This week has been really difficult for me. Even though by most standards it wasn’t ACTUALLY difficult, I had to complete some amount of work for my class that I need to complete to be a teacher, played this weeks game super late and then when I got my Covid shot, was out of commission for most of Thursday night. It was a lot but I managed to be an adult and finish everything.
I should be congratulated.
Joking aside, I jumped right into this weeks game with an small idea of what it was but then, when I started playing, realized that it was nothing of the sort.
Again, I flat out admit that I’m stupid and truck my way through a surprisingly decent story about war. This week I talk about Long Days Gone.
Long Gone Days is a (BIG) story focused Pixel RPG developed and published by BURA, releasing in 2018 but is still in early access. The game is on Windows and Mac and retails for $15.
You take the role of a man named Rourke, a man who has grown up with a sniper rifle by his side. He journeys out on his first mission to the surface, specifically a place named Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad is in the middle of conflict and it is up to Rourke and the military group The Core to mediate the situation. Rourke soon learns that the group who raised and him and their actions are terroristic in nature. Without hesitation Rourke commits treason and embarks on a adventure to stop the atrocities and bright to light the intentions of The Core.
It is important to note that communication is one of the most important aspects, next to combat. It is important to talk to people, because the way that you communicate with an NPC will determine how they view you. Though it may not be pertinent, The way that you communicate can deliver advantages during the combat.
Inspiring others gives them morale. Morale is essentially the MP of the game, but with the added note that morale does not regenerate unless either participating in side missions or acing conversations (when prompted). Morale allows for characters to use special abilities, for instance, Rourke has an ability to deal high damage and inflict bleed on a target for 10 morale.
Other than that combat is pretty straightforward. It is first-person rather than third and enemies have, most of the time, three spots that can be hit. Usually each enemy has a low defense low evade, medium defense/medium evade and high defense/high. Once you get into your first fight you soon realize that going for the head is a gamble while going for center mass is just more consistent. Fights only ever really happen when the story needs to progress so don’t be looking for fights unless you want to move forward with Rourke’s mission to expose The Core.
You have a party of four that can hold a weapon, arm, chest and helmet. Pretty standard RPG stuff.
It is annoying knowing that a lot of fights just ends up you attacking the same spot over and over until the fight ends. I tried to vary the damage but it is just easier to hit that center.
The manga art style for some of the cutscenes and for all of the communications sections, is something that I had to get comfortable with, but in the end it looks really clean and it fits into the game really well.
For the pixel graphics, it looks really good.
Music is great too, I was vibing a lot while playing. All of the music fits with what the atmosphere at the moment.
Long Days Gone is a game that tells a dark, dramatic, important story. It is a story about individualism morality and it is something that I was hesitant to get behind but when chapter two began, it story ramped up.
I was about it.
Gameplay is kinda wonky but it fills the need for a combat system, morale works really well because it makes the player choose between more damage and a scare resource. I personally like the story so far and the characters. They all have their own struggles and convictions that are constantly being revisited and tested throughout the first two chapters. The music is good and the style looks great.
Can’t wait for what’s next.
Grinds and Games 