The appetite for post-apocalyptic(PA) stories be it TV, movie or games continues unabated. As with any genre that becomes saturated, it becomes harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. PA games are rife with zombies, plagues, zombies, supernatural uprisings, zombies, alien invasions, and the aftermath of nuclear holocausts. Oh and I did mention zombies?
Out on the west coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island, the creative team at Hinterland Studio Inc. have crafted a game that does indeed stand out from the crowd. Invoking shades of John Campbell Jr’s – ‘Who Goes There?’ – in a setting which has been made into a movie three times as ‘The Thing’ – The Long Dark takes place in a winter wonderland. And the thing about winter wonderlands they are only beautiful if you have a warm place to retreat to. Not so wonderful if you do not. Unlike – The Thing – there are no aliens here. This is a scenario where Mother Nature has flipped a geomagnetic switch and EMP’ed civilization back to the stone age.
As a crashed bush pilot – you can play either male or female versions of the character – you must persevere over the elements and other survivors by your wits. The Long Dark is available right now on Steam via early access with the SandBox mode open for exploration. The Sandbox mode challenges the player to endure for as long as possible and acclimatizes them to the game survival mechanics. A nice prep for those that test it as they will be able to hit the ground running… or maybe snowshoeing would be more apropo – with the Story Mode when the full game becomes available later this year.
As per the web site, Hinterland aim is to develop a game that meters out a player’s existence based on:
“The game features a deep survival simulation that accounts for body temperature, caloric intake, hunger/thirst, fatigue, wind-chill, wildlife, and a host of other environmental factors.”
Hinterland stresses this game is based on a realistic, mature, grounded approach and promises there will never be any zombies. An extra breath of fresh air in a game that already will provide plenty of that! The Story Mode sounds exciting with episodic content taking place in several locations. The game appears poised to offer the player the choice of merely surviving or rising above all the challenges to become a saviour.
Hinterland boasts an impressive team manned with veterans with AAA game experience from such studios as Ubisoft, Bioware, Relic Entertainment, and Sony Santa Monica to name a few.
Voice Talent includes:
- Mark Meer
- Jennifer Hale
- David Hayter
- Elias Toufexis
Soundtrack Composers:
- Cris Velasco
- Sascha Dikiciyan
Story:
- Marianne Krawczyk
Other Info:
The Long Dark’s Survival Sandbox will be available on Steam Early Access in September 2014, for Windows and Mac. At launch, the game will support Windows, Mac, and Linux, with other platforms to follow.
Oculus Rift support is in the works.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words so who knows what the value of pictures with sounds is! Check out this video preview:
So if you are looking for a new take on the PA story, check out The Long Dark and remember to dress warmly!
For more information about Hinterland and The Long Dark visit:
http://www.hinterlandgames.com
