A curious one this, a game that has a clock that counts down from 400 days as soon as you start it and you don't even need to play it to get to the ending, as time continues when you're not playing. I've played some slow games before but this is an all new kind of sloth.

It's called THE LONGING and you play as Shade, the last lonely servant of a King who once ruled an underground kingdom. The King's powers have faded and he sleeps for 400 days to regain strength and you're supposed to stick around until he awakens. Announced today, Studio Seufz have now given it a release date of March 5 and you can see the wonderful four hour long trailer below. The trailer is obviously a joke, at how you can just sit around and do nothing.

However, there's a ton to explore if you're willing to seek out the secrets. Time isn't just for show, things actually do change the further in you go. Moss and mushrooms grow, spiders make their webs, water drops down and more. There's also a possibility that you might be able to escape the cave somehow. Every part of the game uses time as a mechanic, an obstacle you need to overcome. It sounds brilliant, exactly what some busy lives need.

Feature Highlight:

Slow exploration of a vast, hand-drawn cave.

Atmospheric Dungeon Synth soundtrack.

Various endings.

Lots of well hidden secrets.

Time-based puzzles.

A lonely but cute protagonist.

I'll be taking a look at it for sure, can't wait to journal everything I find.

You can wishlist and follow THE LONGING on Steam.