I’ve always been fascinated with the indie space of the games industry. While AAA games go for cutting-edge graphics and explosive set pieces, I’ve found indies tend to push the medium forward in more unique and unconventional ways. Developer Brainwash Gang’s The Longest Road on Earth is the latest indie I’ve found myself rooting for and championing ahead of its release sometime in Spring this year.
Just this week, developer Brainwash Gang and publisher Raw Fury shared with Twinfinite an exclusive ‘first listen’ to the song ‘Bird’ from The Longest Road on Earth’s soundtrack. It’s an emotive, beautiful track that perfectly encapsulates everything the game is about, and you can listen to it below.
On top of this exclusive reveal, I’ve also spent some time playing a demo of the game ahead of the full launch.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room here: The Longest Road on Earth is less a game, and more an interactive experience. There aren’t challenging boss fights, or punishing environmental puzzles. You’re here to observe and soak in this chill, emotional experience.
The Longest Road on Earth is all about the journey we all take through life. The mundane moments, the memories that’ll stay with us for a lifetime, and the intimate connections we make with others as we stumble our way through this complex obstacle course we call life.
Over the span of four chapters, players meet four different characters – each one unique, with no clear and obvious link to the others. There’s no clear narrative here either, as you’re literally dropping in to get a snapshot of their day-to-day life and left to interpret what the rest of their life must look like from that. There’s no dialogue to speak of, so you’re left to interpret what’s going on in each scene.
It’s a novel idea, and from the snippets of each chapter I got to play in the demo, some certainly resonated with me more than others. But therein lies what makes it such an interesting game – the openness of each scene to be perceived in entirely different ways from one person to another, and the interesting conversations that can arise from that.
I imagine things may become a little clearer once I can follow a chapter through in its entirety, but there were certainly moments I was left pontificating over the game’s cast and what situations they found themselves in. I’m already eager to see how this all comes together in the finished product.
Regardless of whether I could piece together what was going on in a particular chapter or not, though, one thing remained constant throughout. The Longest Road on Earth is one of the most artistic indies I’ve had the pleasure of playing in quite some time.
Not only is the entire game presented in this stunning pixel-art style, but it also has an entirely original soundtrack, composed and performed by Beícoli. There’s a synergy between each character, the actions they take, and the soundtrack.
It often reminded me of those moments where you’re listening to music that just feels ‘right’ in that moment. It’s in-sync with your surroundings, your mood, and your thoughts. As if someone cherry-picked the song and added it to the soundtrack of your life.
Beícoli has ensured each and every scene, regardless of what activity is unfolding on-screen, is punctuated with an equally emotive melody. Jovial, uplifting tracks accompany moments of childlike playfulness, where more somber, slower tracks help accentuate those seemingly insurmountable obstacles that life can throw at you.
The Longest Road on Earth isn’t going to be for everyone, though. If you’re looking for more of a ‘game’ then this isn’t for you. If you’re open to experiencing an anthology of beautifully emotive moments in everyday life, however, this should absolutely be on your radar.
