- Drew Beausoleil

You’re out in the wilderness, in the frigid cold with the sounds of the wind whistling as you gasp to catch your breath. Welcome to The Long Dark, a place within the freezing wilderness of Canada in the middle of a snow storm stranded on your own to survive the elements.

My beginnings were less than impressive and rather painful, only lasting a few minutes within the elements, I found myself climbing to the top of a snow covered mountain to only find myself face-to-face with a wolf...unarmed, my misfortune has me bleeding to my death. After gathering my thoughts on my unfortunate beginning, I start to trek through the snow again looking for anything possible to help save my life from dangers that I know lurk out in the wilderness.

I stumble upon Carter Hydro Damn, I found shelter! Just outside the damn is a dead carcass, great I found food too. However, without any tools I have no way of skinning my only meal. It is time to go inside and see what I can find. It’s not long before I am once again faced with my arch enemy from inside the hydro damn...unarmed. I am forced to start again.

Scavenging through buildings looking for anything of use, a piece of food, a can of beans, wood, a weapon (I never found a weapon after searching through building after building to help defend myself) I found the conditions realistic with the sun shining brightly high above the mountains, then to my surprise of leaving a building only to find myself in a freezing blizzard that nearly dropped my health condition to the point of almost dying. The art style is charming, not realistic, but yet stylized to a peaceful setting. I then stumbled across a deer wandering through the forest, a relaxing sight that came abruptly to a halt with the appearance of a wolf that started chasing the deer. Better the deer than me. Moments like this are rarely found but a nice touch when you are able to find them.

Don't fall through the ice.

The inventory system feels empty. There is a scrolling system on the side that will allow you to select items of choice, a bandage to help stop the bleeding, a new pair of winter gloves. They even go as far as telling you the condition of these items. However, I would like to also see a picture of the item I am about to eat or a figure of myself and what I may look like. Healthy, strong and ready to brave the winter storm ahead, or beaten down by the elements or the torn fabric from the fending off of another wolf attack.

Hey pal! You okay?

Hinterland Studios has created a lonely stylized landscape survival game. This Early Access build of the game is not your typical survival game, we aren't facing hoards of zombies. We are facing the cold harsh snowy winter in the Sandbox mode of the game. Story mode is coming once the game hits it final release, from the Sandbox mode we've been given for our preview, I can hardly wait to see what's in store for our story of survival.