A Long Journey to an Uncertain End Reviews

Charming, colorful characters in a universe that begs to be explored. It's a lightly mechanized, beautifully illustrated visual novel that I definitely enjoyed. While I would have enjoyed more challenge and story impact from the resource management / choices matter aspect of the game - the lovely writing and inventive narrative more than won me over.

Get this game on sale. If you're looking for a quick, reading heavy game with abundant queer representation and gallons of charm, then this is the game... for $10-$15. I liked this game a lot, as a trans woman, it's nice to see a crazy amount of representation, especially now, as the world seems more and more set on the eradication of us trans folk. Furthermore, the story is effective at communicating its message, and contains some twists I wasn't expecting. The characters are also all super fun, and each feels unique, whist still being charming and fun. My favorites were definitely Matias, the muscle/star drag queen, and Denny, a disabled trans man, who is also big on the whole "be gay, do crimes" thing. In all, the game creates a fun, charming sci-fi world. However, the game only took me 2 1/2 hours to complete, and left me wanting a lot more. The ending felt abrupt, especially after a certain gameplay element is just straight-up removed near the end. Furthermore, the gameplay itself isn't anything super exciting. It felt really easy, and the only times I struggled where when the time on the doom clock got pretty low near the middle, and when supplies got low in the beginning. However, the difficulty doesn't seem to curve at all, and so I was breezing through the endgame. Furthermore, there are 2 action sequences that require back-to-back decision making, which seemed interesting, except for the fact that there were only 2, and there seemed to be no consequences for making a decision that caused a failure. I think the resource management had a lot of potential, but it just felt underbaked. One last little gripe is that the game gives a trigger warning for its discussion of relationship abuse, which is great, but it gives it to you after you've purchased the game, and I think this would be more beneficial if it was advertised a bit more pre-purchase. So, overall, I think the game is worth a play, I just think it leaves a lot to be desired, and could do with more content, and while I understand that games are getting more expensive, and that we should support small studios like Crispy Creative, I don't think it has enough content to justify the $20 cost of when I bought it, much less the $25 full price. Bugs I encountered on my playthrough July 2, 2023: -Near the late game, every mission NPC was listed as having she/her pronouns beneath their names, even if this information was contradicted by the dialogue of the mission. -Playtime count in load saves was wrong, and needed to be scaled down a unit (it said I had been playing for 152 hours, instead of minutes) Pros: -Tight, memorable story with a compelling sci-fi twist -Characters oozing with charm -Fantastic soundtrack -Boatloads of queer, and especially trans, representation -A fascinating sci-fi world Cons: -Some small bugs -A very short story with and abrupt end -Underbaked gameplay mechanics -A tad too expensive for the amount of content available I really hope they continue to support this game! I'd love to see a version of this game with more refined mechanics, and a longer story that really helps flesh out this interesting sci-fi universe.

I'm very torn. This game has been in my Wishlist for a while, pending its release, and when it finally came, I was happy to jump in. It was a little different than I was expecting, but still enjoyable. The only problem is, after 3 hours of play, it's... finished? And I only met 4 of the available seven(?) characters? I LOVE a game that is comfortable with trans representation, as well as addressing some important and rather stark topics in a creative way. The game design is quirky and engaging, but not enough to push for a replay. I guess I was just expecting a Long(er) Journey.

A LONG JOURNEY TO AN UNCERTAIN END has you playing the sentient AI of a spaceship, on the run from a vengeful and possessive ex, picking up an assorted crew of misfits as you hop from planet to planet, station to station, picking up odd jobs to keep yourself and your crew fueled up and content! I find myself charmed by this game, even as I acknowledge its shortcomings: the crew members you pick up have well-defined colorful personalities and backstories, but they take a backseat to your own journey as you try to stay ahead of your increasingly deranged, threatening ex. In fact, your ex takes the spotlight for most of the game, which could perhaps be seen as an unfortunate truth in fiction; as they take every opportunity to center themselves in your life and harass you over the comms: mixing sweet honeyed words with threats over how you'll regret trying to escape in the first place, gaslighting you into doubting your own decisions. I named my ex "Lungexploder". I hope you'll find that amusing. ‪ Furthermore, while the crew are great characters: they don't really interact among themselves, which I feel is the whole point to having such a colorful cast? You got a cranky grandma cyborg, a casanova pilot, and an intergalactic drag queen on the ship, and they DON'T have fun conversations? Granted, it would have been a lot of additional writing to figure out who would would be on the ship at any one time and then writing for potential pairs or trios (or even a whole group if/when you wrangle the whole crew together!). But I think it would have been worth it. Like a whole lot. ‪ The majority of the game will involve you landing on planets/space stations and assigning your crew to odd jobs to either get more resources to keep yourself spaceborne, or sniff out clues on where to head on next; all the while the timer at the top of the screen counts down to your ex catching up. In theory, this should be a finely tuned tension in time management: scrounging for food/fuel while making sure to keep ahead of your ex. In practice, by the time your crew is large enough you can take every job available at a location and be out in a couple of hours: the rewards from jobs tending towards VERY generous. In fact, I think something might genuinely be wrong with the numbers under the hood of this game? I personally don't mind how easy it is, but veterans of roguelikes should beware: this long journey to an uncertain end will probably be much shorter and also more certain than you're used to. What I think is DEFINITELY broken are the shields/hull resource, which are used in "finales" after visiting a series of locations: where you have to break through a blockade set up by your ex, and either use the crew's skills or your resources to avoid fire or take shield/hull damage. In theory. In practice: I have never, not once, failed a finale or taken any ship damage during them. I have even tried making every bad decision that would result in... something? Anything? But no, the only time your shields/hull resource goes down is if you trade it away for food and fuel. ‪ In the end, this is a game I liked that I wish I loved instead. The characters are fun but underused (ex is pitch perfect terrible and terrifying though: no notes). The game mechanics are easily exploitable and maybe even broken. I can see a version of this game that was given more of a budget and time to bake, but alas: here we are.

A tentative recommend--probably with the caveat that I would wait for a sale in retrospect. Overall, it's a charming game that clearly had a lot of love put into it, and a great concept with a mid-execution. I paid day one price for it and while I don't regret purchasing it at that price, that mostly stems from the fact that I am supporting an indie studio and a passion project that I hope they work on or spin-off. Pros: -Interesting concept: The world and lore is more interesting than the central story, but I like the layers of "VN meets timed escape meets resource management." And I'm a sucker for Sci-Fi. Would love to see more in this universe. -Not too easy: had two failures before really understanding the mechanics and nailing my third attempt. -Little hand-holding. I appreciate the game letting me figure it out. -Art Style: I'm seeing some complaints and I disagree. Yes, it's different, but it looks best on the characters in-world, not the PC. -UI: Once you get the hang of it, the UI is clean and the mission system makes a lot of sense. -Text and click-through: VN at your own pace, but if you don't like to read skipping through is easy "Beige" Flag -More customization options are available for your character as time goes on. Fun idea, but more base options should be available at start. Cons: -The main story is fairly short -I don't anticipate replaying it--there was not enough time with characters to want to dive back in and get them all -Bugs: Changing costumes was a nightmare and never worked for me. Additionally, it forced an early game character on me when I didn't recruit them, including all cutscenes. -[Potential Spoiler, or something I missed in game] [spoiler]You have a character that does drag, and we never get to see the drag persona, despite being hinted that the character wants to perform?? A crime! [/spoiler]

A nice short game! i do think a bit too much at its current price, as i finished it in 2 hours, but its a solid rpg experience with resource management elements. i like the setting, and the characters, but mostly i could see how much the team really loved this game. Maybe it could be longer, but the setting is clearly very loved and thought out

First time I launched the game, had to restart because of a bug during character creation. Second, I saved right after the tutorial and left because of some business I had to tend to, came back, only to discover that the save wasn't taken into account : had to redo my character and tutorial (not too long, but still : that's twice already that I'm remaking my early game. Then, when I was able to play, I got a crew chat during my first travel, who included someone who wasn't - and COULDN'T BE at that time - in my crew. I just thought "meh, probably just a prompt mistake, no worries, it's gonna be okay". Second travel : again the same person talking as if they traveled with everyone else, without me ever meeting them. But let's talk about my second travel : after doing all the jobs from first planet, succeeding and collecting supplies, fuel, and a new crew member, I took of for the next planet. In the events I had, one was from the crew asking to eat something else than their canned food. I could either waste supplies, or lose two hours. I chose the second option, for them to go to a space restaurant. Only for the food being disgusting and the crew eating a good part of the supplies in the end. I lost time AND food on that event, which would have been okay if the next event didn't take the rest of my food. On two travels, I was left with nothing to feed my crew, entirely based on RNG. And given the already multiple bugs I've encountered (I can't "quit" the game normally. If I do, I just have a black screen and have to Alt+F4 to close the window) after only so little time spent playing, I will stop here and ask a refund. The game seemed really good, but playing it in these conditions is just not fun.

Didn't work out very well. The game is too simple. A lost chase results in [Game over] with no alternative plot options. Sad. Police interrogation at just one station. There are no authorities laws on other planets and stations. Look for escaped AI? Nah There are no relationships or conflicts in the crew which it would be interesting to resolution as captain-role. Too many resources received for work. +Markets where you can exchange what you need for your next flight. There are no side-quests worth staying on the planet or station. Kamaria > who/e-some imba. She generates a lot of favors, for which you can receive even more resources, or reduce the suspicion of the natives. (Mostly, it was just one crew member, who attracted any suspicion. It's not every day you see a robot sunbathing in a solarium. yeah) I didn't see any animations from the trailers in the game. The world of this universe: LGBT-comfy and has absolutely no impact on the plot. You just can see bearded women and that’s it. I expected more from this game. If you are looking for a good space travel-management experience, then you should pay attention to Out There: Ω Edition or Space Haven.

A nice story if you love Becky Chambers, Firefly, and inclusive art. It's short but I could see some replay-ability if they included a hard mode. It was worth the price for 4 hours of interesting gameplay.

I'm really enjoying the game. The game mechanics are easy to grasp, the design of the UI is straightforward and appealing, and I really enjoy the art. The story is easy to grasp onto right from the start and the characters are compelling, all while keeping the text and dialogue very succinct. You can enjoy the story without getting bogged down in too much reading (which is a good thing since this game is not a dedicated visual novel). There are a few quirks to the mechanics that could be ironed out. Most notably, time is part of resource management in this game—for good reason. However, the passage of time seems to never pause, no matter what you are doing. This is fine in certain circumstances, but it causes problems in others: - There is no way to pause the game aside from saving and returning to the main menu, making stepping away from the game for a moment a chore. - Time keeps passing during conversations that are initiated during ship travel, which sometimes causes you to miss those conversations entirely as they get interrupted by the landing sequences. - Because time keeps passing during conversations, I could foresee this causing problems for those who might be slower readers. It then becomes an accessibility issue, where a slower reader is getting actively punished by the game for not reading quickly. Funny enough, you can't even submit feedback using the in-game feedback option without time continuing to pass. If the issue with time passage gets ironed out, this becomes an extremely solid and easy-to-pick-up gaming experience with great visuals, great story and wordbuilding, and fun mechanics.