The Long Journey Home

 Switch
The Long Journey Home Image
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 4 Ratings

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  • Summary: It was supposed to be a short test run - a quick flight to Alpha Centauri and back. But when mankind’s first experimental jump drive goes wrong, you and your crew find yourselves trapped on the wrong side of the galaxy. Now, you are entirely on your own - and the only way back leads throughIt was supposed to be a short test run - a quick flight to Alpha Centauri and back. But when mankind’s first experimental jump drive goes wrong, you and your crew find yourselves trapped on the wrong side of the galaxy. Now, you are entirely on your own - and the only way back leads through the vast unknown of outer space.

    On your strange journey, you will encounter unforeseen obstacles and unimaginable treasures. You will fail and you will pick yourselves up again. You will suffer painful losses and also make new friends – in a vibrant universe that changes its design with every new journey. Your most important goal: Bring your crew back home to their families and friends.

    The Long Journey Home combines an open world full of galaxies, planets and anomalies with quests and mechanics of a rogue-like RPG. You have to make decisions - and choose to live with the consequences.

    One destination. Endless adventures. Where will this journey take you?    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. God is a Geek
    Oct 10, 2019
    60
    The Long Journey Home has some great ideas. But ultimately it is a victim of its grand ambition. Repetitive, often frustrating gameplay further mar the experience.
  2. Nintendo Life
    Sep 6, 2019
    60
    Playing The Long Journey Home can often be rewarding as it is frustrating. The creativity of the writing, the whimsy of the soundtrack and vast number of cosmic variations you’ll encounter makes each new jump a leap into the unknown. But it too often airs on the unfair, with a careful and calculated set of jumps undone by a sudden and unpredictable calamity or a trip to a planet that cripples your lander, effectively ending your game. The resource management aspect really is a drag, but push past the constant need to spin those plates and there are some really wonderful moments to experience. The procedurally-generated nature of each jump warrants countless replays – you’ll just have to deal with a game that’s often doing its best to scupper its own best characteristics.
  3. Video Chums
    Sep 22, 2019
    60
    If The Long Journey Home had focused gameplay and transitioned smoothly between its many elements, it would be a great game.
  4. Cultured Vultures
    Sep 17, 2019
    55
    I understand that The Long Journey Home is designed to be a challenge, which is fine. I just wish that most of the experience didn’t feel like it was always piling on more and more despair.
  5. COGconnected
    Oct 2, 2019
    54
    As it stands, it’s mostly an exercise in frustration. I don’t know what it would take to get me to return to The Long Journey Home. I very much want to. I love the animations of the ship landing in an alien structure, and the dialogue between the astronauts as you drift through space. The music creates a lovely atmosphere. The quests are mysterious and intriguing. But the core gameplay just isn’t there, and that discourages me from coming back. The Long Journey Home is bound to drift to the far left side of my Switch home screen, but I hope it’s not forever. I will keep my eyes peeled for an announcement promising “drastic changes.” In the meantime, I will dream of a better game.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. shreknel
    May 21, 2021
    8
    I actually like this game quite a lot. Played it for ~5hrs or so.

    The random nature is causing lots of unpredictable things to occur. The    I actually like this game quite a lot. Played it for ~5hrs or so.

    The random nature is causing lots of unpredictable things to occur.
    The intra-solar-system travel is nice and calming, if somewhat slow.
    The planet/moon landing is tricky, but I believe part of the risk/reward balancing act.

    I've only played it on rogue-difficulty once, which I like for the 'no-try-again' approach, but all other difficulties scale along with it (enemies, landing, resource-scarcity, ...). So I'm trying to become better in the 'easy' modes until I can deal with the higher difficulties.

    All-in-all, give it a try if you can find it at a low/discounted price.
    I really like the concept and mixing of ideas.
    Just don't think of it as a game with mini-games, but rather a survival-in-space game.    … Expand
  2. physcat
    Jun 7, 2021
    5
    The game have good ideas but I think that the developers don´t have any idea about the implementation. The interface isn´t intuitive and theThe game have good ideas but I think that the developers don´t have any idea about the implementation. The interface isn´t intuitive and the game becomes repetitive after a hour.… Expand
  4. themadwriter93
    Feb 22, 2021
    2
    I just bought this game for 4 bucks on the Switch during a sale. That's 4 dollars too many.

    Let me clear so that no one can accuse me of    I just bought this game for 4 bucks on the Switch during a sale. That's 4 dollars too many.

    Let me clear so that no one can accuse me of being ambigious. I hate this game. After playing less than an hour of it, I will never touch it ever again. The idea of it appeals to me, but the execution is so unfathomably poor that I can no longer waste my life on this travesty. Do not play this. Flying your ship from one planet to another is so incredibly frustrating and annoying that I almost broke my controller.

    Landing on a planet let's you play the worst version of lunar lander ever made in the modern age. You will crash your ship at the most inopportune time, forcing a restart.

    How was this released and not patched to be a less fiddly annoying mess?

    I cannot imagine wasting my life on this game. I just wish Nintendo did refunds.    … Expand