The Longing

We can't lie - we hated The Longing. We hated every second of playing it for review. Is it a resounding success at presenting all of its themes? Is it thought-provoking in a way that few games manage? Is it an exhausting slog we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies? The answer to all these questions is yes. But, with all that said, you cannot help but respect the developer's audacity and unwavering commitment to their principles. What the game sets out to do it accomplishes with flying colours, and it's filled with clever ideas and meditations.Ultimately, The Longing is one of those video games that defies traditional scoring metrics. What kind of score would you give a game that succeeds so triumphantly at being utterly, utterly tedious? A one? A ten? It feels inadequate and somewhat trite to split the difference, but here we are.

Never has a game felt so divisive when scoring. For many The Longing is going to feel like one of the most ill-conceived video game notions in history. For others what is delivered is one of the most intriguing and addictive pursuits ever created for home media. With plenty to do, or not as the case may be, the freedom of choice is intoxicating. With so much time to kill also, every decision never feels like the wrong one. If things don't go exactly as hoped on day 1, there's still 399 days to set things right. Relax into that cosy armchair, grab a book, and watch that sand in that hourglass slip away.

The Longing is a real test of patience thanks to its slow sense of progression, but there’s no doubting that it offers a unique and intriguing experience. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of my time with the game, with the clever time-based puzzling and the mysteries of the world certainly keeping me invested in Shade’s long wait. However, it didn’t take long for that appeal to wear thin. I didn’t have the patience to fully appreciate The Longing for the long term, but instead find myself waiting for those four-hundred days to be up just to see how it ends. I completely appreciate what the developer was trying to do here, but it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate the game or think that it was necessarily bad… I just struggled with the amount of time it takes to do anything. But hey, who knows, The Longing could be the perfect game for you. There’s nothing quite like it out there and it deserves praise for that. Just bring some form of extra entertainment with you if you’re planning out a long trek in the game… you’ll need it.

With a touch of “you will get there with time” we get The Longing! This is a game that requires a lot of patience but is a surprisingly captivating and emotional game that it’s worth taking the time to connect to. In this game we take the place of a little shadow that needs to wait until he’s king awakes, and for that you can explore and do various activities. The Longing it’s a fun experience and a calming and peaceful game to play! So go and give it a try!

The Longing’s strongest aspect is how it encourages exploration while encouraging meditation and introspection. Most players will undoubtedly turn the game into a habitual pick-up, while playing other games. However, once they truly immerse themselves into this fantastically sombre world of the shade, the reflection will come naturally, almost willingly. It is very rare for a game to test the waters of what is considered modern-day video gaming, and even more rare for it to succeed. The Longing is exemplary in this regard; masterfully immersing players into the shade’s world as it spends 400 days in solitude. It is, without a doubt, an exceptional experience.

The Longing can be interesting, elegant, creative, deep and coherent, that is enough for us to consider it a great game.

The Longing requires patience but is a surprisingly captivating and emotional game that it's worth taking the time to connect to.

This is one of the hardest games I have ever had to review. Partially because I haven't played the The Longing in its entirety, but also because I simply don't know where the journey will take me. Many people will write off this game for being boring or too slow paced; I certainly grew impatient many times and had to take a break. But if the player can understand the slow pacing as a means to communicate The Longing's true essence, they will be rewarded with a purgative experience unlike anything I've ever seen.

There’s not much that’s engaging about The Longing which makes it a hard one to recommend.

No other game is going to make moving a rock across a room take three minutes and dozens of button presses. I just don't know if I think that wanting to play a different video game while waiting for another video game to play itself is good. Should an entertainment product be constantly engaging? I don't really know. However, I do know that I wouldn't change a single thing about The Longing.