THE LONGING Review: An Odyssey in Patience
An intimate journey through the deepest caverns of solitude and time.
last updated Dec 19, 2023
While THE LONGING might not be everyone's cup of tea, it's undeniably a gem in its own right.
A Test of Time and Patience
In a world oversaturated with instant gratification, THE LONGING is a startling gamble in game design that seriously tests your patience. It eagerly hands you the job of waiting for 400 days, real-time, no less, for the awakening of a stone monarch. The gameplay emerges as a minimalistic hybrid of adventure and idle elements, wrapping you tightly in the cobwebs of a cavernous expanse. As the plodding Shade, you delve into lethargic pursuits, decorating your underground abode, collecting knick-knacks, and reading classics like 'Moby Dick' to pass the eons... I mean, hours. Our peculiar protagonist treads at a glacial pace, which either teaches you the virtue of patience or drives you to crochet as an act of rebellion.
Echoes in the Dark
One of the more haunting aspects of THE LONGING is its powerful yet understated soundscape. Sporadic echoes and subtle, otherworldly tones spice up the overwhelming silence of the cave, lending authenticity to the willingly monastic lifestyle the game thrusts upon you. The omnipresence of loneliness is occasionally broken by the thoughtful strumming of a lute or the crackling of a hard-earned fire, moments that are both heart-warming and soul-stirring. However, step into the echoing halls, and it's back to just you and the whispers of your footsteps passing judgment on your life choices.
Through the Looking Glass
Graphically, THE LONGING is reminiscent of a bygone era, serving up visuals with a certain tarnished charm that harmonize with the game's stagnant heartbeat. Shadows gawk, the architecture looms, and each frame is a dialogue between dreariness and wonder—like an art-house flick but without the subtitles. Our dreary underground is steady in its performance, requiring merely a flicker of processing power to render its still life. Issues remain scarce; aside from the stray UI quirk that avid readers might encounter, the game maintains a consistent performance benchmark, not that you'd expect Crysis levels of strain from a game where movement is a myth.
A Singular Niche
Granted, THE LONGING seems to be vying for a very peculiar Guinness World Record for Most Time Spent Staring at a Wall. However, it enjoys an indulgence, meticulously drawing you into its web with idle exploration surprises, a story as thin as the paper it’s not written on, and a Shade so endearing that making it wait feels like a personal attack. If a game that celebrates the minutiae of loneliness and the mindfulness of an underground hermit wrapped in a clever, game-like package fascinates you, THE LONGING plods proudly into that narrow niche.
STEAM RATING
Developer
Studio Seufz
Publisher
Application Systems Heidelberg
Release Date
March 05, 2020
The Verdict
While THE LONGING might not be everyone's cup of tea—or perhaps it's exactly the cup of tea that you have to wait an unforgiving 400 days to brew—it's undeniably a gem in its own right. This is a game for the patient, the pensive, and perhaps the slightly peculiar gamer. For those willing to embark on this introspective voyage, THE LONGING offers an emotive and memorable journey that will linger on far longer than its already lengthy sojourn.
