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Play Overview
The Long Dark (2014) is a thoughtful exploration-survival game where you have crash-landed in the icy Canadian wilderness after a global disaster and must find a way to survive. Through exploring, crafting and fighting you must look after your body temperature, caloric intake, hunger, thirst and fatigue. This means taking on not only the harsh environment by wildlife and other environmental dangers.
You can play in Story or Survival mode in one of the six regions: "Mystery Lake", "Coastal Highway", "Pleasant Valley", "Forlorn Muskeg", "Desolation Point", and "Timberwolf Mountain". Your objective is to survive as long as you can while the game simulates a full day/night cycle affecting wildlife, windchill and other dangers. You can only save progress in buildings or when you sleep. If you die it's game over, the original save file is deleted, and you must start again.
Navigating is unlike other survival games. Without a map or compass, you need to learn the landmarks to find your way around Great Bear Island. You can draw your own map to create a local snapshot of resources. As the game world is over 50 square kilometres is quite possible to get lost. To help, you can leave markers on rocks, trees and cabins. If you spend more time on mapping, you can collect polaroids to unveil small portions of the surrounding area.
"Welcome to the quiet apocalypse," says the marketing, and it is right. This is a low key experience compared to other survival games. There are no zombies, other players or alien dangers. It's just you and ice-cold silence of the wild.
Our examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked The Long Dark 4 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 6 weeks ago.
You can play in Story or Survival mode in one of the six regions: "Mystery Lake", "Coastal Highway", "Pleasant Valley", "Forlorn Muskeg", "Desolation Point", and "Timberwolf Mountain". Your objective is to survive as long as you can while the game simulates a full day/night cycle affecting wildlife, windchill and other dangers. You can only save progress in buildings or when you sleep. If you die it's game over, the original save file is deleted, and you must start again.
Navigating is unlike other survival games. Without a map or compass, you need to learn the landmarks to find your way around Great Bear Island. You can draw your own map to create a local snapshot of resources. As the game world is over 50 square kilometres is quite possible to get lost. To help, you can leave markers on rocks, trees and cabins. If you spend more time on mapping, you can collect polaroids to unveil small portions of the surrounding area.
"Welcome to the quiet apocalypse," says the marketing, and it is right. This is a low key experience compared to other survival games. There are no zombies, other players or alien dangers. It's just you and ice-cold silence of the wild.
Our examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked The Long Dark 4 years ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 6 weeks ago.
Kids not old enough for this yet? There are lots of games similar to The Long Dark. Here are some similar younger-rated games:
Play Style
This is a Role-Play and Simulation game with Adventure and Narrative elements. This is a single-player game.
You can play this game in the following styles:
Duration
Play Time: This game will take between 23 hours and 44 and a half hours to complete. The story mode is episodic at about 8 hours an episode. The survival mode can be played for much longer.
Benefits
Age Ratings
In Europe, PEGI state: As a survival game, the player’s character is required to hunt for food, which necessitates killing rabbits and stags. This can be achieved by using either a rifle or a bow and arrow. For example, when hit by a rifle bullet the Stag bellows loudly, this is accompanied by a blood splatter and the animal falls to the ground. Similarly, when a rabbit is shot is will squeal, and there are small blood splatters.
The game also includes cut scenes, in one of which a character is seen restrained in a chair and subjected to repeated punches to the face. His hands are restrained around the rear of the chair, the character is unable to defend or move away from the violence which is regarded as realistic-looking.
Skill Level
11+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. This is a high skill and challenging game. You face a harsh environment and must carefully find and manage resources in a realistic and unrelenting environment. Crafting items, making the right decision about caution and ambition as well as eeking out your food make this a tough challenge for older teenagers.
Costs
The Long Dark usually costs $19.99 to $34.99.
There are no additional in-game purchases, loot boxes, adverts or subscription costs.
Free episodes can be downloaded, the first three of five are available:
The Long Dark
 | Xbox One | $34.99 | – | – |
 | Switch | $34.99 | – | – |
 | PC | $19.99 | – | – |
| Mac | $19.99 | – | – |
 | PS4 | $34.99 | – | Free PS Plus Extra |
| PS4 | $34.99 | – | – |
Free episodes can be downloaded, the first three of five are available:
- Do not go gentle - Bush pilot Will Mackenzie (player character) and Dr. Astrid Greenwood are separated after their plane crashes deep in the Northern Canadian wilderness in the aftermath of a mysterious flash of light in the sky. Struggling to survive as he desperately searches for Astrid, Mackenzie comes across the small town of Milton, where he begins to understand the scope of this quiet apocalypse.
- Luminance Fugue - Mackenzie’s search for Astrid takes him deeper into the savage Winter wilderness. A mysterious trapper may be the key to finding Astrid, but can he be trusted?
- Crossroads Elegy - In the aftermath of events in Milton, an enigmatic stranger rescues Dr. Astrid Greenwood (player character) from near death. Facing the blizzards of Pleasant Valley, Astrid must bring all her skills as a doctor to bear on the survivors she encounters. But will she find Mackenzie, and get closer to the mystery that's taking them to Perseverance Mills?
Game Details
Release Date: 09/22/2014, updated in 2020
Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One
Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Role-Play, Simulation (Adventure and Narrative)
Accessibility: 17 features
Components: 3D First-Person, Cartoon, Day and Night and Open World
Developer: Hinterland Games (@HinterlandGames)
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Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships. |
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