The Long Dark Announces Surprise Free Content With Crossroads Eulogy
It always feels like it’s Christmas come early when a game you love gets an unexpected update. In an age where so many Early Access/Kickstart projects never survive past the Alpha, it’s heartwarming to see the ones that do cross the finish line still going strong long after. One such game is The Long Dark. A survival simulator conceived in the age of too many survival simulators, The Long Dark set itself apart by focusing on real-life survival without a supernatural twist. Set in the frigid wasteland of Canada, cold and time were your greatest enemies. Well, that and the wolves. It was the video game element of The Grey, awakening that primal fear in all of us that a distant howl means we’re not alone in these baren woods.
It’s been a long journey from The Long Dark‘s bare-bones initial Early Access release five years ago. Officially releasing in 2017, this is the point where most studios would be moving onto their next project. However, the people at Hinterland Studio have consistently updated the game to both balance and deliver new content. Now, at the five-year anniversary, the newest update continues their WINTERMUTE story. Chapter 3, titled Crossroads Eulogy, comes to stores on October 22nd. Better yet, it’s free.
So, free content for an already great game. What more could you want? Well, it seems that Hinterland Studio isn’t content with just giving you the next leg of the journey, but all previous ones as well. For those who haven’t been following The Long Dark over its 5-year run, a new Time Capsule page has been created to give overviews of what every patch has brought. Even better, each entry also comes with a code to access that version of the game in Steam. Now, unlike any game before it, you can experience at your leisure the game’s entire evolution from beta to present day.
I always think its worth applauding developers for pumping out new content, but this kind of dedication is really unheard of. I have no idea how many people will actually go back and experience previous versions, but anyone looking to start their own survival game will surely appreciate the chance to see the progress. Keep up the good work, Hinterland Studio. May The Long Dark live far longer than I do in survival mode.