Long Gone Days (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.2 Update

Long Gone Days is a role-playing video game for Windows, OSX, and Linux developed by BURA. Written, developed, and illustrated by Camila Gormaz, Long Gone Days features a dystopian story in which a young soldier becomes disillusioned with the cause of an operation he was part of, and deserts them to prevent an international war.

The original demo featuring the first hour was released for Windows and OSX on May 13, 2016. Early access to the game was released in March 2018, and the full version was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in October 2023. The game received positive to mixed reviews, with critics praising the art direction and music score but criticizing the pacing of the story.

This game is an RPG delving into contemporary conflict, language barriers, and empathy amid warfare, centering on civilians, linguistic challenges, and geopolitical boundaries. Join Rourke, a young man groomed from infancy as a sniper for The Core, a clandestine subterranean paramilitary entity. His inaugural surface mission, of great import, kindles his desire to demonstrate his training’s worth.

Though he executes his orders flawlessly, he unravels the unsettling truth about The Core, a far cry from the noble organization he believed it to be. A Nuanced War Experience: Navigate the juxtaposition of modern warfare and everyday civilian existence through riveting RPG combat and measured slice-of-life interactions.

Communication as a Lifeline: Long Gone Days unfolds in our reality, where language barriers pose a formidable challenge. Enlist interpreters to bridge the linguistic divide, forging connections that transcend borders. Sustain High Morale: Make judicious dialogue choices to elevate spirits during combat. Each character possesses distinct personality traits and motivations.

Sniper Mode: Long Gone Days features two distinct battle systems. With Rourke’s rifle, locate and eliminate your adversaries with precision. No Random Encounters: Long Gone Days offers front-view, turn-based battles featuring a body-targeting system. Every skirmish is meticulously designed, and directly woven into the narrative.

GAMEPLAY

Long Gone Days is a role-playing game with visual novel elements that uses a top-down perspective. It features a traditional turn-based RPG combat, which allows the player to select which body part of the enemy to aim. Since the story doesn’t have fantasy or supernatural elements, instead of magic, the characters rely on morale. This stat can be raised or lowered by the choices the player may make during dialogues in and outside battles, and it affects how each party member will perform in battle.

If their Morale reaches zero, the character loses their will to fight. Besides the turn-based combats, the game features a first-person sniper mode, which consists of seek-and-find mechanics. Since the story is set in the real world, the non-player characters will speak in their native language depending on the country the characters are in. The player can recruit interpreters to buy at shops and complete quests.

PLOT

In an unrecognized country named The Core, whose exact location is unknown, every individual is trained from birth for their job to become experts by adulthood. Rourke, a military sniper who has never visited the surface, is chosen as a last-minute replacement for an operation to aid the Polish forces in Kaliningrad, without much time to review the briefing. After the mission of eliminating the targets they were assigned to, Rourke discovers all of them were civilians; and the squad’s combat medic Adair reveals that it was a false flag operation.

Rourke is appalled by their actions and by the fact nobody in his squad seems to mind the war crimes they are committing, so he decides to desert. Intrigued by his choice, Adair makes up his mind to follow Rourke along. Taking advantage of his specialty, Adair reports a false illness that requires transferring Rourke to the nearest field hospital. They escape to the opposite direction of their two bases in Kaliningrad, but are quickly discovered after being spotted by drones and fellow soldiers from a nearby base they were unaware of; thus realizing the operation is much bigger than they were informed of.

With Rourke and Adair being chased by their allies, as they have become deserters and enemies of The Core, they escape into the nearby city of Kaliningrad, where they meet Lynn and Ivan, both of whom have also become disillusioned by the Core’s activities. As the four take the ferry and arrive in Germany, they realize that the attacks on Kaliningrad have reached international news. They meet the journalist Atiye who requests from them an interview regarding their escape there.

However, Atiye becomes tied up with her issues as her partner Zoe gets involved with the Beqiri family, the local mafia who have been supporting Horst, a candidate for the upcoming national election. Upon investigating, the team meets Zoe’s contact Cygnus, or by his real name Pascal. A former Beqiri Family member who assists them in saving Zoe. In the process, Rourke and Adair confront Sergeant Branna, who they defeat.

The group moves on to Poland, where the city is now under curfew due to the Core has set up headquarters at the Spire. With the help of a local girl named Hanna, who and her parents Swlwia and Piotr have also become disillusioned with the Core’s activities, the team infiltrates the Spire with the intent of finding Weisner. They receive help from defected Sergeant Faye, who had once saved Lynn’s life in her past before she escaped to Kaliningrad, and can defeat Sergeant Coyle, Weisner’s right-hand man.

They arrive at Weisner’s office and confront him, with Rourke proclaiming that he will take hold of his future outside of what the Core had given him. Months after Weisner’s death, despite efforts to de-name Weisner and the Core, the Core continued to prosper due to the ignorance of the civilians. Despite this, Rourke and his team vow to never stop fighting for the world that they believe in.