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A curious one this, a game that has a clock that counts down from 400 days as soon as you start it and you don't even need to play it to get to the ending, as time continues when you're not playing. I've played some slow games before but this is an all new kind of sloth.

It's called THE LONGING and you play as Shade, the last lonely servant of a King who once ruled an underground kingdom. The King's powers have faded and he sleeps for 400 days to regain strength and you're supposed to stick around until he awakens. Announced today, Studio Seufz have now given it a release date of March 5 and you can see the wonderful four hour long trailer below. The trailer is obviously a joke, at how you can just sit around and do nothing.

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However, there's a ton to explore if you're willing to seek out the secrets. Time isn't just for show, things actually do change the further in you go. Moss and mushrooms grow, spiders make their webs, water drops down and more. There's also a possibility that you might be able to escape the cave somehow. Every part of the game uses time as a mechanic, an obstacle you need to overcome. It sounds brilliant, exactly what some busy lives need.

Feature Highlight:

  • Slow exploration of a vast, hand-drawn cave.
  • Atmospheric Dungeon Synth soundtrack.
  • Various endings.
  • Lots of well hidden secrets.
  • Time-based puzzles.
  • A lonely but cute protagonist.

I'll be taking a look at it for sure, can't wait to journal everything I find.

You can wishlist and follow THE LONGING on Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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17 comments
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razing32 Jan 13, 2020
Does the counter go down when you are not playing ?
Is there a speed up mechanic ?
Otherwise this might be a chore to play.
Interesting experiment with time mechanics , sure , but still a chore.
Nezchan Jan 13, 2020
Quoting: razing32Does the counter go down when you are not playing ?

"...you don't even need to play it to get to the ending" seems to imply that it does, and you can just play once then come back a little over a year later and you'll have won.
Liam Dawe Jan 13, 2020
I've made that clearer, yes time continues when you're not on.
razing32 Jan 13, 2020
Quoting: Nezchan
Quoting: razing32Does the counter go down when you are not playing ?

"...you don't even need to play it to get to the ending" seems to imply that it does, and you can just play once then come back a little over a year later and you'll have won.

Better question then.
Is there a way to loose ??
Seegras Jan 13, 2020
Quoting: razing32Is there a way to loose ??
The only way to loose is not to play.

SCNR ;)=
14 Jan 13, 2020
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Quoting: razing32
Quoting: Nezchan
Quoting: razing32Does the counter go down when you are not playing ?

"...you don't even need to play it to get to the ending" seems to imply that it does, and you can just play once then come back a little over a year later and you'll have won.

Better question then.
Is there a way to loose ??
He said that you can get to the end without playing. I wouldn't assume that would equal a victory. /shrug

What a weird game though. I like to think of myself as a patient person who enjoys complex stories and long novels... but that doesn't mean I want to stare at nothing happening. It seems sort of curious though.


Last edited by 14 on 13 January 2020 at 11:15 pm UTC
Schattenspiegel Jan 14, 2020
Wishlisted.
For some reason this looks and sounds like a winner.
Eike Jan 14, 2020
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Quoting: 14
Quoting: razing32Better question then.
Is there a way to loose ??
He said that you can get to the end without playing. I wouldn't assume that would equal a victory. /shrug

Imagine after 400 days you find out your King is not on the nice side. Maybe you should better "rush" to find out. Talking about rush, they said movement is intentionally slow and there's no way to speed up, and there's puzzles depending on waiting, like you need to wait until drops of water fill a cave or something. I'm not sure if I'll enjoy the latter, but I'm far too curious to not find out. BTW, this is the opposite of "PewDieBait" - something nobody is seriously going to show as let's play. :-D
BrazilianGamer Jan 14, 2020
I N S T A B U Y
Cyril Jan 14, 2020
I would love to see this game on GOG! You can vote here.
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