For the next five weeks, Vancouver-based game developers Hinterland have introduced a special event for The Long Dark, their quietly apocalyptic winter survival game. The harsh Winter's Embrace option lowers the already fatally cold outdoor temperatures in the game by an average of 10 degrees Celsius, reduces the indoor temperatures by the same amount, and makes the game's deadly blizzards longer and more frequent. Players who manage to survive for 25 days will unlock a special achievement badge to acknowledge the extent of their frost-bitten survival skills.
However, it's not all bad news. Since Canada Day takes place during the event, Hinterland has added a special Canadian twist to things with the addition of two new food items: Maple Syrup and Ketchup Potato Chips.* Players are challenged to consume 25 bottles of syrup and 25 bags of chips to receive another achievement badge.
As a final salute to Canada, the game now has a Heritage filter which gives the game a kind of 70s National Film Board feel, if you can imagine such a thing.** I haven't tried that out yet, but so far I've survived for ten days and eight hours, found and eaten five bags of chips, and drank six bottles of maple syrup. The tricky part is that I've pretty much cleaned out the local supply, and now I need to make the challenging trip to a new map, rather than hunker down and ride out the storms. Wish me luck...
Happy Canada Day, everyone! Be kind, be calm and be safe.
- Sid
* The apocalyptic nature of the game precludes poutine, unfortunately.
** There's also a Noir filter which makes the game monochromatic, but there's nothing particularly Canadian about it.
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