!    Ребятки! Ловите свой 0/10 за то, что удалили свой продукт из Geforce Now. Больше играть в Ваши продукты я нормально НЕ МОГУ!
    Если Вы действительно считаете, что я должен еще заплатить Вам за Вашу игру, чтобы играть на виртуальном ПК, и, при этом, для ёё работоспособности на этом виртуальном ПК Вы не прикладываете ни единого усилия, то Вы глубоко ОШИБАЕТЕСЬ!

    Удачи Вам!
  24. cento
    Mar 2, 2020
    1
    I don't know how this game is, because the devs don't like the brand of my mouse. So I cannot play it.
  25. Fayte256
    Mar 3, 2020
    0
    I want to be able to sell you my game multiple times. 1 copy for every room in your home you wish to play it in. Only reason to pull from GFN..
  26. aiat_gamer
    Mar 5, 2020
    0
    It is not always you see a indie dev channel greedy AAA publishers, but here we are. After making a game with the help of the community on kickstarter and early access, these greedy dummies decided it would be good idea to remove the game from geforce now...
    It is not like they did not make enough money, they want to double dip as well. If you want to support a game by devs who actually    It is not always you see a indie dev channel greedy AAA publishers, but here we are. After making a game with the help of the community on kickstarter and early access, these greedy dummies decided it would be good idea to remove the game from geforce now...
    It is not like they did not make enough money, they want to double dip as well. If you want to support a game by devs who actually give a crap, go buy Green Hell. It is a much better game anyway and it is on gefroce now.    … Expand
  27. Juunas_Fin
    Oct 9, 2015
    10
    The Long Dark, legendary game. Awesome graphics, if someone says "well they are a bit cartoon stylish" well so is borderlands and it does not make the game bad by any means. Environment, 3 large maps which are connected by secret routes and each of which contains some sort of hidden place "Easter egg". Starting difficulty is a great thing, you can choose your starting items and nature'sThe Long Dark, legendary game. Awesome graphics, if someone says "well they are a bit cartoon stylish" well so is borderlands and it does not make the game bad by any means. Environment, 3 large maps which are connected by secret routes and each of which contains some sort of hidden place "Easter egg". Starting difficulty is a great thing, you can choose your starting items and nature's behavior by setting the difficulty you wish to have. Cold nights, warm days is bonus factor and the chance of snowstorm or fog- Awesome.
    Best survival game in a long time, can't wait for story game play!
    [My way of composing may look interesting but check my name and you will understand]    … Expand
  28. Mike987
    Mar 7, 2020
    0
    How dare you?! (c) Greta T.
    Seriously, guys. You have no rights to make such decisions.
  29. BlackWidow
    May 23, 2020
    4
    Bought this a few days ago on steam for sale, and episode 1 of Story Mode was really fun, and I loved it. But then, I started episode 2. Ugh! Fetch this, fetch that, go here, go there. Very tedious and boring. So, I stopped and skipped to episode 3 (female character). Started out pretty good, then it just turned sour about 1/4 through and I quit. The DEVS surely could have made the storyBought this a few days ago on steam for sale, and episode 1 of Story Mode was really fun, and I loved it. But then, I started episode 2. Ugh! Fetch this, fetch that, go here, go there. Very tedious and boring. So, I stopped and skipped to episode 3 (female character). Started out pretty good, then it just turned sour about 1/4 through and I quit. The DEVS surely could have made the story better. It's total garbage. If you do play the game, don't bother with Story Mode, and just play Survival Mode. That's actually pretty decent, but it still needs tuning and polishing. A 4 is the highest score I will give this mediocre game.… Expand
  30. Zapador
    Oct 8, 2016
    10
    Is this a computer game or a work of art?
    Whatever it is, it is so in a brilliant way. The experience is truly immersive, the scenic views are like beautiful paintings and the atmosphere takes you in all the way.
    The Long Dark is by far the best survival game out there even though it features no zombies.
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Shacknews
    Oct 13, 2021
    90
    The Quiet Apocalypse isn’t without problems, but Hinterland's commitment to adding new content, while refining the experience over the years, has positioned The Long Dark at the top of the survival genre’s pecking order. The Long Dark is a must-play for anyone who is even remotely intrigued by it.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 20, 2017
    70
    The Long Dark is a masterful survival game that manages to craft a rich and emotional experience but lacks in providing objectives and narrative hooks to keep the game interesting and meaningful.
    Read full review
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Oct 12, 2017
    80
    The Long Dark is a survival game, one of many some will say, but with its interesting story and a touch of mystery, we’ve got a very good game before us.
    Read full review
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