The Longest Road on Earth

Can video games be considered art? The Longest Road on Earth certainly seems to answer this question with a yes. But it is less of a traditional video game and more like an interactive music video crossed with a walking sim. Without any dialogue or text, we get to take in beautiful B&W highly detailed pixel art sceneries while listening to a mesmerizing soundtrack created by artist Beicoli. But you should try the demo first. If you dont like the music, do not get this game, because the music is truly the heart of the game. Gameplay is minimal and consists mostly of clicking or walking left or right when needed. You guide anthropomorphic animal characters through scenes of daily life activities, while the peaceful and soothing tunes of Beicoli’s voice carry the narrative. The game doesnt seem to save, but it is divided into four chapters, each of which can be started from the main menu. It is fairly short, about 2 hours long. This is definitely not a game for everyone, but I found its meditative slow pace and hauntingly beautiful soundtrack to be a perfect way to relax and reflect on what makes life meaningful. A great game to unwind with in the evening.

There really isnt much gameplay at all, I only played a bit but it has just felt like physically spinning a movie on a CD just to watch it. The art is pretty nice though.

I was very conflicted on whether I'd recommend this game or not. Sat on it for a few days and have come to the conclusion that while I would recommend it, it is, as most people have said, basically an interactive music video. I got this on sale for about ~$3, which is the amount of game play you get out of it, but the quality of the art makes the normal $15 a reasonable price IMO. Pros: - Beautiful art & music. Staring at animated train passengers across from you, or out a blurry train window, while the music plays in the background is a very unique atmosphere in a game. It makes you stay still and gives you space to build your own narratives for the character. - Seriously, gorgeous pixel art. The details and style makes it easy to stare at. - Was promised emotions, delivered. This game will make you feel something. - Game mechanics are very basic & make it easy to focus on enjoying the art/music. I didn't mind how cut down they were. - The subtle hints for character story that add to interpretation are very nicely done; there's a good balance of just enough information for setting, but not so much that it takes away from the experience. Cons: - I did not feel a sense of closure or understanding of the characters at the end, I felt more disconnected than anything. Maybe this is the intent of the game. As someone who really enjoys rich character development, I felt let down. Switching between the stories was fine, but the tie-together at the end felt anti-climatic, and it would have been more interesting/added more depth to see more overlap between the characters, especially given the emotional tone of the music. - I understand the point of not being able to skip certain scenes for the sake of enjoying the music and relaxed environment, but scenes like the very long introduction over the road make playing through a second time a little monotonous. Given it's an open to interpretation story, I feel like after the first play through you should have some more flexibility when replaying the game. I would personally like to play through this for more interpretation, but it doesn't feel designed to replay. - I really want this game to impart some sort of deeper meaning in my brain. The vocals of the music were lovely and the art set a very good tone for everything. The lyrics seemed.. I don't want to say shallow, but I felt the lyrics lacked the depth required to carry an entire game with no other dialogue.

It's more of an art project than a game, the gameplay only has 3 buttons. However the game shines in it's silent narrative, it let's you walk a few days in someone else's shoes and let's you draw your own perspective from the characters point of view. You may pause the game at any moment and you'll have a lovely pixelart scenery. All in all it's a cozy experience accompanied by Beícoli's stellar tunes

After playing Laika Aged Through Blood, I wanted more Beicoli and that's exactly what I got. emotional stories with some great music alongside. This is absolutely worth it if you catch it on sale, but it is more of a cinematic, minimalist gameplay. And you'll be left with more questions than answers. Everything is up for interpretation.