The Long Dark – Story Mode Episode 3 Coming December 2018

The Long Dark is getting episode 3 of its story mode in December of 2018, along with numerous improvements on the first two episodes of Wintermute.

The Long Dark spent years in early access with only a sandbox experience to keep players happy. It worked, though, as the game was considered one of the few success stories from the early access model. When Wintermute, The Long Dark’s story mode, debuted in August of 2017, however, criticism toward the title and studio behind it reached an all-time high. A buggy launch and unpopular design choices did not sit well with veteran players. Things have steadily improved over the last year, and it appears the time is approaching for Hinterland to release Episode 3 of the story.

The Long Dark – Episode 3

The first two episodes of Wintermute followed Will Mackenzie’s journey, but Episode 3 will be all about Dr. Astrid Greenwood. Players will get to explore a new region, but they might want to start the entire Wintermute story again. Hinterland has made quite a few large design changes based on feedback, so the experience from August 2017 is likely to be much different than what you’d see in December. Plus, it’s been a long time and you’ll need a refresher.

More open and flexible mission structure, reducing the forced linearity of the story missions; this includes restructuring the side missions and making more of the content optional

• Whole new playable intro sequence for Episode One
• All NPC dialogue is now fully voiced and animated using an entirely new animation system
• All dialogue and narrative scenes are now presented in first-person, using an overhauled dialogue UI
• New major story elements in both Episodes, including a new NPC
• Although the high-level episode story arcs remain as before, almost every story beat, dialogue moment, and mission element has been improved, with about 80% of the dialogue rewritten to accommodate
• Removed the Trust system as it contributed to the “fetch questy” feeling of the first two episodes (we plan to repurpose this system for elsewhere in the game)
• Completely overhauled Bear Hunt mission and added new gameplay (Episode Two)
• Improved tutorial presentation
• Improved story UI elements

The Long Dark is also getting a retail release. Due out September 4, 2018 for North, Central, and South America, and September 7, 2018 in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia, the retail version will include the soundtrack, as well as a Field Journal that includes a map of Great Bear and a survival diary. Full details of everything known about Episode 3 can be explored via the Hinterland developer diary.