UPDATE TheLongDark’s story gets revamped.

Hinterland has given its survival sim’s story an overhaul.

Set in a brutal, freezing Canadian wilderness, The Long Dark is quietly one of the best survival games on PC. Set in the aftermath of a bizarre geomagnetic storm that plunged the world into darkness and rendered all technology useless, you have to battle nature to stay alive. A task made difficult by the wolves, blizzards and inhospitable terrain surrounding you. The Long Dark left Early Access in August, 2017 and it was here we got our first taste of Wintermute, its episodic story mode. Previously the game was limited to an open-ended sandbox, but now there was a story to follow, characters to meet, and a goal to strive for. Wintermute still has more episodes to go, so the story is still steeped in mystery, but a mysterious locked briefcase seems to be at the heart of it.

The problem was: Wintermute wasn’t great. It was a nice way to learn the game’s many survival systems, but it just wasn’t as compelling as making your own stories in the sandbox, and it suffered from forcing you to do too much busywork. That could’ve been the end of the story, but developer Hinterland listened to the feedback of reviewers and players alike and revamped Wintermute in response. The core of the story is still there, but the flow is more streamlined, making it a less frustrating experience—but retaining that feeling of always being on the edge of death.

The opening in the first version of Wintermute was a cutscene, but now there’s an interactive sequence where protagonist Will Mackenzie explores his airplane hangar as a storm howls outside. Little details are scattered around here, giving you some insight into his character. It’s a much more satisfying way to set the scene than just watching a cinematic.

Script Notes

The story has also undergone some big changes. Before, when you climbed out of the ravine, there was a long, difficult slog to Milton, the isolated town where much of the first episode’s story takes place. But now, shortly after locating your plane, you stumble on the town much earlier. The tutorials are also less invasive and more spread out, which makes Mackenzie’s escape from the crash site way more dramatic.

Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale (yes, both Commander Shepards) play main characters Will and Astrid brilliantly, and the solemn, downbeat score reinforces the gloomy atmosphere of the world. The production values are impressive throughout, and some of the scenery is stunning.

Dialogue has been rewritten and, in some cases, revoiced and feels much more developed as a result. There are no more long, silent, entirely text-based conversations, and now everything is viewed from the first-person perspective, which makes story sequences feel more integrated into everything else. The relatively simple addition of voices for all conversations improves the story, and your immersion in it, massively.

Other changes include a looser, less prescribed structure with occasional optional sidequests, rebalanced difficulty across the board, and a little more ammo sprinkled around the world. But the important thing is, even with these tweaks, this is still a brutal and uncompromising survival game. While you’re following the story you

It’s a much more satisfying way to set the scene

have to be smart about gathering resources, seeking shelter and staying well fed, rested and hydrated.

The Long Dark’s sandbox is still the star of the show, however. Here you have the freedom to explore a series of large, varied, interconnected maps, and choosing how you spend each day is more engaging than following a path set by a developer. This freedom can result in some memorable (and completely unscripted) moments, like when I ducked into a cave to escape a blizzard, only to see a ravenous bear rise up on its hind legs.

By making these changes to Wintermute, Hinterland has made The Long Dark a much more complete package. The sandbox and story are different experiences, despite their shared systems, but now they’re both much closer in terms of quality. To the point where this is probably the best pure survival game on PC right now. Its understated, painted wilderness is a gorgeous place to spend the end of the world, and the moments of relief when you scrape through another day, barely alive, are exhilarating.