Adventure · March 5, 2020
THE LONGING (2020)
Buzz 'Players can expect one of the most unusual video games of the year with The Longing from Studio Seufz' - heise.de, Germany 'A very original and atmospheric gaming experience and a fascinating experiment.' 82/100 - PC Gamer, Sweden '[...] we wish to accompany the Shade throughout his life, and he will accompany us even in our absences.' 90/100 - , Spain 'The Longing shows beautiful art and unhurried gameplay.' 4.2/5 - , Brazil 'The only flaw I can find in this little pearl is that we will hardly replay it, but it was created as a unique experience and so it will be for all those who buy it. You will not regret.' 95/100 - pcguru.hu 'The Longing is a fascinating adventure as long as you remember that it is not intended to be played in one, or even ten, sessions. ' 80/100 - , Finland About the Game Unusual mix of an adventure and an idle-game. Play as a lonely Shade, the last servant of a king who once ruled an underground kingdom. The king's powers have faded and he falls asleep for 400 days to regain his might. It is your duty to stay in the earthen palace until he awakens. As soon as you start, the game inevitably counts down the 400 days - even when you stop playing and exit the game. It is now up to you to decide what to do with your solitary existence beneath the soil. Don't stress yourself, you have plenty of time. Choose your playing style Start the game and simply come back after 400 days to see how it ends. You actually don't have to play the game at all. But the Shade will be even more lonely without you. Or explore the caves and collect items for your comfortable underground living room. Just send the Shade to take a stroll - the walking speed is slow, but luckily there is no need to hurry. Read tons of classic literature from Nietzsche to Moby Dick right in the game - or at least have the shade read them. After all, time goes by faster if you learn to keep your mind occupied. (The little Shade in the game finds ONLY English books for now.) Ignore the king's commands and advance to the outer regions the cave. It will be a long and dangerous journey into darkness... Features Slow exploration of a vast, hand-drawn cave. Atmospheric Dungeon Synth soundtrack. Various endings. Lots of well hidden secrets. Time-based puzzles. A lonely but cute protagonist. NOTE: The game time keeps counting down even if you quit the game or shut down your computer.
Adventure releases from 2020
100 Adventure titles launched in 2020 — top 6 by review volume.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Point & Click · 278
- Walking Simulator · 277
- Choose Your Own Adventure · 271
- Idler · 269
- 2D · 255
- Underground · 252
- Multiple Endings · 246
- Exploration · 239
- Atmospheric · 234
- Choices Matter · 230
- Hand-drawn · 220
- Story Rich · 216
- RPG · 213
- Puzzle · 208
- Singleplayer · 207
Peer Adventure titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Position in Adventure
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 6.8k Steam reviews | Top 35% in Adventure |
| Positive rating | 92% positive | Genre average: 87% — this title sits in top 45% |
| Metacritic | 79/100 | Genre average 77 — top 49% of Adventure titles |
| Engagement hours | 22 h average | Top 15% for session depth among Adventure |
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (11)
- English
- German
- French
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Russian
- Italian
- Spanish - Spain
- Korean
- Simplified Chinese
- Japanese
- Polish
Reception Metrics
Steam community
92%Very Positive · 6.8k reviews
6.2k positive · 543 negative
Metacritic
79/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.3/10
Curator recommendations
6.6k
Press Quotes
“Every so often a game comes along that is so audacious it reminds me how conventional and pedestrian many of the games that I’ve reviewed — and liked — are by comparison. This level of creativity reinvigorates my expectation of what games can be.” 90/100 – The Washington Post “Literally sitting and waiting has called my attention to how it feels to wait, to the emotions that arise from being at the mercy of time.” Kotaku
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Steam Workshop
- Steam Cloud
Input & Comfort
- Full controller support
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
22h
moderate (15–40 hours)
Median
12h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
0h
Current engagement
Achievements
25
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Mar 5, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Studio Seufz |
| Publisher | Application Systems Heidelberg |
| Base price | $11.24 -25% |
| DLC / Add-ons | 1 released |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 100k–1M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected] |
Editions & Packages
Buy THE LONGING











