A Quick, Light Review of The Long Dark

[@EddieNoon]

Fun fact about Timberwolves that both adds to game's atmosphere; If you enter a building when a timberwolf pack is chasing you, there's a chance it will trigger a unique audio track of the timberwolves growling and scratching at the doors, waiting for you to leave- or for the door to give in. Timberwolves will not give up a chase until half a day has passed where they're unable to reach the player. If you're in a car, they'll circle it and wait outside until they give up. I love 'em, they're genuinely really scary-

[@mr-timmons]

This does sound really cool, although timber wolves aren't particularly hostile to people. They are known for larger prey hunting using pack tactics though. Attacks happen with most predator animals, that's true, but timber wolves largely leave people alone in the wild, not sure why but attacks are fairly rare. There's probably something to be said for deep winter conditions driving higher aggression toward potential prey including humans though, but it's something I've been thinking about since starting this video last night. They are pretty timid irl, but in the conditions present in the game might be exactly the kind of conditions they'd need to be confidant in hunting a human. Weird to think about since they'll totally take on a moose.

[@sammak1862]

​@@mr-timmonscorrect me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Methuselah says something about the Aurora making the wildlife more aggressive than usual in Wintermute (the story mode), though not sure if it's when it first started or when it's active during the night. Also happy Cougar hunting (and having to constantly move regions every few days)

[@mr-timmons]

@@sammak1862 Ah, I actually don't have the story mode. I just bought survival. I don't play many games for story because I need multiple sources of stimulation for some reason. I usually like to have an audiobook going or a YT video. I wouldn't know much about the aurora and its effects on wildlife to tell the truth. I only know anything about timber wolves because I consume a bunch of seemingly random content during my free time, and to be fair, I could be completely wrong. I'm just going off of what I've been told/ heard from god knows what since I pulled this from memory.

[@sammak1862]

@@mr-timmons yeah, some people like story mode, I mainly like it to have a better understanding of the lore. Other than that, it's just survival mode with objectives. I'd say it's a great place to learn the map, but it's locked to one region at a time, so you won't really know any connector routes (like I know a good part of Pleasant Valley, though idk any of the connecting caves so I can't really get there or leave)

[@W4iteFlame]

And one of them lives in this hydrorlectric plant...till you go there and kill it. Or get killed by it

[@Giantshredder]

I was married for 10 yrs. I gave up gaming during that time. After my divorce i bought an Xbox one, and dove back in. Im 41 was a huge gamer as a kid in the 90s. This was one of the first games i played and it absolutely took over my life(this and dayz). Its such an experience. Being from Michigan, this game took me to a place in my mind i can't explain. This game is amazing...period. i could go on forever. Good video.

[@planescaped]

Had one of those wives who think that when you get married you have to stop playing games eh? Stop watching movies, you're married now. Stop reading, you're married. Get three more jobs, you're married!

[@cdogdeluxe6037]

@@planescaped sounds like a blast

[@DrymouthCWW]

Cool to hear. Just turned 41 myself

[@ell635]

I come to the comments section for the real life stories like this. It’s nice when a video game you love was a renaissance for others. Games are powerful. And they satisfy our needs in certain chapters of life in a way that is difficult to describe 🙏🏼

[@Riley-uy5pe]

​@@planescapedshocking that women would maybe demand better from their partners and then dump him when they turn out trash

[@imv2077]

the urge to make it as cold as i can in my room and wear my winter clothes while playing is immense and compelling

[@cryptidofthemarshes1680]

My mouse hand gets so cold while gaming but my keyboard hand stays warm bc my laptop gets hot

[@a.m.pietroschek1972]

That and occasional movement for your metabolism can make you less of a sickly gamer. Kudos.

[@theBeags]

Ahh yes! That's the way to do it!

[@vexling111]

was doing it back in the day as a kid

[@sirmagnus99]

I love playing during winter. Most warm weather times of the year I'm not play, but I look forward to the cold and TLD!

[@danytalksmusic]

Ugh you're spot on about the bear cave section. The number of glitches and bugs I experienced during that left me in awe. It's actually the first time I've ever emailed a developer to complain because of just how unpolished and broken it was...

[@DetlefDSoooS]

is it better nowadays? really on the fence getting this for pc

[@neyoshu]

@@DetlefDSoooS There's definitely a lot of bugs and glitches in the game, but personally I feel like they aren't *that* big of a deal. In my experience, most of the glitches don't really impact your run that much, they can be annoying, but equally they're often just silly little visual bugs that are hardly a problem at all. I've heard horror stories of bears spawning directly next to you and stuff like that; personally I've never experienced it, but that is definitely a problem with the game (which I've heard they are working on improving.) Despite all that though, I'd still fully recommend the game. It's an amazing and unique experience, even if it has a lot of bugs and technical problems. (Although remember all of this is purely from my experience, who knows maybe I'm just incredibly lucky with avoiding the really bad bugs haha) Source: am one of those mentally insane 1000+ day Interloper players lol

[@danytalksmusic]

@@DetlefDSoooS Yes, but there are definitely some elements that still feel annoying... but I'll say it's well worth the price. It's up to you how many hours you want to put into it but I've only seen two types of people play this game - people who get bored with it in 2 hours and quit, and people who get sucked in and spend 200+ hours on it. There's simply no other survival game with this level of detail put into the mechanics so if you want a challenging survival experience, this is it!

[@Tenderofyggdrasil]

​@@DetlefDSoooSwell I played that chapter 8 times over and never had a bug and that was 3 years ago, so I think it's just hit or miss and sometimes you get lucky and unlucky

[@commisaryarreck3974]

​@@neyoshu Tbf interloper is a lot easier once you get set up A wolf coat. Snipe some rabbits Learn to snipe wolves on the nose with rocks to scare them

[@jakemcqueen]

Truly this game is the "80s Alaska Winter Power Outage" simulator of our dreams

[@a.m.pietroschek1972]

Yeah, but he insisted `cans don't grow on trees´. He is lying, right??? 🤣 Five years searching for a Spaghetti-Bolognese can-tree, and then that!

[@verdun16]

I think it takes place in the 90s or 2000s because there are notes you can find made in the 90s

[@CroneLife1]

@@verdun16 , it would seem to be set at that time - 90s to 2000s. Some of the interior office spaces show both 3.5" floppy discs on the desks and cassette tapes on the shelves. The vibe of the game, though, could easily be "80's Alaska Power Outage" simulator, or - for Atlantic Canada, the White Juan Blizzard of February 2004, named after Hurricane Juan, which hit Nova Scotia in 2003 - but with snow. Lots and lots of snow.

[@fnhatic6694]

@@CroneLife1 TBH I doubt the writers even know. The game narrative makes no sense, everybody acts like the geomagnetic storm happened years ago but it's been like two weeks in-game.

[@brandynstahler5266]

one note. in the long dark's story trailer, there is a scene where there's the prisoners beating a guy to death and you take out your hatchet and then it cuts to a blood splatter. which means they did hint that you would potentially be killing people, but i guess they never figured out how to implement it.

[@Tenderofyggdrasil]

May end up in chapter 5. I got burnt out during interloper when chapter 4 came out and yeah I haven't played since. I started when the bleak inlet and Timberwolves were added but I have been watching it since it came out and I still love it. Its amazing and they do care

[@Vaguer_Weevil]

That's why I was never worried about what would happen to me in the prison, because I know human enemies aren't and have never been a thing at all. Although I was kinda expecting a stealth section in the steam tunnels, with the way it was laid out and with multiple paths. Part of me was hoping to see that happen, expecting to avoid prisoners while escaping, hiding behind pipes and stuff. I would have been impressed actually that they finally went in that direction of having mobile human enemies but I get why they wouldn't do that.

[@brandynstahler5266]

@@Vaguer_Weevil it's just obvious to me that the long dark is a survival sandbox first and foremost. The story is just dlc content. And honestly now it's marketed that way. Survival mode is the intended experience

[@Racc-Kun_YT]

​​@@brandynstahler5266The devs have always been pretty open about that as well, story is a cool additional thing to explain the setting but realistically no one is going to buy and put 1k+ hours into this games story in the way that many have with survival. Like at this point we're getting dlc quest and regions for survival mode while they're still planning free regions for releases.

[@cloudedfreedom6286]

And in the trailer, the girl is white but in episode 4 she’s black!

[@幸宏-m7h]

I watched your Legend of Dragoon and poked around a bit and found this video but man, I refuse to believe you're new to this. The script quality and the way you deliver it sprinkled with your personality and candor, along with well thought-out opinions of the game; it took several KZbinrs I know at least a decade to get it down perfectly and you're doing it seemingly effortlessly! Your channel may be small now but keep it up and I have no doubt you'll hit it big sooner rather than later. You got another subscriber here and I wish you all the best.

[@sebastiannettles9076]

I think it definitely helps the new generation of KZbin video essay makers that we have a lot more examples of good engaging critiques of video games to use as reference. Obviously this guy has a lot of talent but they no longer need to completely start a genre on their own and I’m excited to see the rise of these critiques that are more than “game is good/bad, let me explain the plot for 45 minutes and talk about my actual opinions for 5 minutes” and call it a day

[@BulyssesBwachowski]

@@sebastiannettles9076this is smart, you are right. This phenomena isn’t unique to gaming, either. A lot of professional “criticism” in film, art, books, etc., is over saturated with what I call “book report” criticism, bereft of analysis or depth, and instead built on rating metrics or ad revenue.

[@highdefinition450]

it's always so weird to see high quality videos from creators with very little experience and very few subscribers lol, like what the hell is going on

[@mariawhite7337]

God's I miss that game. I want it to be ported so badly.

[@Markm8]

This dude went into a mellee fight with a dude who has killed multiple bears and hundreds of wolves with melee wepons. Smart villain

[@dylanhaugen3739]

To be far the villain doesn't know this, if he'd personally witnessed you kill an entire wolf pack before shanking a grizzly to death with a pointy stick he'd probably think twice.

[@Vaguer_Weevil]

Plus his goons take all your stuff if you don't store them so either way he probably didn't know how packed you've been out there, he just thinks you're out there holding off wolves with a box of matches and an empty can. Dude's really not as smart as the game tries to make him out to be, if it weren't for the linear story I'd have just blasted the guy into next week. On that note it's weird how they only did the option to take a man's life just that one time and not bring that back here at all, I never killed that Hobbs guy since he's dead either way when you find him, but this dude deserves a few bullets at least. His goons would probably even be thankful for it, after all they only follow him because they're terrified of him. They don't seem quite as cartoonishly evil as him, like even though it was for personal gain they still didn't want to just let the warden die.

[@Kindlesmith70]

I love the title for this video. Long Dark is addicting. It's simple, yet complex. This game has beauty in it's design. I'm surprised this game still hasn't got a complete story. Wish there would be more games that focus on the survival aspect than unrealistic crafting aspects.

[@seigeengine]

One of the weird things about the human body is it reacts disproportionately to food temperature. That is, if you consume hot food, your body thinks it's way hotter than it is, so it overcompensates to try to cool down, and the opposite for cold wood. So, funnily enough, consuming hot/cold food/drink on a cold/hot day feels good, but actually has the opposite effect of what you'd expect on your body temp.

[@MikeHunt-zy3cn]

I always thought this was bullshit advice from my father, as he's the same man who thinks blood is blue when in the body. But no, he was right, and it's solid advice to cool down in the summer.

[@seigeengine]

Yeah. I didn't believe it at first either, but upon reading about it, it's both true and makes sense. After all, your body wants to maintain it's internal temperature, so if you jam something hot or cold down your throat, it's going to treat that as more important than, say, your skin. On the other hand, the amount of impact anything you ingest has on your body temperature as a whole is basically negligible. Even an "ideal" 160 lb male consuming 1.6 lb, which is about 725 mL/24 fluid oz of food or drink in a short period (which seems a reasonable figure for a large amount consumed all at once to me), is only 1% of their body weight. Even if you just drank water, which would have the most impact, even ice water would only be able to lower your body temp about 0.37ºC/0.67ºF, and you'd probably struggle to chug down a standard water bottle and a half of ice cold water. In contrast, for hot things, the effect is even smaller since you shouldn't be consuming food/drink 37ºC above your body temp, but maybe only about 20ºC above, meaning you only make a 0.2ºC/0.36ºF difference in your overall body temperature. And of course that will take time to spread throughout your body, while your body continues to produce and exchange heat with the environment. On a related but more obvious note: do not drink very hot things. It's common in some cultures, for example, to drink extremely hot tea, but doing this causes damage to the mouth and throat tissue and increases your risk of cancers developing there.@@MikeHunt-zy3cn

[@crimsondynamo615]

I knew I was right saying chili is a winter food. People say I’m crazy for only eating chili in December or January.

[@church6882]

Whenever i traveled to an Arab country, they’d always offer soup or tea. Learnt real quick why it was good to pick up the offer lmao

[@seigeengine]

They both also are water-heavy items, which will help keep you hydrated.@@church6882

[@TheOneTrueAnthemis]

Loving your content Anyone who's reading this comment, resting your brain and sleeping is exactly what you need to be doing after a concussion. It's one of those medical myths that persist to this day like starving a cold or something

[@Majuular]

You're totally right. Can't believe I've lived this long without once questioning that piece of folksy wisdom.

[@DustyLamp]

The only 0.2 truth to this is when medical professionals need you awake in order to assess just how much of your brain is swelling up and pressing into your skull. Then again, it could take a week for your grey matter engorge enough to be noticed.

[@seigeengine]

It's probably a case of sound medical advice getting skewed. The risk with people sleeping with a concussion is that you won't be able to recognize any progression of symptoms if they're asleep. You won't notice if things get worse, which means you won't get care for the person urgently. That said, obviously depriving them of sleep is a bad idea, and also this is only really relevant shortly after they get injured, when symptoms may get worse. Obviously, in reality, get medical attention and follow the recommendations of a doctor.

[@Shenaldrac]

@@seigeengine But how am I supposed to get medical attention when my plane's crashed in the Canadian wilderness? Better just take a nap.

[@seigeengine]

@@Shenaldrac Sure, I guess?

[@MrMango-ll3nf]

Your editing and writing make these videos so easy & comfy to watch. Keep up the great work dude!

[@Majuular]

Really appreciate that man!

[@TheOneTrueAnthemis]

@@Majuular I couldn't agree more. Have you considered looking at Golden Sun? I loved your takes on legend of dragoon and Symphonia and especially xeno gears.

[@ZorotheGallade]

I never really thought about it but The Long Dark feels a lot like Raft. You are put under extreme circumstances (middle of the ocean vs middle of a frozen waste), has a pretty well fleshed out survival mode, and a story mode that sounds like it would be incredibly fun but ends up with you just doing fetch quests for certain NPCs before being sent off and having to do very specific things to find the one thing that prevents you from just walking through the filmsy obstacle blocking your way. The main difference is that in Raft you get to bring all the resources you want with you to the entrance of islands and dungeons, but it still doesn't remove the idiocy of having to find specific "key items" like a wrench or a crowbar when the crafting system lets you craft a whole goddamn radar system out of scavenged copper and rusted scrap metal.

[@lylyart]

dude when i was younger (and now aswell) i loved the long dark so much and i loved the raft as well, i’d watch play-throughs of both all the time because i couldn’t play them. this comparison made me extremely happy and it makes sense why i love the both of them sm lmao :)

[@andrewbrittingham3828]

I don't know how to describe my love for this game. Its gotten me through some of the hardest times and it has been some of the best of times. It was the first game I ever got on steam back in 2015 and its been the best game I've ever played and the dev's still support it and care for the community.

[@sirvonhenroy4933]

Its interesting, I experienced the story mode so different from your perspective, i was so immersed in the World that i didnt take note of most of the valid criticism you provided. I thought the story mode was fun especially the later chapters!

[@MikeHunt-zy3cn]

Actually, you should rest after a concussion (also after being examined by a medical proffessional, of course) because sleep will help the brain heal and get things back in order. Forcing yourself awake might actually make things worse during the healing process.

[@Drikkerbadevand]

Yep. Lots of misconceptions about concussions

[@a.m.pietroschek1972]

Wise words, very often true.

[@operator8014]

The idea of people staying awake after a concussion is to see if you show signs or symptoms of a brain bleed. This is nonsense though, because the symptoms of a brain bleed are indistinguishable from the symptoms of a normal concussion. And even if you DO have a brain bleed, if you aren't forceably staying awake in a hospital ER that just happens to have a brain surgeon on-duty and not busy, you're a goner anyways. So just let 'em sleep.

[@rephlanca]

I have such a funny relationship with this game. I had downloaded it at some point a long time ago and I remember the general story being that you’re a scientist working in the forest, then the EMP storm thing hits, and you have to survive/seek help. I played a little but never got very far and kind of dropped it. A long time later, I started the game up again and suddenly there was this whole plot in story mode with a plane and actual characters! It took me by surprise. But I can only assume I had played the early beta-version of the game. Either way, great video!! I hope the string quartet grows on you, I always felt the melancholy, eerie feeling of it just immersed me more haha.

[@stuglife5514]

I’m gonna be honest, I adore the “pick someone up and carry them” approach over the standard escort quest. A few examples of my favorites of this mechanic, would be CS:GO/CS:2 with picking up the hostage as a CT to extract him, you sling him up over your shoulders and you hear his panicked breathing and everything. In older CS games, the hostages were stupid af NPCs that would get themselves killed. Another example would be ArmA 3 Praire Fire. There’s been so many times my buddys been hit by a bullet, and I have to drag him by his collar into cover and call for a medic while I use my other hand to shoot my rifle, or said F it and sling him over my shoulders for a very intense 70 meter dash through open fire to get him to a medic. Sometimes I have to drop him so I can use my rifle to defend us. Sometimes I get hit trying to carry him and we both bleed out in a ditch together. Another example would be MWII (2022) DMZ, where the hostage extraction missions requires you to carry a hostage to a extraction helicopter with the hostage building and helicopter LZ somewhat randomized, having to drop the hostage to use your rifle and making sure he’s safe and doesn’t get hit by stray bullets, or thinking ahead and bringing a handgun so at the very least you can defend yourself while carrying him, makes for an extremely tense extraction, even with teammates. Granted these are multiplayer experiences I’ve mentioned but, escort missions can be honestly really great if the mechanics of the escorting don’t conflict with the mechanics of the rest of the game. It should be fluid and easy to do. And it’s way better then guiding a braindead NPC to a location or worse, following a NPC who walks in a predermined path, slower then your player jog pace but slightly faster then your player walk pace FORCING you to ever 3 seconds hit sprint for a few seconds to catch up to the NPC ACTIVATING STICKY KEYS AHHHH

[@breezygta101]

The first time I played Wintermute I loved it. I didn’t really experience any of the problems you mentioned (Other than the horrible sneak scene with the bear.) I think it just depends on the way you play it. If you go from objective to objective, it’s not very good. If you treat it like survival then it becomes a lot better. Exploring the map between objectives and not focusing solely on them makes them a lot more tolerable and enjoyable.

[@FFxStrife]

You know what, it's been a few videos now and I'm positive I can listen to you talk about anything for an hour. Great work on these videos!

[@47ejecting2]

"I don't even like survival games - why am I still watching this? ... Oh right, it's a Majuular vid."

[@Nightweaver1]

The Long Dark may be one of the most challenging games ever made, and I say that as someone who's played video games for over 32 years. Also, I assume you're Canadian? Moose can be a real problem up there from what I've heard, more even than wolves. Because moose will just run out in front of your car and then it's bye-bye car.

[@joearnold6881]

Hell, I’m from Boston, and if I drive north or west for a bit moose are definitely a thing. Rare, but when you see one dwarfing your car, it sticks with you. (Apparently they were gone from around here for a long time but reappeared recently, which is wicked cool!) And if I head into New Hampshire and Maine, they’re more and more frequent. Don’t fuck with them! They’re like leftovers from the Pleistocene, when we had megafauna no Nkrth America still. Not to mention, one once bit my sister.

[@LunaRoseManor]

I felt prepared as I hiked towards the radio tower. But just as I was cresting a hill the wind picked up, the sun sank beneath the horizon and I began to feel the chill down to my bones. No matter, I thought, I'll just build a fire. It went out, so I built another one without so much as a spark. The realisation hit me harder than the midnight snow. I had died minutes ago and not even noticed. Moments like that are priceless and they happen off the cuff in The Long Dark as if it's trivial.

[@Tristanstjames]

Man, you do such good work, how is your channel not more popular? Good analyses, good humor (the boys house sequence in your ToS video? Loved it!), just plain good work. Well done, and thank you for your work, it really shows how much effort you put into these.

[@guyman9655]

I remember playing the game with my sister and brother, we were on the hunt for a moose in one of the newer areas. The bastard found me before I found it, he broke my guys ribs, effectively trapping me in the area during a massive blizzard, I had killed him while fleeing to shelter. I then spent several in game days and gaming sessions desperately scavenging and hunting rabbits in a small shack I found. The most triumphant gaming experiences I've ever had was when I finally crawled my way out of that area with my pack full of moose meat and it's pelt.

[@platinum_vault]

This video fullfills a need, I didn’t know I had. I was one of the backers in 2013. Since then I have been following the development of The Long Dark. I am in love with the game. I love the exploration and the survival aspects. The game is gorgeous, the music is atsmospheric. I can lose myself in the world. The Long Dark is a game come true. Exploration and Survival are my favorite things in games. I am fueled by curiosity. What’s around the next corner? What’s in the box? Can I help anyone and get something great in return? The Long Dark used to deliver satisfaction for a very long time. I learned a lot about the world with every update. But sometimes I wish, I could erase my memory and discover the game for the first time in its entirety. Overwhelmed by the map. What do I find so appealing about survival stories? Good question. It’s the simplicity. The focus on the most important things in life. Yes, my view on survival is clouded. I know, reality would wreck me. But I do know, how to make a fire. I love a sense of adventure, without anything supernatural. I enjoyed story mode, but sometimes it feels directionless. That’s why I liked story mode as an addition. It was a nice change of pace and some of the lonely moments were broken up. I am not a superfan of fetch quests, but I like helping people (NPCs). But I agree, some sections were not fun (using the spear, the timberwolves, etc.). Interestingly enough: I am not a big fan of the combat. That is one of the weakpoints for me. The Long Dark is peak surivival exploration. Sometimes, I wish, I could improve the world around me. Fix things (not only things in mines). Repair a roof. Build a shed. Re-arrange the furnature. That would be the non-plus ultra. Great video. I loved listening to your thoughts and see the game again. I haven’t played in a long time, but I always want to go back at some point. Definitely at release of episode 5.

[@KamleshMallick]

Did u invest in hinterland in 2013?

[@neilburns3121]

that little horn toot at the start made me laugh way harder than it had any right to. Subbed, can't wait for more.

[@jonnietsunami9992]

That Kenny Vs Spenny Clip made my day

[@velvety3459]

This channel has been such a marvellous discovery!! I love your work, thank you for making these videos

[@CrabQueen]

The story mode feels like it's been made purly out of spite past chapter 1.

[@ghost_1153]

Fr

[@a_malicious_tea2658]

It's a real shame it just feels that they wrote themselves into a corner with the prisoners in general, most annoyingly how did they get to Milton considering the tunnel collapse is supposed to be a decade old.

[@TocsTheWanderer]

@@a_malicious_tea2658 It's not though. There were earthquakes that damaged a bunch of infrastructure all over the island before the story, but more earthquakes started after the auroras began, and the prisoner transport bus was driving through that tunnel right when one hit. When they're talking about "The Collapse" that happened a decade ago in the story mode, they're referring to a fictional economic collapse that was like the 2008 Recession but several times worse.

[@Rozonkomo]

I had all but forgotten this game existed, it's not something I would ever play and is only something I saw once on a stream for about an hour maybe 6-8 years ago when it was still super early access. I think it was PyrionFlax wandering through the woods to the dam when that was the only slice of the game available to the public. I say all of this because your review was thoughtful, and well written enough that I actually hope when the last episode comes out you round this out with your thoughts on the ending. Good job.

[@metalmachine4433]

9 years, man. What a Journey. This game never gets old, the feeling is always the same, glad the developers stay true to the original idea. Also, wolf struggle is not that hard...especially if you're a pianist with excellent trilling skills. There is something about this creation that makes it soo isolated from every other games out there. Maybe it has something to do with human evolution. You know, survival, campfire, providing for yourself has been a thing in our lives for tens of thousands of years. It is burned in our DNA, as it has followed us with our journey for a long time.

[@drewvishinski1340]

headstrong wolf is comedy gold

[@thundernut1893]

Fantastic work mate! love your sense of humour and jokes and am definatly looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. very comfy

[@averynelson1186]

There were parts of this review where you were literally just describing actual real life wilderness survival Which means this game is very good

[@ellw7830]

this is one of my favorite things about this game; all of the natural medicine/herbal remedies are 100% true to life. reishi tea, old man's beard, birch bark and more can all be used for various ailments, and it was so cool to see that implemented!

[@Silvarian]

Also, your rate of content production is insane. Wish I had that level of motivation for my work 😂

[@biologezwei]

I think that story mode works well as an introduction/almost a tutorial. You get to know a handful of regions pretty well, get to know some of the survival mechanics, without being too harsh. I started in early access with just three (?) regions, and then experienced new regions when they were introduced. That way, I slowly got to know the lay of the land. But if you start now, there are 10+ regions, and I imagine it can be really overwhelming. Survival mode is where this game really shines, but I did enjoy story mode, too. Anyway, great video!

[@solikeletsbenerdy]

Damn man this is a good video I like your in-depth explanations on any content you cover can't wait to see your channel flourish

[@СвятославСемчук-й8н]

Fun fact: back when there was only 2 episodes released, story aspect of the story mode was even more barebones, but the gameplay itself was a lot more like survival so you could have some degree of fun playing it. Making the story mode so linear and casual was a huge step backwards for hinterland, and is my belief why barely anyone even bothers with the story mode anymore

[@C_Owl]

The way you describe a 'comfy' game brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful video

[@kvltizt]

Successfully surviving after being near death is so satisfying. I love this game.

[@metaleggman18]

At 17:51 I saw this and thought it was in-game footage until I realized it looked way too realistic 😂 then I noticed the credit

[@mangs856]

Who tf has a pretty damn solid Jesse Venture impression to call on at will? Such a niche voice to master. I love it. He's always just barely on the periphery a different corner of the zeitgeist like once a decade or so, and always for unique reasons each time. Wild dude. He's like a chameleon you don't want to share a room with. Anyway, love your stuff, man. Keep doing what you're doing. Top quality nonsense AND top quality game reviews? Deal.

[@submerged7640]

This man nailed what makes this game great. The value of time, the comfort thanks to contrast, the emphasis of trade-offs making a good survival experience

[@Bloodycupcake54]

I had an experience with this game that scared the hell out of me I had just started the story mode and was moving through a blizzard at night I was on my last torch I heard a howl in the distance I saw in the distance a town and thought "Finally safety!" and my torch went out "no big deal I'm almost home fr-" my thought was cut short with the sound of a snarl and a pair of bright yellow eyes staring at me in the dark before I could even think he was on me 10/10 would shit my pants again

[@bigmike8586]

Haven't played this game in about 7 years, so I suppose now's a good time to get back into it, now that our harsh winters are starting back up. Time to throw the windows open, bundle up in winter clothes, and get immersed.

[@eternalmiasma5586]

I LOVE the string quartet soundtrack of story mode, I have it on my DND playlist always. The story mode itself isn’t the best, though I do actually enjoy episode 4, but I don’t think it’s the worst

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

Arcanum of Steamworks and magic obscura strings were a treasure and I will die on that hill. They used a perfect channel of audio and perfectly recorded.

[@FrisianHeretic]

Came here for a review of the game, stayed for your humor and your references to LOTR, KvS and the like. Good review as well. Earned a sub there!

[@FrisianHeretic]

Shit, The Thing, The Room and Beyond Belief as well, I‘m impressed

[@colinmartin9797]

Minor correction - there's nothing wrong with sleeping after a concussion. It's an old wives tale. We try to keep people awake in EMS just as a metric of whether or not the patient is worsening. If you can stay conscious I don't need to monitor your airway. Source: I've been an emt for 12 years.

[@BusinessWolf1]

Saw this game in early alpha many years ago. Was literally a kid back then. Few games get developed this long.

[@puppyqueen5688]

I think its hard for some people to truly understand what people mean by "Biting cold" because when you are out and dont have somewhere to stay and you can feel thee temperature droping and the cold needling your face it does truly feel like a animal biting at you

[@elijahaitaok8624]

I think the dull story and countless fetch quests for the NPCs in the story mode fit, most of the characters you meet have spent most of their time indoors waiting for the next airplane to bring in a shipment of food and supplies then things go wrong and everyone is in survival mode, they can't do much they aren't knowledgeable about this kind of thing, then your two characters come in saying they've made it here after probably a week of survival after another plane crash. The two main characters are literally the best people to send out into the wild between places to get what's necessary

[@averynelson1186]

The character models remind me of the Pathologic 2 character models. Really suits the vibe of both games. By the way you should play Pathologic 2

[@notoriginal8450]

This is a side note. But the Lee Enfield was the rifle given to our Canadian Rangers. A part of our reserves that protect isolated communities. They now use the C19. A Finland made rifle as their service weapon, which is also in the game now

[@metaleggman18]

I'll just throw this on a random video, but I'm really digging your videos. I've noticed a lot of the smaller review channels tend to shove their politics in as part of their schtick. It gets tiring because I don't want to listen to Maga chuds complain about "the good old days" when games weren't "censored", and as lefty as I am, I really don't need my headbashed in by how poorly certain aspects of games have aged. I mean we deal with politics everyday, I'm watching these kinds of videos to mostly relax. I think you manage a fine line of self deprecating gamer humor, using memes with good sense of meta-irony, and letting us fill in the blank when a game's "comedy" hasn't aged well (I think I'm thinking of the Harvester firemen specifically). It's always fun to get in early on channels like these. I don't know how so many channels like these start up with such good editing and writing, it's amazing.

[@raa9boy]

Thank you for an excellent in depth review about this game, or "light quick review" :p This was just what I was looking for, talk about perfect timing. You explained very well about everything I wanted to know, so good job! I'm gonna give this game try for the 2nd time, but this time I will give it a proper chance. Subscriiiiibed!

[@Majuular]

Awesome, thanks for subscribing & enjoy the game!

[@AriseInGondolin]

Okay, this is my favorite review channel now for sure. I'm also downloading this game and ready to play asap.

[@Sev3617]

I’ve wanted a long in depth review of this incredible game like this. What a fantastic video, shame I didn’t find it sooner. Thanks for this!

[@Yesnomu]

I am the kind of person that needs goals in games, so I actually appreciated story mode for the fetch quests, and I probably wouldn't have played the game without it. That said, I can definitely agree with your criticisms, haha. That bear cave, woof. Thanks for the video! Been watching through a bunch of your adventure game reviews and it's been a lot of fun.

[@YoonSnake]

The "don't sleep with a concussion" has been proven false. Science has found that sleeping after a concussion actually helps the brain heal. I used to be a medic in the US Army, and they taught us this when we had a special event where the 82nd Airborne did a jump at Fort Hood.

[@fnhatic6694]

I mean, the main reason to not let them sleep after a concusion is because an intercranial bleed will take a few hours to exhibit symptoms, one of which is coma, so you want to keep them alert for at least a little while to monitor pupillary response, breathing, speaking, and memory.

[@Kidge.6081]

17:25 Good job describing the abstract ‘comfy’.

[@alexedev]

wow such a detailed and fun video, love the game and it is cool it still gets updates

[@drewlop]

25:40 actually it's fine to go to sleep after having a concussion; they only recommended you don't because you can't be monitored for hemorrhaging while already unconscious, but there's nothing about the sleep itself that's harmful

[@chasepalumbo2929]

This is some good ass content man. Love games that are actually games and require you to master the game to progress rather than “progressing” laterally

[@brianhillman5867]

OMG the "A man's gotta eat" with Randy killed me its been too long since ive seen trailer park boys

[@ScrapComputer]

28.28 - I appreciate the blue wizard hat (g). I see you're a man of much culture. You've had a runescape addiction to 😄 Great video.

[@m1m1c_]

I totally understand why you see this game as comfy. For me, this game and subnautica have moments where I feel so at home. I think it’s the solitude and simplicity of the concept that create so many valuable moments out of the mundane that other games just can’t do.

[@spooderman4008]

A wise man once said to me whilst camping: "I can be in pain, cold, or hungry. But I will never be more than one at a time."

[@UnyieldingMass]

Playing mechwarrior 5 rn and Mr Jenson is in the battletech universe, it's my head cannon that Jenson has lived the 1000 years, watched the fall of star league and the rise of comstar... and when the time is right he'll make his move to destroy the evil conspirators because as we all now.... he didn't ask for this

[@randonkbay]

Aww, great vid. Seeing Scout in that Joe Robinet footage hit me in the feels.

[@galloviking4766]

When I played the first chapter of the story mode back then, it felt like a tutorial for survival mode.

[@chriswarburtonbrown1566]

Great review that really cpatures the essencce of the game! I'm one thousand hours into The Long Dark, I've died a hundred times but I'm still in love with it. That stomach growl/ wolf growl confusion? I've had that a few times too!

[@WalkerRileyMC]

Here's the thing about The Long Dark....since it first was released as a demo it has changed SO much that those of us who were around since the beginning would take a break and come back to a brand new game each time.

[@stuff4826]

i wish they had added a building mode instead of making the story mode. in the early versions you could camp out anywhere, that made the game for me.

[@WalkerRileyMC]

@@stuff4826 You can still camp anywhere. you can even make snow shelters. But no, we don't need a building mode in this game.

[@stuff4826]

@@WalkerRileyMC who is "we"? this game is 10 years old, youre kind of alone. better late then never i suppose. a lot of it got nerfed, you should try an older version, maybe youll know what WERE talking about.

[@WalkerRileyMC]

​@@stuff4826 Suppose you missed that I've been playing the game since it was a demo on kickstarter but sure keep on pretending you know what's better for the game than literally everyone who's supported it over the years. Still breaks 1k players daily but sure, I'm "alone" after ten years.

[@stuff4826]

@@WalkerRileyMC youre alone for other reasons looks like. WE think youre lame. limp. impotent.

[@TheGlenn8]

Also, you critique on the story is completely justified. There is only 1 episode left. Somehow they're going to have to bring together all these random plot threads together. What's in the case? What does Wintermute mean? What about Astrid? What's up with the aurora? Who is that Methuselah guy? He was there in the first 2 episodes and then just disappears in the 3rd and 4th one. It's a disaster. I think a very large part of what made the story bad is the inclusion of Episode 3 where you play as Astrid. It was a random break in the narrative just right when the most intriguing things were happening. If that 3rd episode sticked with Will we could have gotten to know him better and maybe we could have had some time to build on what's in the case. I also really doubt that whatever even is in the case matters. Whatever could be in the case just can't impact the world anymore since it's now stuck on a remote frozen island during an apocalyptic scenario that knocked out the world's power grid. And if there really just is a cure in the case then why all the secrecy to begin with? A cure is the first thing that came to my mind anyways. Just seems very anti-climatic. There just isn't enough intrigue around the overarching story. The most interesting part to me was the relationship between Astrid and Will, what caused them to break up, and what their future might be, but since the story barely focuses on that I doubt it will matter.

[@rossmarshall566]

I'm not even a minute into the video, and that fucking Steamed Hams joke destroyed me.

[@huhhhh963]

Reminds me of The Grey movie which was awesome. Gonna try this one soon!

[@Majuular]

Love The Grey! When you crash through the ice and are forced to dry your clothes in the dark with a little twig fire all while wolves are howling... it's a Liam Neeson type feeling.

[@Sean-sn9ld]

8 Years and story isn't finished yet, that aint so bad Tarkov is around 8 years old and the story hasn't even started yet lmao

[@Spongedude94]

The Road is an amazing book and a pretty decent movie

[@KZS99]

My new favorite channel, finally a replacement for Oni Black Mage Recapitations series

[@larkprof]

The way you explained story mode as some of the gameplay aspects just felt "stitched together" nailed it on the head. The team limited them selves the way they built it off the original kickstarter beta. Story and survival used to be completely tied together structure wise during development. To the point where they had to re develop both modes completely separate after episode 4 when tales from the far territory came out for survival to add new gameplay features. The long dark for me is like a long lost love. I love going back to survival and doing a gunloper run when new updates come out. But in the end I just feel like I'm doing a chore list and don't get much out of it anymore. Still waiting for that base building and new cougar update hinterland!

[@BrainDamageComedy]

dude: i need to bandage up this wound funeral home: we got you bro

[@joolsstoo3085]

I got a weird one for comfy. Every summer on a brutally hot day I'll get some wendy's and play Legendary Axe on my turbo grafx 16. Been doing it since I was 14. And my winter game is Quest for glory 1 on the amiga. It even has a late winter/early spring theme to the setting.

[@joshuaedler7041]

Man I liked your review but I personally loved the prison escape section. After I got to the tunnels I couldn’t stop smiling because I thought that was awesome! Oh and you can survive the gunshot too

[@clan741]

My assumption is they patched the prison escape section since this review because it is a lot more lenient my playthrough

[@Padre_Semaj]

This has been one of my favourite games for some time now, but I can only play it during the spring/summer/fall. Living in Winnipeg I'm already trying to survive a horrible frozen wasteland for six months out of the year as it is, I don't need to play one at the same time, lmao. Awesome video sir.

[@Garryck-1]

"Regardless of how I feel, the developers felt the story mode was a part of their vision, so I've gotta respect them for seeing it through." Sorry.. but this is incorrect.. as those of us who've stuck with this game (and lived on the forums) the whole way through development know, the Story Mode WAS the vision. (Or at least, it was Raphael van Lierop's vision.) Not just "part" of the vision. The sandbox, what eventually became known as Survival Mode, was merely intended as a way of testing and fine-tuning the game mechanisms before commencing work on Story Mode. Originally, it was never intended to become (or remain as) part of the game. Fortunately for Hinterland, Survival Mode became wildly popular, much more so than Story Mode.. and in the early days, this was something that actually baffled Raph, because for him, the story he wanted to tell was everything, and he expected others to feel the same way. However, as you've seen and so eloquently pointed out, when it comes to telling a compelling story via gameplay, Raph actually sucks. I, for one, don't really expect the final chapter to redeem things. Yes, it may well have a fantastic conclusion (hopefully), but I've no doubt that the pathway to that climax will be littered with the same non-existent character development and clunky, half-arsed gameplay that has characterised the entire story. But at least we got Survival Mode out of it.. and it's that, and their dedication to constantly improving it, that I respect Hinterland for.

[@pancaketop]

I didn't catch the Nathan for You reference the first time I saw the video, but you can't sneak it by me twice!

[@Majuular]

My channel is for everyone... but NFY fans are especially welcome.

[@idontcare9661]

Compared to other video essays this is quick and light

[@HamSandvches]

I use to work with a guy that was doing on contract work for us. So i can confirm that the game was still being worked on in 2022 at the very less cause he was also building tooling for them to make content faster.

[@DusterNutbar]

Thank you for using a kenny vs spenny clip. To cool

[@MrWalloyd]

Because of the trumpet I'm subscribing, thanks.

[@vaczibence]

This and Jacob Geller's fear of the cold are my favourite videos to watch while I'm knitting thick wool sweaters

[@DodoJacket]

I have a theory Donner is a cannibal since he's known to be worst than his father. And no he's definitely not dead.

[@theBeags]

Bro, I saw you put The Road up as an example. I kept thinking about it after experiencing this game, they're both so beautifully crafted. They're both so pure.

[@J.CDenton]

while i love the long dark, my biggest problem with it is that there arent enough primitive substitutes for some things, like arrowhead. what i mean is that you should be able to do some stone knapping, maybe after reading a really dense book in game, to make some stone equivalents for things like arrowheads. just makes sense to me, it's not like indians had to run to the nearest forge to get some lol

[@KamleshMallick]

They added fire hardened arrows that are easier to craft.

[@earthmombooks]

GREAT review - really accurate I too felt many times that the developers just hated us and wanted to make a 'game' that everyone would hate playing and quit in frustration. (it makes no sense) With over 800 hours in the Survival side, I would urge people to just go in that direction for The Long Dark and sort of pretend 'Wintermute' didn't happen.

[@McTwisteez]

Man,I've been silently watching your videos for a while...finally subbed after forgetting Everytime..and I gotta say,I'm jealous of your voice,it's relaxing and chill but clear and just the right volume. I hate my voice,it's more monotone than moist critical 😆

[@AlanStryman]

"you will fail to start any fire" nah thats an understatement YOU WILL fail every and any single fire you start

[@hoodie1055]

your getting a like not just for the excellent video but for the kenny vs spenny clip

[@KamleshMallick]

Best review ever!

[@Nathanaelelliott]

Im still waiting for the headline "Survivorman stops surviving". Itlll come eventually. He sort of set himself up for failure.