The Long Way Home is an atmospheric sci-fi game that blends classic point-and-click and visual novel mechanics with a first-person (FPS-style) perspective and survival elements.
You see the entire universe through the visor of your mining helmet. You’re adrift on a stranded ship, your course is lost, and there’s no one else breathing out there but you. Apart from hostile robots, friendly robots and the strange AI onboard, there’s no one left to talk to.
THE GALAXY BEHIND THE VISOR
Immerse yourself inside the spaceship with gameplay similar to classic Grid-Based. Interact with control panels, equipment and NPCs strictly from a first-person perspective.
But don't take time management lightly! When the oxygen system fails or the ship drifts further off-course, every second counts. You might not have much time to rush between compartments to fix the problem.
SURVIVE AND GROW
If you want to get back to Earth, you have to survive first. But remember: you’re not a soldier.
Management Loop:
Grow plants, harvest crops, cook meals and manage your energy carefully. Craft tools from the raw materials you scavenge. Repair your ship's malfunctions and find a way to stay on course.
Skill System:
Everything you do makes you better at it. Discover items that boost your skills or deepen your theoretical knowledge to unlock new levels of expertise.
Time Is in Your Hands:
On your journey back to Earth, use your time wisely. During exploration, time slows or pauses, letting you think, investigate and unravel mysteries at your own pace.
FIGHT OR HIDE (IT’S YOUR CALL)
The galaxy isn’t friendly but you don’t have to be a flying war machine. The game lets you choose your own approach:
Tactical Space Battles:
Turn-based, strategic ship combat. Find your enemy’s weak spots, cripple them with EMP pulses or crash their systems from the inside with cyber attacks.
Reflex-Based Close Combat:
Face aggressive robots in QTE- and rhythm-based melee encounters. Watch the visual cues and react at the right moment.
Peaceful Solutions:
Don’t want to fight? Switch to stealth, slip past threats and move on. Nobody has to get hurt.
UNRAVEL THE STORY
Where are you? Who are you, really? Where did everyone go? What happened to all the humans? And why are some robots hostile while others are—at least somewhat—friendly?
Explore derelict ships, dig through data logs, collect in-game trading cards and trade with strange robots. How deep you go into the story is up to you. You can focus only on getting home or you can uncover the dark history of this universe.
It’s a long way home, 13-553. Are you ready?
Hello Miners!
Sometimes, atmosphere and world-building don\'t get the appreciation they deserve. Today, I wanted to show you step-by-step how I integrate the details I add to enrich The Long Way Home universe into the story.
From the very first day of development, my vision for this universe was for it to feel lived-in, a bit messy, and real. Sometimes, creating that feeling requires nothing more than a tiny, weird detail.
1. STEP 1: IS THAT A ROBOT SMOKING OVER THERE?
It all starts with a simple idea. If you step out the back door of \"Barnard\'s Place,\" located on an asteroid orbiting Barnard\'s Star, you\'ll run into a robot taking a smoke break. Why does a machine smoke? Is it trying to mimic humans? Or is it a programming error?
How animations are created:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/8321f42b9cba95d737310e62792e2fee6e44ccfc.gif\"][/img]
[dynamiclink href=\"https://youtu.be/twuVBNmJc7k\"][/dynamiclink]
2. CREATING THE BRAND
If this robot is smoking, that cigarette needs a brand. There\'s nothing interesting about it smoking a random cigarette, but if it prefers a specific brand, things change. This brand needs to feel like it belongs to this universe. Futuristic or traditional? Electronic, organic, or something hybrid?
Simple sketches laying the foundation:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/27a6e4583c69312ca10e5ae836a41c92408c53c6.png\"][/img]
3. ADAPTING IT TO THE UNIVERSE
Creating the brand isn\'t enough; I need to scatter it everywhere I can find in the galaxy to make it \"real.\" An article on the Galactic News Network or an advertisement airing on Galactic Radio... Slowly, the brand integrates with the universe.
Check out the video to hear the ad airing on the radio:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/244d2ff0afe76d6482c465ef14f1fc3764f5e04f.gif\"][/img]
[dynamiclink href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLQHwuTFeIE&feature=youtu.be\"][/dynamiclink]
Also, the products need to physically exist in the universe. Therefore, they must be purchasable from vendors, advertising brochures should be found lying around, and you should even be able to buy a poster of the brand and hang it on a wall in your own ship.
Brochure and item logo design:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/6085a2a3f6ead819da45b04b8f3e29669e929094.png\"][/img]
Products purchasable from merchants:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/c36ce9d5536c77ce0a6ebe17b8cee1265d70f40b.png\"][/img]
Emberline Poster on a wall in the player\'s ship:
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/4fb2535a4828ca92178344253550d4722b964033.png\"][/img]
Poster hanging on the bar wall (top right):
[img src=\"https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/45888309/74347f434e59d915a67692d91eb40f7ecce45026.png\"][/img]
4. ENRICHING VIA DIALOGUE
Of course, showing it isn\'t enough; having in-game characters mention the brand occasionally and having it appear in different dialogues are key details that make everything feel realistic. In the video below, you can find a snippet of the dialogue you can have with the smoking robot.
[dynamiclink href=\"https://youtu.be/fddeCVRuI-0\"][/dynamiclink]
IN SUMMARY All these small details might seem quite insignificant, and it\'s very likely that players might miss them entirely. However, these details come together to form a universe, making it feel much larger than it is.
That is my primary goal with The Long Way Home project: To create a universe where anyone who wishes can get lost in it.
Safe travels to everyone.
Cihan Kuzu
Minimum Setup
- OS: Ubuntu 18.04+ / SteamOS
- Processor: x64 / 2.0 GHz Dual CoreMemory: 4 GB RAM
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Recommended Setup
- OS: Ubuntu 18.04+ / SteamOS
- Processor: x64 / 2.0 GHz Dual CoreMemory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible
- Storage: 2 GB available space
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