Created by German developer Studio Seufz and authored by Application Systems Heidelberg, who describe it as being “an unusual mix of adventure and idle game,” The Longing places you within the shoes of a lonely Shade-a small, shadowy creature with bright, bulging yellow eyes-as he embarks upon a single vigil because the last servant of the labyrinthine underground kingdom. Muted and stark, The Longing is set inside an entirely hand-drawn map delivered to life with spindly, wandering lines inside a style similar to Edward Gorey's unsettling Edwardian scenes combined with surreal, immersive scale of René Laloux's Fantastic Planet, all blanketed in an evolving, ambient black metal soundscape.
In the game's opening moments, you're instructed through the king to wait for 400 days because the sovereign goes to sleep and regains his strength and also to wake him once that point expires to ensure that he might finally eliminate the world of all fear and longing. The only rule: don't leave the caves.
What's unique about The Longing is those 400 days pass by in real-time, which makes it one of the longest games in existence at 9,600 hours. When the Shade awakens within the unfurled hand of the statuesque king, a countdown begins towards the top of the screen that follows you throughout the course of the game. The clock continues even when you've quit the sport or switched off your console. Your time and effort is entirely your personal to invest as you wish. Because the Shade, you can simply walk around, exploring the caves and discovering their secrets. You will find a hidden library filled with actual full-length e-books sourced from Project Gutenberg or sit at the office and draw. You can also collect resources like coal, crystals, wood, and minerals to brighten your cave and build furniture, making it feel more like home on your long and lonely wait.
The procedure for easing into The Longing brought to mind my experiences first acclimating to meditation. Particularly when you're accustomed to the fast pace and instant gratification of a lot of contemporary titles, starting the game can feel jarring. Because the Shade, you climb down from the hand of the gently snoring king. Then you begin a long, slow trek up a winding staircase, simply to eventually disappear into the yawning portal of a door descending into more darkness because the game's immersive dungeon-synth soundtrack pulses who are around you. Your Shade walks slowly, perhaps described more aptly as a crawl. There are no items or upgrades to hurry things up. There aren't any enemies to fight, no particular goals to achieve other than those you set out on your own. Your long strolls are occasionally interrupted through the Shade musing aloud to itself, its personality a captivating mix of ennui and optimism because it anticipates its king's awakening.
The consequence of this slowed-down, intentional play is that unlike in other games, that we play to get out of my very own head. In juxtaposition, The Longing becomes an automobile for getting comfortable being alone with my own thoughts. When there is nothing to complete but walk, I can't distract myself from embracing the loneliness. Initially, it was frustrating-I wanted my Shade to walk faster; I wanted to understand if the path I had been following would result in a dead-end before I arrived.
When I opened a stone door which was so heavy it took several minutes to become wide enough to let me go through, I needed to throw my Switch over the room. But the frustration was also a lesson. It forced me to understand the gift farmville was giving me, the gift of your time. I started to pay closer attention to my surroundings. I acquired excited at every item I found, even lowly pieces of coal. Stumbling upon a secret within the caves, even the ones that ended in disappointment, were cause to celebrate.
I love games that challenge my perception of play. Put one other way, I do not always play games to possess fun, though fun is often a fortunate side effect. I'm drawn to games because I often learn something about myself with the experience of being another person. As we continue to slog with the waning times of the coronavirus pandemic, it can seem like lots of hurrying up to wait-waiting for a vaccine appointment, for reopenings, for opportunities to reunite personally with friends. I've spent a lot of yesteryear year distracting myself, constantly filling my thoughts with content so as not to confront the pain and grief of isolation. If anything, The Longing permits me to process everything I'm feeling and thinking on my long, lonely walks using the Shade. Just like it's doing in its own long wait for change.
Originally released in 2023 for Windows and PC players, The Longing was made available for the Nintendo Switch just last week during Nintendo's Indie World Showcase on April 14th. I find that it is game that works really well playing handheld around the Switch. You are able to go on walks or curl up with it on the couch; the portability of the Switch means you don't have to be tied to your pc on your interminable wait. The game can be controlled by both the D-pad and buttons as well as by touch. However, the little buttons and insufficient descriptions produce a slight learning curve in determining the way to select up items and get your Shade to keep in mind its routes home.
While The Longing isn't for everyone, this is an excellent exercise in expanding our definition of what video games could be. You are able to explore and get to understand your Shade, filling its home with warmth and which makes it happy because it longs because of its king to awaken. Or you might put the game down, turn it off, and never open it again before the 400 days have passed. The choice is entirely yours. The Longing rewards your curiosity, invites you to definitely sit with your feelings, and reminds us of the importance (sometimes) of being alone. And, contrary, it'll educate you on that patience is a virtue.
The Longing is available now on Mac, PC, Linux, and Nintendo Switch.
