What is the 1 thing you enjoy most about The Long Dark?

[Ysidro]

That there's no bears or wolves (or zombies) hiding in the mines

[tog89]

Exploration. I love learning new maps and travel routes.

[MizTen]

The discoveries during wandering.

[octavian]

Immersion.

[Nemesis]

The never ending tension. But it's not any one thing really.

[German4XXX]

The entire game is epic and I cannot choose just one thing but I will say something that has not dulled with time is the feeling you get when you have found something critical early on in a play through. A gun, lantern, knife, etc.

[Scyzara]

Difficult decisions in life-threatening situations.

(e.g. whether it's better to A) try to return home in spite of fog or B) try to sit out the fog in some remote cave and thus risk to freeze at night).

[dasrunt]

Every day, a new plight.

[LucidFugue]

That constant scramble for the next vital resource.

[Camponote]

- Serenity of amazing mountain atmosphere.

- Humble observer, I have left only footprints in the snow

- Wild life doesn't be tamed

- I killed only to survive

- Nature has the last word

[Woodbine]

I usually log in here now and again to moan at the injustice of my most recent demise.

So I'd thought I'd take the time to say that this is in my top 5 all-time favourite games. And it's nothing like any of the other 4. Even after having a rant about unfair my death was, I'm usually back playing again the next day.

For me it's the contrast between the beautiful scenery and the impending death around every corner. One bad decision and you're toast. Just when I thought I'd pretty much seen all there was to see and done all there was to do, I've got to find stuff to make a bow and arrow....great work by the devs

[Radrunner]

The artwork. By which I mean the graphics. It's like playing through a painting. Beautiful

[TWM]

The competing sense of beauty and despair the game manages to invoke.

One moment you're admiring the majestic beauty of the landscape in all it's outstretched glory.

The next moment you despair of your solitude and your imminent death by it's sovereign forces.

Also: the sense of urgency. Especially at the beginning of a run, you're in want of everything, you are constantly running from here to there, in order to keep warm, find food, find tools, getting to the next location to see what treasures lie in store. (Oh, the joys of finding that one sewing kit when your clothes are tattering!)

At time moves on, the games allowes for a more relaxed play (at least on Vogayeur). There is more time to explore every nook and cranny. And with the addition of new craftables, I'm challenged to go out and find those elusive maple saplings, for instance (haven't managed to locate them yet in my run of CH; found two birch saplings though!). You can still get into trouble, and those wolves have become really good at detecting you from afar, I've found.

So it's still engaging enough, although the sense of urgency and dread dissipates over time.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Guest

[Shanti]

Immersion.

I love feeling like I am immersed in the world, and in an actual survival scenario. For me, this immersion makes the game like nature - it is a mirror which reflects back to me whatever emotions I bring with me. The game is not lonely, unless I am feeling lonely while trekking through it. When I despair after being ravaged by a wolf in a blizzard, it's only because I as the player am despairing. The game becomes a subjective experience, which changes with me, each time I play it.

[RJIII]

...The game becomes a subjective experience, which changes with me, each time I play it.

Oh I like that line, couldn't have said it better myself :]

[lanvale]

The realism of survival. Small mistakes, leading to big mistakes, leading to death.

I became good at the game learning from mistakes, near death experiences. I set off for the day looking for more saplings to make arrows, i didn't need to carry my sleeping bag, i was only popping out for a few hours and could do with the extra bag space. As I was searching a storm blew in, visibility 20 yards, i was getting cold. I tried to make it back to my base but got disorientated, so cold now, i ran blindly my condition 80%, i slipped down an embankment and twisted my ankle then remembered I forgot to top up my painkillers. I limped through the cold and found a cave, i started a fire to keep warm. I am very fatigued, but guess what! I left my bed roll back at base so now my condition is dropping. The storm subsides but there are wolves outside the cave. I am limping and my condition is poor, i barely have the strength to carry the clothes on my back, I try to scare them with my flare hoping to save ammunition. The wolves rush me, I fight hard and repel the attack. The second wolf circles me smelling the blood and fear, I miss with my rifle but it was enough to scare him off. 7% I am bleeding, bandaged and antibiotics. I know where I am now, my base is not far but I am fatigued and wounded, my condition continues to drop, I hear the panting of the wolves, the sound spurs me on. My strength fades, I can't go any further, I slip to my knees the last thought going through my head "Should have brought the bed roll."

[Raphael van Lierop]

Just wanted to say that I really love reading this topic.

[LSL_Legend313]

The survival is really unique.

[Dantuin]

Accessing situation, striving forward, learning

Use brain, otherwise your dead.

Not easy to always survive.

Harsh but mostly beautiful environment.

What will I do today.

Craft me some better clothes.

Exploring unknown areas is fun.

Don't get lost if possible.

Thanks Hinterland for the AWESOME and very addicting game!!

[Hits9Nine]

The feeling of accomplishment, and much more.

[romabysen]

Relaxingly stressful.

[Magic Peanut]

Player versus environment, that's all.

This.

[Random Fires]

Stark, Stylish Winter Survival. Combining rock, paper, scissors into tools of life and death.

Fighting fatigue, dehydration and hunger in a ever present war against the cold Canadian cold.

[bakersoft]

For such simple graphics, you can still immerse yourself in the game. I can play for hours at a time and have to force myself to stop playing otherwise I'd be playing day and night.

[subject 117]

Attention to little details like staying out of the wind to preserve warmth.