I was equipped with a sniper rifle and positioned high above a courtyard. Enemies began bursting from behind cover and scattering across the area. I easily picked them off one by one but instinctively panicked when two of them burst into the room I was hiding in. If I've learned anything from video games, it's that sniper rifles don't work well from up close. But to my surprise, Long Gone Days isn't just a pixel-based sniper simulator. It's also a turn-based combat game with different weapons, abilities, and items. It's a lot more than what it appears on the surface.
Long Gone Days, developed by This I Dreamt and published by Serenity Forge, puts you in a grim world embroiled in conflict. Set in a darker version of the real world, your character, Rourke, is trained from an early age to be a sniper for a private military organization called The Core. He's spent his whole life living underground alongside many of his fellow militants. The dark and mysterious circumstances surrounding the organization harbor an atmosphere of intrigue and sinister intentions that will become more clear as the game progresses.
During my hands-on time at PAX West, the developers told me they wanted to try something they hadn't seen in many other games. They've developed a language barrier mechanic, where some NPCs will speak in languages you don't understand. You could push through and hope you're answering questions correctly and making the right choices, or you can seek out allies who speak the language and can interpret for you. These characters may come and go, so you might seek new interpreters as your game progresses. Choices you make in the game and with these companions can impact how the rest of the game plays out.
The sniper portion of the gameplay I experienced was straightforward. It was very early on in the game, so it could become more complex, but the portion I played was very simple. You move Rourke around the screen to speak to various characters, and when combat begins, it shifts perspective so that you’re looking down on enemies from high above their location. A simple crosshair is positioned in the center of your screen, and all you have to do is line up the crosshair on top of an enemy and click to fire. There is no bullet drop, nor do you need to deal with hit-chance percentages. While there is some weapon sway, better-quality rifles can be found later in the game to mitigate this.
When enemies are too close for sniper combat, the perspective shifts to a first-person-esque view and becomes turn-based. This is where combat in Long Gone Days really opened up. The turn-based combat interface is simple and allows you to either attack with your weapon, use one of your abilities, or use an item. When shooting, you can even pinpoint a specific portion of their body. Aiming for the head does the most damage but is harder to hit. Aiming for the body does less damage but with a higher chance of hitting, while aiming for the arms provides a chance to paralyze (stun) your enemies. The choices provide enough variety to keep these encounters fresh.
