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The Longest Walk

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2022

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Quick resume

The Longest Walk is a deeply personal biographical walking-simulator game about my father's experience of living with depression.

Global score

95/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie, Free To Play

Similar games

    Pros

    • Powerful and relatable narrative on depression
    • Unique and beautiful artistic style
    • Emotional and intimate storytelling
    • Free and short experience
    • Raises mental health awareness

    Cons

    • Minimal gameplay and interactivity
    • Very short duration
    • Linear on-rails walking
    • Lack of options or settings
    • Some technical issues reported (e.g. no v-sync, escape key quits)

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Autonomy, Strategy, Experimenting, Competence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Progression, Thrill.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      -4

      "Gameplay is on rails walking with no deviation or meaningful choices, reflecting following established routines."

    • Competence
      -5

      "No skill or challenge involved, just holding a key to walk through a linear experience."

    • Competition
      -5

      "No competitive elements; focus is on personal reflection without comparison to others."

    • Continuation
      -4

      "Very short experience (~10 minutes) designed for a single session, not habitual or long play."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Entirely single-player, no cooperative or multiplayer interaction."

    • Creativity
      -3

      "Limited player creativity; no building or customization, but unique artistic style offers some creative expression by developer."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No elements of control or superiority over others; experience is personal and introspective."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Strongly oriented toward emotional escape and coping with real-life depression through immersive storytelling."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest or need, not obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      -4

      "No experimentation or exploration of mechanics; linear and fixed experience."

    • Exploration
      -3

      "Limited exploration confined to a linear path with minimal environment detail."

    • Expression
      -4

      "No player customization or self-expression; fixed presentation focused on narrative delivery."

    • Fantasy
      -5

      "Depicts realistic, autobiographical experiences with no fantasy or fictional elements."

    • Fellowship
      -4

      "Primarily solitary experience with minimal social connection; some community sharing around mental health."

    • Growth
      3

      "Encourages personal insight and emotional growth through story and reflection."

    • Health
      -5

      "No physical activity or health-related gameplay; sedentary experience."

    • Idle
      3

      "Short, low-demand session that can be played casually without intense focus."

    • Intimacy
      4

      "Emotional intimacy through personal storytelling and vulnerability."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements."

    • Progression
      -5

      "No item collection or upgrades; static narrative experience."

    • Relaxation
      4

      "Calm, cathartic experience designed to soothe and comfort players."

    • Sensation
      2

      "Moderate sensory stimulation through unique visuals and sound design, but overall subdued."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics."

    • Story
      5

      "Central focus on narrative immersion and personal story of depression."

    • Strategy
      -5

      "No strategic or problem-solving gameplay."

    • Thrill
      -5

      "No suspense or risk; controlled and predictable experience."

    • Value
      4

      "Highly valued by players for emotional impact and mental health awareness despite short length and minimal gameplay."

    • Violence
      -5

      "No violence or destructive elements; peaceful and contemplative."

    • Survival
      -5

      "No survival or threat elements; stable and safe environment."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026