After much positive hype from the pre-release alpha of The Long Dark, the title now has a firm release date that will include the promised story mode. Currently, the exploration-survival game’s sandbox mode has been garnering fans on Steam Early Access and the Xbox Game Preview programs. The official release for The Long Dark turns out to be slightly ironic as most people will be fending off hypothermia and frostbite in the game while battling a likely heat wave on August 1, 2017.
Little about the story mode in The Long Dark has been revealed other than the fact that the first two episodes will be released August 1st and will contain between 6 and 10 hours of gameplay. Season 1 of the story will be called Wintermute and features two characters, bush pilot Will MacKenzie and Dr. Astrid Greenwood. The fiction revolves around a geomagnetic disaster that disables all electronics and technology. In first person mode, you must survive in the Canadian wilderness fending off hunger, thirst, the cold, wolves, and bears without the benefit of a cozy electric heater and TV to ride out the storm. The dynamic weather system in the frigid north means the violent blizzards and bone chilling temperature drops can lead even the heartiest outdoorsman vulnerable to mother nature. Couple this with the ever-present threat from wildlife whose natural behavior has been disturbed by the geomagnetic event and it is evident that there is little margin between life and death in The Long Dark.
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Along with the news of the release date for The Long Dark also comes word from developer Hinterland Studios that the title won’t be passing PlayStation owners by. At release The Long Dark will also be available for PS4, breaking the Xbox and Steam exclusivity up until then. Hinterland also revealed that the story is expected to span several seasons but the word season has a double meaning in this regard. Season 1 is Winter, therefore implying that the intent of the overall story arc is that it will also take place during spring, summer, and autumn in future seasons.
