No pause button - game pauses only in menu.įun Factor: Immersion, challenge, resource scavenging and management, exploration. In-game Time: Real-time, day/night cycles. Interaction type: direct control over character. Themes and Ideas: survival, solitude, despair, end of the world, quiet, cold, hunger, nature vs man, struggle, exploration. After 4 years, it’s firmly in the minimalism camp, with icons and presentation only hinting at chalkboard drawings visual style. Visual presentation started in the “simulating physical objects” camp, with books and backpack images for inventory screens. The game UX and UI went through several iterations before release and are still being tweaked. It stands out from the sea of survival games thanks to its unique painted visual style, slow meditative atmosphere and great level of polish. It aims to simulate real world survival conditions and captures the feeling of desperation, exploration and solitude. The Long Dark is a “first-person post-disaster survival experience set in the Northern wilderness” by Hinterland Studio. Let’s see if we can solve that challenge, learn from and improve The Long Dark.

Do all of that without making the player feel like they’re walking around with a plane dashboard strapped to their head. Strike a balance between player control and suspense, between clear communication and immersion. Here’s an interesting challenge for you – convey to the player over 10 different game states without breaking immersion.

The long dark rabbit hunting