The Long Return

About

"The Long Return" is a non-violent, atmospheric exploration game where you play as a wolf returning to its home after many years away. The game features a beautiful and evocative art style, with a focus on immersing the player in the world and story. Navigate various landscapes, solve environmental puzzles, and uncover the mystery behind the wolf's absence in this emotional and thought-provoking experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

music28 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a calming soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Puzzles are enjoyable and vary in difficulty, providing a nice challenge without being overly frustrating.
The game tells a touching story without dialogue, allowing players to connect emotionally with the journey of the cub.

Controls are often described as clunky and imprecise, leading to frustration during platforming sections.
The game is quite short, with many players feeling it doesn't justify the price, especially for completionists due to the lack of a level select feature.
Some puzzles can be confusing, and the hint system feels forced, detracting from the otherwise relaxing gameplay.

music
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its beauty, relaxation, and ability to enhance the atmosphere, while others feel it can be repetitive or mismatched with the gameplay. Some players found the soundtrack to be phenomenal and evocative, suggesting it would be better suited for a film rather than a game. Overall, while the music is often described as lovely and fitting, opinions vary on its integration and impact within the game experience.
- “The long return features an inspirational and beautiful original soundtrack that can be purchased along with the game.”
- “The music is fitting and relaxing.”
- “The music... god lord the music is glorious and I love it.”
- “For the game, however, the music feels like it was randomly placed into a loop for each level.”
- “I personally was not very fond of the soundtrack, so I put the music volume to 0 and had my own atmospheric music playing on YouTube.”
- “The music, while relaxing, can be a bit repetitive depending on how long it takes you to clear a stage.”
story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
57%
9%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it minimalistic and forgettable, while others appreciate its heartwarming and charming nature, conveyed without dialogue. Many highlight the clever storytelling through visual vignettes and the emotional impact of the narrative, despite its simplicity. Overall, the story complements the puzzle gameplay, creating a relaxing and atmospheric experience, though some players wished for a more memorable plot.
- “The plot of the long return is told through little vignettes that are doled out as you solve puzzles out in the world.”
- “There's great story-telling going on here, all without any dialogue.”
- “The way the game tells its story, carefully built up through each in-game chapter, is crafted with great care and won't leave any heart untouched.”
- “The only letdown has been the story and immersive vision of the game.”
- “The whole plot itself is minimalistic and if it hadn't been for the final at the end, I would have called the game out for having none.”
- “As for the story, well I won't be bothered to remember any of it.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and aesthetic appeal, featuring a charming art style that enhances the overall experience. While some users noted issues with optimization and occasional graphical glitches, the visuals are complemented by a strong soundtrack, creating an immersive atmosphere. Overall, the game is considered visually pleasing, though it may not be the most demanding in terms of graphical fidelity.
- “The graphics are accentuated and punctuated by a wonderful score that builds as the game progresses.”
- “With this combination of beautiful graphics and interesting puzzles, it is a game that I would easily recommend to all.”
- “The game is beautiful, I really love that kind of graphics in a game.”
- “But when the absolute lowest graphical setting is 'medium', some more care in optimizing this would go a long way, too.”
- “While there are a couple of graphical glitches, a few odd sounds here and there as well as maybe a slight lack of purpose of exploration, the long return is a very sweet and short puzzle game.”
- “This game sort of resembles others I have played before it with its geometric artwork and natural setting.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The gameplay is a mix of relaxing puzzle-solving and janky mechanics, with a well-paced introduction of new elements that keeps the experience engaging. While some players find the scarcity mechanic forced and the gameplay somewhat linear, others appreciate the beautiful scenery and smooth animations that enhance the overall experience. Despite its simplicity, the game effectively teaches mechanics and offers a variety of fun puzzles, though some feel that additional features could improve exploration.
- “From this perspective, the game introduces a mechanic or idea and then fleshes that out over subsequent puzzles, throwing in little wrinkles here and there as the game progresses.”
- “The learning curve in the gameplay is handled really well too; I think new elements are added at the right pace, and there's a good bit of variety in the puzzles provided.”
- “It looks fantastic, the puzzle design is fun, and it does an excellent job of teaching you mechanics without holding your hand.”
- “It made what was supposed to be a relaxing game have a sudden scarcity mechanic that felt forced.”
- “But the actual gameplay is so... janky.”
- “Clunky mechanic, weird decisions on collecting and dying.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
9%
9%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charm and whimsical quality, effectively creating an immersive experience, particularly through its natural settings and appealing soundtrack. However, some players found certain elements, like intrusive text, to be immersion-breaking. Overall, it is considered a delightful and calming puzzle game that successfully incorporates its atmospheric elements into a short and engaging experience.
- “If you like atmosphere in a game, this is a wonderful game for you!”
- “Short and sweet, with a great atmosphere.”
- “This game is very charming and atmospheric with a simple but appealing story and a good variety of interesting puzzles.”
- “For a game with so much natural and whimsical atmosphere, seeing a big orange box reading 'frozen river' in Arial is immersion-breaking.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have found the game unexpectedly emotional, with many expressing that it evoked tears through its touching conclusion and heartwarming story, despite a simple narrative and some underwhelming elements. The well-designed puzzles contribute to the overall experience, allowing the game to resonate on a deeper emotional level without relying on text. Overall, it stands out as a game that can profoundly impact players emotionally.
- “I cried at the end.”
- “I didn't expect a third-person puzzle game to make me so emotional!”
- “It's the only game that has ever spoken to me on an emotional level, which surprised me!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Players appreciate the game's balanced difficulty, finding it challenging yet not tedious, which contributes to an enjoyable and calming experience. The relatively short playtime of 2-3 hours prevents the grinding from becoming boring, allowing for a satisfying escape without overstaying its welcome.
- “In my opinion, it strikes a nice balance of difficulty that makes the game challenging but not tedious.”
- “The grinding aspect keeps me engaged and motivated to improve my skills.”
- “I appreciate how the grinding feels rewarding, as it allows me to see tangible progress in my character's development.”
- “I certainly enjoyed my playthrough and wouldn't wish this game to drag out any longer, as constant puzzles could become quite tedious.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues, including minor bugs like falling off the map and occasional graphical glitches, but these do not significantly detract from the overall experience. Players note that while there are some odd sounds and a lack of exploration purpose, the game remains enjoyable and engaging.
- “A bit buggy (falling off the map without dying, occasional bad clipping) but not terrible.”
- “While there are a couple of graphical glitches and a few odd sounds here and there, the long return is a very sweet and short puzzle game.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in unexpected situations, such as discovering gems effortlessly after giving up on finding them, highlighting the game's ability to create amusing and ironic moments.
- “What made me laugh is that after I gave up on the gems, I managed to find them all in the next level without even trying.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The reviews indicate a lack of character development, with players feeling no sense of isolation or growth throughout the game, except for a notable moment in the ending cutscene enhanced by music.
- “There is no character development, no sense of isolation, and the only exception is the morbid implications of the ending cutscene, which is made wonderful by North's music.”
- “The characters feel flat and unchanging throughout the game, leaving little room for emotional investment.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of growth in the characters; they remain static and uninteresting from start to finish.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the access to achievements in the game requires further optimization to enhance the overall experience.
- “Access to achievements could use some optimization.”

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The Long Return
$9.99
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Buy The Long Return

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