Germany-based Studio Seufz’s freshly released title is a waiting game. No, really–before you finish, you’ll have to wait 400 days of real-world time. Play or don’t play, it’s up to you. THE LONGING, once activated, carries on heedless of your involvement or lack thereof. Flexing a morosely charming hand-drawn aesthetic, THE LONGING is a strangely intoxicating proposition for those running frantically on the hamster wheel of life. THE LONGING summarizes itself with the following:
“An unusual mix of adventure and idle game. In utter loneliness deep below the surface, it’s your task to wait for the awakening of your king… for 400 days.”
During your 400 days of solitude, play as the lonely Shade, a servant of an underground king long asleep. Read actual books (including “Moby Dick”) or explore the caverns which the Shade inhabits. Decorate the Shade’s room or uncover timed puzzles lurking just around the next shadowy corner. Or…don’t play at all until the day of reckoning comes at long last. THE LONGING released on March 5 for PC. As such, no review will be able to cover the true extent of the game until more than a year has passed. Seriously. What a time to be alive.
Game Pilgrim 