The Longing
A slow-paced adventure about waiting 400 real-time days.
The Longing is a point-and-click adventure game from 2020, created by the independent studio Studio Seufz. It takes place in an underground kingdom, where the player guides a creature called the Shade. The Shade’s job is to keep watch over a sleeping king for 400 days, measured in real time. The game is known for its experimental approach to time as a central mechanic. Critics praised its soundtrack, visuals, and originality, but its deliberately slow pace led to mixed reactions.
The Shade can explore caves, gather items, and do things like read books or draw pictures. The in-game timer keeps moving even when the game is closed, but it speeds up if the Shade does certain activities at home, such as decorating walls. Some puzzles require waiting for a set amount of time. Players can also use a bookmark system to make the Shade walk to saved spots, return home, or wander on its own. No interaction is needed to finish the game—just starting it, closing it, and coming back after 400 days works. Changing the computer’s clock to cheat sends the player to a dungeon. There are multiple endings, and not all require waiting the full 400 days.
The story begins with an old king telling the Shade he will sleep for 400 days to regain his strength. The Shade may wake him after that time and will receive “a world without longing.” The king lets the Shade roam the underground but warns it not to leave. While waiting, the Shade thinks about its loneliness and what the reward might mean. It considers escaping to the surface and recalls an exit far above the king’s chamber. If the Shade waits and wakes the king, the king’s movement causes a cave-in. He then says he has kept his promise by destroying everything, and the world vanishes, leaving the king and Shade to rule an endless void. If the Shade explores near the surface, it finds a dark cavern with a pit. It can jump in to die, or face a creature called the Darkness, which looks like the Shade. Depending on past choices, the Shade either hides by closing its eyes or is caught and sent home. If it hides and keeps walking, it reaches a cave just below the surface. There, it can leave through a well. A young troll may drop it to its death, or an elderly man may pull it out. If the man helps, the Shade follows him home for dinner. A post-credits scene shows the king has died from the Shade’s departure.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Longing
- Developer
- Studio Seufz
- Publisher
- Application Systems Heidelberg
- Modes
- Single-player
- Genre
- Point-and-click adventure, idle
- Released
- Windows, macOS, Linux · March 5, 2020 · Switch · April 14, 2021 · Android, iOS · December 18, 2023
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Linux · Switch · Android · iOS
- Director
- Anselm Pyta
- Producer
- Stefan Michel
- Programmer
- Thomas Krüger · Anselm Pyta
- Composer
- Jan Roth · Jürgen Härtenstein · Anselm Pyta
- Engine
- Unity
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Longing was conceived by developer Anselm Pyta after hearing the Kyffhäuser legend while visiting the Barbarossa Cave. The legend spoke of a sleeping king and a dwarf who checked on him once per century, which inspired Pyta to explore emotional themes and use time as a game mechanism. Pyta acted as primary developer for most of the game's six-year production, relying on personal intuition to design pacing due to playtesting difficulties. The game's lonely, subterranean atmosphere was inspired by dungeon synth music.
Gameplay centers on the Shade, a creature serving an elderly king who falls asleep for 400 days. The player can explore caves, gather resources, read classical literature, or draw. The in-game timer continues in real time even when the game is closed, but moves faster when the Shade performs actions inside its home, such as decorating walls with drawings. The game features multiple endings, not all requiring waiting out the full 400 days. Attempting to cheat by changing the system clock sends the player to a dungeon.
The Longing was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many commentators to compare it to life under quarantine. Pyta was surprised by audience reactions and felt the pandemic allowed players to better connect with the Shade. The game was first released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on March 5, 2020, with a Nintendo Switch version following on April 14, 2021, and mobile ports for Android and iOS on December 18, 2023.
Reader's Guide
The Longing is significant as an experimental adventure game that uses real-time waiting as its central mechanic, challenging conventional notions of player engagement. Its development, spanning six years from 2014 to 2020, was driven primarily by Anselm Pyta, who drew inspiration from the Kyffhäuser legend and dungeon synth music to create a lonely, subterranean atmosphere. The game's release during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted comparisons to quarantine life, which Pyta noted helped players connect with the Shade's isolation. Critics praised its soundtrack, visuals, and experimental nature, but the slow-paced gameplay divided opinion. The game was a finalist for the Nuovo Award at the 2020 Independent Games Festival and won 'Best Debut' at the 2020 Deutscher Computerspielpreis. Its legacy lies in demonstrating how video games can uniquely use extended time to tell a story, as Pyta believed, and in offering a stress-free, idle-like experience with emotional stakes and multiple endings.
Did You Know?
- The game's timer continues even when the game is closed, and it is possible to finish by simply starting the game, closing it, and returning after 400 days.
- Attempting to cheat by changing the computer's system clock sends the player to a dungeon.
- The Shade's walking speed is particularly slow, and many puzzles require waiting for a certain period to progress.
- The game was inspired by the Kyffhäuser legend, which tells of a sleeping king and a dwarf who checks on him once per century.
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