History VideoGame / TheLonging

''The Longing'' is a "ultra-slow {{idle|Game}} {{adventure|Game}}" by the German indie developer Studio Seufz, released on 5th March, 2020 for PC and 14th April, 2021 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* RealityEnsues: A few, used for gameplay or emotional effect.
** A single drop filling up a puddle or a plant growing takes time. Lots of time.
** [[spoiler:Both the Old Man and Friend can and will die of old age]].
** Someone accidentally [[spoiler: pulling out a black creature from a well]] can get very scared.

* GameBreakingBug: Before the april patch, it was possible for players to get stuck in the caves without a mattock as using them on the treasure glass breaks them instantly and the last mattock was behind a wall that has to be mined away. The patch made it so that The Shade doesn't hit the glass until the player actually has all three mattocks.

** Both [[spoiler:the Old Man]] and [[spoiler: Friend]] can and will [[spoiler: die of old age]].

* WorthlessYellowRocks: The kingdom features an enormous treasure chamber filled with gold. The Shade considers the lot of it completely useless, [[spoiler:though you can use some of it to pay for a secret]]

*** [[spoiler: The Shade gets lifted up by The Troll Child. The child gets scared upon seeing The Shade, let's go of the bucket and The Shade falls down the well shaft to their death.]]

* FinalDeath: Before the last patch, any ending was '''the''' ending. So if a player picked one that included The Shade's death, it was this.

** True Ending: [[spoiler: The Shade waits for 400 days and then wakes up The King.]] Also equals as a subversion of [[spoiler: TheHeroDies: Waking up The King destroys earth as he was holding it up while asleep, ''but'' he and The Shade survive. The text implies they are unable to die of age and thus will forever be alone [[BuriedAlive in the darkness of the collapsed planet]].]]

''The Longing'' is a "ultra-slow {{idle|Game}} {{adventure|Game}}" by the German indie developer Studio Seufz, released on 5th March, 2020.

The protagonist is only referred to as The Shade, created by The King who explains that he has now expended all his power and will thus rest. The Shade is to wait in the caverns that form his kingdom and wake him up... in 400 days. Not in in-game time, but in ''real'' time. (Though said time constantly progresses, even when the game is not active.)

Gameplay is all about waiting: The Shade walks extremely slow, every action takes at least a minute, many paths are blocked and don't open up until the player has literally waited hours up to months.

The game originally featured 4 endings and prevented the player from restarting (unless deleting the game in the steam folders), a patch in April added a 5th ending, more books and the option to restart the game.

** The Shade's estimates on when a new area will become accessible are uncannily accurate. [[spoiler:His dialogue recounting his dreams also foreshadows some of the hidden locations of the game, as well as hints towards the BittersweetEnding and GoldenEnding listed below.]]

* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes - When in pitch darkness, the shade's big yellow eyes are still visible. [[spoiler: This is taken literally with Angst, who has the same eyes, and both characters can see the open eyes of the other.]]

* HelpfulHallucination: The mushroom trips.

* MultipleEndings: 5.

** Both [[spoiler: The Old Man]] and [[spoiler: Friend]] can and will [[spoiler: die of old age]].

* SceneryPorn: The Halls of Eternity, the Waterfalls, the Red Crystal room, the Hall of The King, [[spoiler: the house in the overworld]].
* SoulJar: The Shade is implied to be one for The King.
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The Shade, The King, [[spoiler: The Face]], [[spoiler: The Old Man]] and [[spoiler: The Troll Child]], again.

* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes - When in pitch darkness, the shade's big yellow eyes are still visible. [[spoiler: This is taken literally with Angst, who has the same eyes, and both characters can see the open eyes of the other.]]

* HundredPercentCompletion: Build a bed, find and harvest all crystals, fill the cave with paintings, breed mushrooms, have some flowing water, have a fire, have all books, find the secret place, find something with eyes, find...

** [[spoiler: The Shade gets lifted up by The Troll Child. The child gets scared upon seeing The Shade, let's go of the bucket and The Shade falls down the well shaft to their death.]]
** [[spoiler: The Shade jumps to its death in a bottomless abyss]].

* ThePigPen: [[spoiler: The BittersweetEnding]] implies that The Shade isn't actually black but just covered in dirt and soot. They don't seem to mind and even mention in their diary that they don't need hygiene.

* CentralTheme: Time. The game is about waiting and about how much time passes. Making the home comfortable makes "time fly" while walking in the boring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Halls of Eternity]] makes "time stop".
** Also Duty VS Desire. On one hand The Shade wants to obey The King and wait. They get comfortable in their cave and can just sit there and wait it out. On the other hand The Shade can try to leave the cave and find a purpose more fitting to them.

** Bad Ending: [[spoiler: The Shade gets lifted up by The Troll Child. The child gets scared upon seeing The Shade, let's go of the bucket and The Shade falls down the well shaft to their death.]]

* WorthlessYellowRocks: The kingdom features an enormous treasure chamber filled with gold. The Shadw considers the lot of it completely useless, [[spoiler:though you can use some of it to pay for a secret]]

* AbsurdlyLongWait: The game takes 400 days for the standard ending. Not in-game days, actual days. While some waiting times are realistic (a drawing taking 1 up to 5 minutes), other things are clearly meant to be this.
** Wandered for 4 hours in the Halls of Eternity for some paper? Better do something else now cause you have to walk the entire way back.
* AllThereInTheManual: The FanNickname for the [[spoiler: creature staring at you in the Darkness]] is taken from the painting name of it.

** [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler: The Shade throws themselves off the cliff at the end of the dark hallway.]]

* MoralEventHorizon: If the player so desires, they can [[spoiler: have The Shade [[DrivenToSuicide throw himself off a cliff]] to their death]].

* VideoGameCaringPotential: The player can decide to make the cave of The Shade as comfortable as possible so their wait goes by faster.

''The Longing'' is a "ultra-slow idle adventure" by Studio Seufz, released on 5th March, 2020.

The protagonist is only referred to as The Shade, created by The King who explains that he has now expended all his power and will thus rest. The Shade is to wait in the caverns that form his kingdom and wake him up...in 400 days.

''TheLonging'' is a "ultra-slow idle adventure" by Studio Seufz, released on 5th March, 2020.

''VideoGame/TheLonging'' is a "ultra-slow idle adventure" by Studio Seufz, released on 5th March, 2020.

* Bizarrchitecture: While most of the caves follow a very natural logic, some places are clearly this. Examples include the confusing cave system in the bottom left, the red reading rooms between the map room and red crystal room and definitely the Halls of Eternity.

** True Ending: [[spoiler: The Shade waits for 400 days and then wakes up The King.]] Also equals as a subversion of [[spoiler: TheHeroDies: Waking up The King destroys earth as he was holding it up while asleep, ''but'' he and The Shade survive. The text implies they are unable to die of age and thus will forever be alone in the darkness of the collapsed planet.]]
** GoldenEnding: [[spoiler: The Shade finds three special crystals, among them one that only appears for a short time around their birthday. When all crystals are put together, they open a portal of light and if the Shade goes through it, he will fly on top of the stork with a crown. While happy, the text with it implies that it's AllJustADream.]]

** True Ending: [[spoiler: The Shade waits for 400 days and then wakes up The King.]]
** GoldenEnding: [[spoiler: The Shade finds three special crystals, among them one that only appears for a short time around their birthday.]]