The long-awaited The Long Dark is coming to Steam Early Access on September 22, boasting the game’s survival sandbox mode—as opposed to its campaign, which is still in development behind closed doors at Hinterland Games.
The Sandbox mode offers dozens of hours of survival simulation gameplay where players have to monitor their vitals — calories, temperature, fatigue, hunger, and thirst — while exploring a brutal yet beautiful natural game world set in the Northern Canadian wilderness. Players search for supplies, learn to read their environment, hunt for food, and try to avoid hostile wildlife!
The developers state that they will be announcing new content updates as they get closer to the Early Access launch date, and players will be able to expect new gameplay systems, new gear, and several new locations to explore—among other things.
There’s a few screenshots to accompany the announcement, so check them out below.
For further information on The Long Dark, you can visit their official website, or check out my interview with the game’s lead designer Raphael van Lierop.