The Longing, my 400-day AAR

[Hipolito]

The Longing is a weird adventure game in which you're a little guy who lives underground. You're entrusted to wake the king from his slumber once 400 real-time days have passed. Until then, you just hang out and explore the caves.

I've just started playing this game on my iPad and will post any interesting updates of my 400-day play.

Day 1

From the introductory cutscene:





The king says to me, "My powers have faded. All I have left is you, my faithful shade. All I ask of you is to wait and never to leave these caves. I shall now sleep for 400 days to gather my remaining strength. Wake me when the time has come to end all fear and longing ..."


The game begins here in my humble home.



I can do things here like draw pictures and read books (including the entirety of Moby Dick). I stepped outside and saw the king at rest.



That's it for now. Stay tuned for more thrilling adventures!

[TheMix]

I am intrigued.

[Unagi]

me too!

I bought this game back in 2020, and played it for only 41 minutes.

[GreenGoo]

I am intrigued.

Omg totally.

Fascinating.

[Max Peck]

me too!

I bought this game back in 2020, and played it for only 41 minutes.

Well, then, you've also finished it.

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.

[Hipolito]

Day 2

Yesterday, I climbed a long staircase that was next to the sleeping king. There was a door at the top of the staircase, but it was locked. There was nowhere else to go.

But when I went to sleep, I dreamed of a door opening. When I woke up, I climbed back up the staircase, and LO! It was open!




The possibilities were opening up.




I went up the stairs on the left and down a pretty tunnel.




This led to the door to the library. Ah, the library! I can get more books here, maybe even some children's jigsaw puzzles.

Unfortunately, the door couldn't be opened, thus providing my first Disappointment. I guess Disappointments are a sort of quest in this game.




I went further underground, hoping to find an alternate entrance to the library on my way back up. But I just ended up at the same door.




I explored elsewhere and found a strange, glowing white door. I read the sign outside the door.




I aspired to be that fool. I went through the door and found myself in a strange place.




I walked for a while, seeing just endless pillars. The background music was just a chorus droning the same chord endlessly. What if this hall really did just go on forever? I decided to turn back. I'm sure this place will bear some significance later.

[Unagi]

me too!

I bought this game back in 2020, and played it for only 41 minutes.

Well, then, you've also finished it.

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.

alas, never installed on my current pc - and likely uninstalled on the one that's off to the side over there.

[Hipolito]

Day 4

While wandering the dark, dank caves, I often find pieces of coal. I pick them up so I can make a nice, warm fire someday. But today I found other things: moss, pieces of paper I can draw on, and even a book! So that's kinda cool.

I came upon this broken stairway. I was hoping the game would let me Super-Mario-jump over the gap, but no, this ain't that kind of game.



Sometimes, while exploring the maze of caves, I think, hmm, it would be nice if this game had an automap function. Since it doesn't, maybe I should draw a map. Then I discovered this room. A map! Of sorts.



It's hard to make out any details on the map. But I see something interesting in the upper right. Some sort of tool. Perhaps that shall be my next destination.

I wandered on and found something much more interesting. GOLD! And lots of it!



This changes everything. In fact, I believe Cyndi Lauper sang a song about that. (She's a legend in these caves.) Could there be some way to get to this money, and some way to use it? I've got plenty of time (after time) to think about this.

[TheMix]

Wouldn't you need to also find a shop?

Seems like you also need a calendar. So you can keep track of things like "check stairs on day 11".

[GreenGoo]

I get the impression that the map will become clearer too over time (literally, in game).

You could try hucking things at the stalactite. Coal is a things.

[Hipolito]

Wouldn't you need to also find a shop?

A shop would be nice. But I'm hoping more for an In-N-Out Burger. (We don't have those in the Midwest.)

I get the impression that the map will become clearer too over time (literally, in game).

Possibly. But something I noticed today is that the lower-left of the map has step-by-step directions for reaching the endless hall of white pillars. The map doesn't provide that level of detail for any other location. I guess the game really wants me to investigate that hall.

You could try hucking things at the stalactite. Coal is a things.

Unfortunately The Longing doesn't allow me to go into my inventory and try things on the environment. I can only interact with the environment if I'm passing by something and an interaction option pops up. And "chuck coal at stalactite" is not offered.


Day 5

I tried going up and to the right so I could reach that tool shown on the map. But I kept running into roadblocks. Like this stairway to nowhere.




There was also this huge gap, which I don't think even Super Mario could safely clear. (Unless he had the raccoon suit, but that wasn't until SMB3, so ...) There's something weird on the other side of the gap.



I'll have to check back in [total recall] TWO WEEKS! [/total recall].

But the most interesting find today was this. I took the door right above the map and encountered a stairway to ... ?



Hmm, should I go up these stairs, or shouldn't I? Nah, I shouldn't. Wouldn't want to disappoint the king.

[GreenGoo]

This game is full of disappointments!

[Carpet_pissr]

Take the coal, gather it around the feet of your evil King/slavemaster, and burn him while he sleeps. Take over the underworld realm, and all its gold. Build up Underworld empire until you are strong enough to break into the Overworld* and ravage it until defeat with your army, at which point you will be King Under and Overground. The End.

*Unless some unlikely, lowborn pesky hero rises up and destroys you singlehandedly, or perhaps with a party of 3 others.

[Hipolito]

Take the coal, gather it around the feet of your evil King/slavemaster, and burn him while he sleeps. Take over the underworld realm, and all its gold. Build up Underworld empire until you are strong enough to break into the Overworld* and ravage it until defeat with your army, at which point you will be King Under and Overground. The End.

Thanks for the helpful walkthrough!


Day 6

To quote the Hound: funk the king! I started climbing the forbidden stairway to freedom. I grew turgid in anticipation.




The stairs led to this antechamber.




So it's not exactly forbidden for me to leave, just slightly sus. I go to the exit door and ...




Sigh. Should rename the game to The Teasing.

[Blackhawk]

I will accept turgid, but I cannot forgive sus.

[Hyena]

After your dedication to previous AAR's, I can't WAIT to read this for the next year and a half!

But I guess I will HAVE to wait...

[GreenGoo]

following along and enjoying!

[Hipolito]

Thanks for everyone's encouragement! I've made the screenshots more legible, but if I should make them brighter or larger still, let me know. I want to maximize your enjoyment of our long trek through these intimate caves.


Day 7

I napped next to the palace's exit door until it opened. When I went through, I found myself in a magical wonderland! The world beyond the palace was teeming with flora and fauna. I transformed into my raccoon spirit animal, just like my hero Mario in SMB3. A smiling pink hippopotamus handed me a bunch of balloons so that I could soar above the fecund landscape!




Actually, I'm checking my notes now and it turns out that the door just led to more caves. So yeah. Caves.



I kept moving in the direction of up and right, hoping to find that tool. At one point, I had to push a boulder a long distance so that I could climb a ledge.



This took a good 2 minutes of repeatedly pressing the Push button. I felt like that Greek hero who had to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. What was his name? Sassafras? Sourmash?

I climbed up the ledge and continued right, forced to crawl through some tight spaces.



I felt good about the progress I was making, until I reached ... a dead end.



Undeterred, I tried going in the other direction. I made some progress that way, and crawled through more tight spaces, which led to ... another dead end. I'm beginning to think that something is wrong with this game.



There were still other paths to explore, and one led me to this, which buoyed my spirit.



The spider was a harbinger of good fortune, for I soon discovered precious minerals! If only I had that tool, I could extract these minerals. The quest for the tool will continue!

[TheMix]

COLOR!!!!

Awwwwwww....

Sisyphus (though your names were much more amusing )

Man, you really need that pick.

[GreenGoo]

I felt like that Greek hero who had to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. What was his name? Sassafras? Sourmash?

Yes.

[Hipolito]

Day 8

I went back to the door to the king's palace. But instead of going back inside the palace, I went down and to the right (rather than up and to the right as before). Just to see what I could see.

I took a long stairway down to a mine. There were lots of pieces and coal and wood to pick up.



During this excursion, I finally remembered the name of that boulder-pushing Greek dude: Sweetass. Of course that's how we get the expression "Boy, you sure took your sweetass time to get here." Can't believe I forgot that.

In the mine, I had a eureka moment:




There it is! The tool! All I had to do was climb down to the lower level and ...



Huh. Can't get there from here. I'm surprised this doesn't count as another Disappointment. I do see, though, that there is a tunnel there from some area that's further down and to the right. I'm not sure how to get there, but I have an idea on how to look for it.

[GreenGoo]

During this excursion, I finally remembered the name of that boulder-pushing Greek dude: Sweetass. Of course that's how we get the expression "Boy, you sure took your sweetass time to get here." Can't believe I forgot that.

Yes.

[Hipolito]

Day 10

Before my next search for the tool, I thought I'd swing back to my apartment and chill a little.

Something I haven't mentioned before is that among the stuff you can collect in the game are pieces of musical instruments. I had managed to find all the pieces of my bary sax. After assembling it, I played my heart out!



Well, "played my heart out" amounted to just playing a few notes of the same pitch. Maybe with practice I'll improve.

With the colored stones I found, I made a coal drawing of the spider. I titled it "Friend" and hung it next to a drawing I made earlier called "Father."




I used some coal to make a nice, crackling fire.



I sat on my red La-Z-Boy recliner and read one of my books. It was "The Goose Girl," a fairly disturbing Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

Having sufficiently chilled, I ventured back out. The stalactite had now fallen and filled the gap in the stairway, allowing me to ascend.



From the top of the stairs, I walked into a cave lit by glowing blue stones. And I eventually found ...



Eep! A face! This guy was either going to ask me an impossible riddle or simply devour me. Praying for the latter, I cleared my throat and said, "Hello, Face. How are you?"

In a resonant rumble that I could swear sounded like the late James Earl Jones, he replied, "I am well, thank you. How are you?"

Huh. Nice guy. "How can I overcome the darkness?" I asked.

"I will grant you my wisdom, but I demand an offering in return."

That offering was 20 coal. I easily had that amount. I carefully put the coal in his mouth. He made a half-hearted effort to also chomp down on my hands, but I was quick and retracted my hands intact.

The face then said, "The way to light is blocked by total darkness. You will only overcome darkness if you learn to become darkness. This way you will be invisible to it. But you will only achieve this if you delve deep, deep into your own mind in conscious loneliness."

Oooookayyy? I then asked him what lay beyond the cave, but the answer for that required an offering of 5 Disappointments. Ah, so Disappointments are a type of resource to gather. I only had 4 of them. I also asked what will happen after the 400 days, but the answer for that will require 15 more moss.

So I left the Face. As I walked away, he said "Hey, bring your sax next time. You play, I'll sing Joni Mitchell."

[TheMix]

[The Meal]

This game seems like it was made for a Hipolito AAR. And at 400 days of content, I'm sure we'll only be mildly sad at how soon it'll be over.

[Hyena]

This game seems like it was made for a Hipolito AAR. And at 400 days of content, I'm sure we'll only be mildly sad at how soon it'll be over.

Mildly sad? I'm already planning my days off from work to mourn.

[Hipolito]

Day 15

I wanted to collect enough moss to give to the Face so I could get an answer one of my questions. I wandered the caves looking for the place I'd previously seen moss. But I kept going in circles in the confusing maze of doors and stairs.

So I finally did what I was hoping I wouldn't do: I went back home and started drawing a map of the caves, using genuine pen and paper. This eventually helped me find the moss cave, where I gathered enough moss for the Face.




There was a pit in the moss cave which I'll be able to traverse once the slow drip of water fills the pit.




During my wanderings, I encountered more stairs to nowhere and unclimbable ledges, increasing my Disappointments to 7. (I'm telling you, guys, you're missing out on a lot of fun if you're not playing this game.) So now I have enough to get one of my other questions answered.

I returned to the Face.



I showed the Face my offering of moss. He opened his mouth wide and lifted his tongue up and to one side. I put the moss under his tongue and backed away. He closed his mouth and slowly chewed the moss.

I asked, "What lies beyond this cave?"

Still chewing, he answered, "Beyond this cave, there is light. Light is beautiful and dangerous. Light is without understanding. Don't trust the childish eyes of the young. They will fear you. Only trust the old and blind, who are not afraid of that which emerges from darkness."

I then put my Disappointments in his mouth. He moved his jaw awkwardly from side to side, as if trying to manipulate and form the Disappointments into something. Eventually, I saw the result of his work as a long, slender tube emerged from his lips. Somehow, there was a fire on the end of the tube; I guess he had set it alight by striking it against the coal I had previously given him. The fire glowed as he inhaled through the tube. He still chewed the moss as he puffed on the tube, coughing contentedly. Smoke, illuminated by the glowing blue gemstones in the wall, soon filled the cave, obscuring the Face.

I asked, "What will happen after the 400 days?"

Amidst his chewing and coughing, he answered, "As long as there is time, there will always be longing. And once all longing has ended, the world will no longer need time ... and those without longing will no longer need the world."

How strange, I thought. The king had instructed me to wake him "when the time has come to end all fear and longing." Does that mean that the king's awakening will herald the end of time itself?

I noticed some additional questions were now available, but I could not yet afford the answers:

• Can you tell me a secret? (Price: 3 golden coins. I had none.)
• What will happen if I leave the cave? (Price: 100 coal. I had 31.)
• Is there a way to manipulate time? (Price: 7 Disappointments. I had 2.)

My thoughts were as hazy as the smoke around me. I trudged away from the Face to continue my adventures. As I left, I could hear the Face grumbling, "Like I need this crap at my age. I've got Darth Vader money!"

[TheMix]

I love the picture where you are standing in the water.

[Hipolito]

Day 16

I finished my paper map of the currently explorable parts of the dungeon ... I mean, cave system. My mapping effort was hindered by a couple of rooms that looked identical. (Seriously, they should have put something in one of the rooms to make it obviously different, like a barbershop pole or a statue.)

My map might not be 100% accurate because of those duplicate rooms, but I'm confident I've seen everything I can currently see. I'll be able to see more when a moss bed is fully grown so I can safely land on it (which will take a few more days), and when a pit is full of water (which will take a few more weeks).

In all that mapping, did I find anything new?



Not ... really.

Well, there was one tiny room with a boulder. I pushed the boulder, revealing a hole in the wall which, now unobstructed, let loose a stream of water.



I went to the endless hall of white pillars to see whether it was truly endless. I planned to walk for 10 minutes and turn back if I saw nothing. To mark the 10 minutes, I would use the clock at the top of the screen, which showed how many of the 400 days were left in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.

But I soon noticed that the clock had frozen. Time doesn't pass in these marble halls! That's messed up. So I used a real-life timepiece to mark the 10 minutes.

I gathered a few items of loot from the floor during my walk. Pieces of paper to draw on, a carpet to make my home more comfy, even a couple of books. But the hall just kept going.



When the 10 minutes elapsed, I turned and walked in the other direction. I was hoping the exit would appear right away, but nope, I really had to walk 10 minutes to get there. So time doesn't have any meaning in these marble halls, but distance apparently does. (Note to self: dig up and reanimate the remains of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking and ask them how that's possible.)

I went back home where a surprise awaited me.



Thanks to pushing that boulder, I now had running water! I don't need to eat or drink, but it's nice to have the sound of running water to soothe my soul (and cover up the king's snoring).

But there really is nothing more to do right now.

[TheMix]

I suspect 400 days won't be long enough...

[Hipolito]

Day 34

I returned to the ledge from which it would not be safe to jump until the moss grew enough to cushion my fall. When I first explored this area, I decided to check back in [total recall] TWO WEEKS! [/total recall].

Well, it's been time enough, so I dropped from the ledge to test the squishy softness of moss.



I landed softly, stood up, and walked to the right. The music took on a strange, urgent, Celtic-ish tone. What I saw had beauty difficult to describe in words.



I walked across the shallow pond, gazing upon the water as it splashed and ran down the gleaming white crystals.

The pond turned out to be less shallow than I thought.



But I reached the other side. There was a tunnel with stairs that rose and twisted above the waterfalls, leading me to walk in the other direction. At the end of the tunnel, I found another great surprise.



Tune in next time for the exciting new adventures of my tool and me!

[Unagi]

Nice!

[Hipolito]

Day 41

Having finally gotten my hands on the tool (which, to be more precise, is called a mattock), there was one thing I wanted to do immediately: strip the kingdom of its riches!

I was already at the crystal waterfalls, so I decided to take one of the crystals home. There was a bit of a problem:



The game simulates, with some accuracy, how long it would actually take to cut crystal. Eventually, I did get a piece, though I'm not sure how long it took. I think it took 5 to 10 real-time minutes, but from the game clock, it may have taken much longer.

In any event, absconding with the kingdom's various gemological treats was not going to be an easy task. So I decided to go straight to where my efforts would yield the maximum bling: the treasure room!




However, after just two whacks at the nearly impenetrable window of crystal glass ...




My lovely mattock, my reward for many hours of searching, shattered into dust.

Well, that was a complete failure. My hubris and greed have led to this setback. Lesson learned: when you come at the king's treasure, you best use something sturdier than a mattock.

I decided to go home and sulk for a bit. At least the crystal looks nice on my bookcase.

[LordMortis]

Ouchee! Did you get a disappointment for breaking the tool you had longing for since so early in the game?

[Hyena]

I actually got a little sad for your little guy when I saw that. Think of all the coal he could have mined, or holes he could have dug...

[Hipolito]

Ouchee! Did you get a disappointment for breaking the tool you had longing for since so early in the game?

No, which is admittedly surprising.

I actually got a little sad for your little guy when I saw that. Think of all the coal he could have mined, or holes he could have dug...

There is another mattock out there, the one I spotted (but couldn't get to) on Day 8. Only a matter of time before I get it.

[Hipolito]

Day 60

Back on Day 15, I had found a pit in the moss caves. It was too big to cross, but a slow drip of water was gradually filling it. I decided to head back there and check on it.

The pit was now filled with water. I was a little nervous about making the attempt ...



but I safely swam across and climbed out the other side. Silently thanking the water drip, I proceeded to see what there was to see.

And this is what I proceeded to see.




I tried the doors. They slowly but surely creaked open. I went in and found myself inside ...




The Library! I'm certain you all remember that one of my first discoveries was a blue door to the library that was stuck closed. Finally, I found another way in. I jumped with joy and read aloud the titles on the shelves. The Collected Works of Chuck Tingle! There Once Was a Girl From Nantucket and Other Classic Poems! The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring by George R.R. Martin! I greedily took every book, increasing my collection from 7 to 21.

I found the door that had originally barred my entry; it was stuck because it was blocked by rubble, which I had no way of clearing. So instead of exiting through that door, which would have been a short way home, I had to haul all the books back out through the moss caves. It was a long, tiring trek with all those books in hand, but I made it. I carefully arranged my new books on my bookcase before allowing myself to collapse on the recliner and catch my breath.

I now had quite a respectable library of my own. And with the King's awakening still 340 days away, there was time.

[The Meal]

Day 60?!?

[Hipolito]

Day 60?!?

It's weird. I thought this game was supposed to take place over 400 real-time days. But according to the in-game clock, we're on day 60 even though I've only been playing for 36 days. I don't know what kind of time compression goofiness is going on here.

[Hipolito]

This post intentionally left blank so that the next update, which will be up in a few seconds, will be at the top of the next page.

But in case you are in the unfortunate position of reading this post, here are some jokes I saw on the GWJ forum.

Argentina is surprisingly cold. In fact, it's bordering on Chile.

What do you call a reluctant potato? A hesitater.

Did you hear about the guy who invented the "knock knock" jokes? He won the no bell prize.