Twelve kinds of taste
Which one are you?
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Adventure
In utter loneliness, miles below the surface, it is your task to... wait. For 400 days... in real-time.
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Contemplative, inward, formally daring and prestige.
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A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
VamersEdward SwardtMay 2021The Longing’s strongest aspect is how it encourages exploration while encouraging meditation and introspection. Most players will undoubtedly turn the game into a habitual pick-up, while playing other games. However, once they truly immerse themselves into this fantastically sombre world of the shade, the reflection will come naturally, almost willingly. It is very rare for a game to test the waters of what is considered modern-day video gaming, and even more rare for it to succeed. The Longing is exemplary in this regard; masterfully immersing players into the shade’s world as it spends 400 days in solitude. It is, without a doubt, an exceptional experience.
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Cubed3Luke HemmingAug 20219/10Never has a game felt so divisive when scoring. For many The Longing is going to feel like one of the most ill-conceived video game notions in history. For others what is delivered is one of the most intriguing and addictive pursuits ever created for home media. With plenty to do, or not as the case may be, the freedom of choice is intoxicating. With so much time to kill also, every decision never feels like the wrong one. If things don't go exactly as hoped on day 1, there's still 399 days to set things right. Relax into that cosy armchair, grab a book, and watch that sand in that hourglass slip away.
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NintendoWorldReportJoshua RobinApr 20219/10No other game is going to make moving a rock across a room take three minutes and dozens of button presses. I just don't know if I think that wanting to play a different video game while waiting for another video game to play itself is good. Should an entertainment product be constantly engaging? I don't really know. However, I do know that I wouldn't change a single thing about The Longing.
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Nintendo LifeStuart GippApr 20215/10We can't lie - we hated The Longing. We hated every second of playing it for review. Is it a resounding success at presenting all of its themes? Is it thought-provoking in a way that few games manage? Is it an exhausting slog we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies? The answer to all these questions is yes. But, with all that said, you cannot help but respect the developer's audacity and unwavering commitment to their principles. What the game sets out to do it accomplishes with flying colours, and it's filled with clever ideas and meditations.Ultimately, The Longing is one of those video games that defies traditional scoring metrics. What kind of score would you give a game that succeeds so triumphantly at being utterly, utterly tedious? A one? A ten? It feels inadequate and somewhat trite to split the difference, but here we are.
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SmashPadJon YelenicMay 20212/5 starsThere’s not much that’s engaging about The Longing which makes it a hard one to recommend.
Read the reviewSnippets via OpenCritic, where 74% of critics recommend it.
IGDB rating 6.8/10 from 25 ratings.
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.
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Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is the slow pace a feature rather than a flaw?”
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“Is the ambiguity a cop-out?”
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“Does The Longing need more plot?”
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