Alright. The Long Dark has changed a lot since I initially reviewed this almost ten years ago. For one, the survival gameplay has evolved significantly. Back when it released, surviving 50 days was an accomplishment. Now, that's a drop in the bucket, lol. The work on proper balancing is evident pretty much everywhere in this game. And as a nice bonus, you can completely dial in the challenge levels to suit what you would like, from completely casual to 100% masochistic.

Additionally, many new biomes have been added over the years, expanding available content by what, like 500%? The graphics have seen upgrades as well. The voice acting is all done by Mackenzie's voice actor. Which is one of the protagonists in Wintermute.

Speaking of Wintermute, it still isn't finished, which is puzzling considering how much time has elapsed since the first chapters were released, but the four existing chapters are all excellent. For the most part. I really didn't enjoy the fuse puzzle in chapter three and most of the prison puzzles in chapter four. But the story and the rest of the gameplay loop in each chapter is a lot of fun. One thing to note is gear does not transfer over from chapter to chapter, so don't go out of your way to collect more than what you actually need to finish a chapter. You can't take it with you.

I own this game both here on Steam, where I have exclusively played the survival mode (and tried out some of the "Tales From" survival challenges); and on PSN where I have played through the four Wintermute chapters twice each (on the PoS4 and then again on the PoS5). All told, I have somewhere around eighty hours invested in The Long Dark, and while I put it aside here and there, I do find myself coming back to it at least every year for a little bit.

It's a truly excellent game with a ton of content and a lot to offer players. Almost ten years later (December 2024), it's still giving back to its player base. A must own must play game without doubt.

Alright. [i]The Long Dark[/i] has changed a lot since I initially reviewed this almost ten years ago. For one, the survival gameplay has evolved significantly. Back when it released, surviving 50 days was an accomplishment. Now, that's a drop in the bucket, lol. The work on proper balancing is evident pretty much everywhere in this game. And as a nice bonus, you can completely dial in the challenge levels to suit what you would like, from completely casual to 100% masochistic. Additionally, many new biomes have been added over the years, expanding available content by what, like 500%? The graphics have seen upgrades as well. The voice acting is all done by Mackenzie's voice actor. Which is one of the protagonists in Wintermute. Speaking of Wintermute, it still isn't finished, which is puzzling considering how much time has elapsed since the first chapters were released, but the four existing chapters are all excellent. For the most part. I really didn't enjoy the fuse puzzle in chapter three and most of the prison puzzles in chapter four. But the story and the rest of the gameplay loop in each chapter is a lot of fun. One thing to note is gear does not transfer over from chapter to chapter, so don't go out of your way to collect more than what you actually need to finish a chapter. You can't take it with you. I own this game both here on Steam, where I have exclusively played the survival mode (and tried out some of the "Tales From" survival challenges); and on PSN where I have played through the four Wintermute chapters twice each (on the PoS4 and then again on the PoS5). All told, I have somewhere around eighty hours invested in The Long Dark, and while I put it aside here and there, I do find myself coming back to it at least every year for a little bit. It's a truly excellent game with a ton of content and a lot to offer players. Almost ten years later (December 2024), it's still giving back to its player base. A must own must play game without doubt. [code]If you found this review helpful and would be interested in supporting my Curator group, [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/32549618/]Robilar's Reviews[/url], it would be appreciated. Cheers.[/code]