The Long Dark – this is survival in the harsh reality as it really is, where there are no zombies, crafting cubes, PvP and nothing that should entertain and have fun. The main character is William Mackenzie, a lonely protagonist who freezes in a snowy area, suffers from hunger and wild animals. The backstory is that it crashed over a Canadian forest due to a geomagnetic storm, which knocked out all the plane's electronics, sending it into the thicket, where wild nature reigns and there is no place for humans.

When surviving, you need to monitor the following basic body indicators: temperature, fatigue, thirst and hunger. At the same time, if you adhere to certain standards, the game rewards the player: being fed for 72 hours, William can bear additional weight, and his health improves. You need to constantly travel around the location and find the necessary resources for making bandages, healing drinks, a sewing kit, a homemade knife or a bow with arrows, which will greatly simplify further attempts to stay alive. You can collect almost everything that comes your way: branches, berries, mushrooms, bark, skin, meat, intestines.

The Long Dark claims to be as realistic as possible. Any damage can not only take away the life scale, but also cause injury, which, without appropriate treatment, will bother you for a long time. At the same time, even a first aid kit cannot always help. Having fallen into the river, clothes get wet and quickly lead to freezing. Huge animal carcasses cannot be “hidden in a pocket” and carried to a shelter. Only very real weight categories are transferred. Actions cost calories, forcing the player to consider whether something should be done or whether it would be better to save energy for something more important. You won’t be able to simply wander around the area; you will have to think carefully about everything and make an informed decision.