Games You Might Have Missed: LongStory

LongStory is an episodic visual novel by Bloom Digital Media, originally released in 2014 on iOS and Android, but recently out on Steam as of December 7th, 2017.

Nothing is quite what it seems in LongStory. Like many visual novels, it centers around a mystery your character becomes dead-set on solving, but this trope gets turned on its head as the episodes progress. Much like the plot, the characters are more than the school-aged stereotypes you expect them to be. As you click through conversations they become fleshed out, diverse people with unique and sometimes unexpected motives who all have their own parts to add to your story.

While it sells itself as a dating sim, LongStory deals with so much more than just struggling with who you want to smooch. Your character is forced to deal with and learn about bullying, transphobia, disability, and all the pitfalls that come up when navigating relationships, both platonic and romantic. With its middle school setting and simpler writing style, the game seems a bit skewed towards younger audiences, but part of its charm is that even with that audience seemingly in mind, LongStory doesn’t talk down to or patronize its players. It does an excellent job of showing how something that appears minor can feel like the end of the world at that age, without trivializing it. The issues are approached with basic language, but maintain complexity and encourage discussion and thought.

This game also provides plenty of player agency. You don’t just decide who you want to date, you also get to decide your character’s name, appearance (though the game only offers limited choices in this department), and what pronouns you want to go by. Decisions center around more than love interests, as the game asks you to decide who to side with in fights, and how to interact with peers and authority figures alike.

Overall, LongStory skews positive, focusing on developing healthy relationships, expressing feelings, and learning to admit when you’re wrong. It accomplishes this with thoughtful and relatable writing. I hardly look back at my middle school years with fondness, but this game did a good job of reminding me of what that time in my life was like, both the good and the bad. The art and music contribute to the positive feeling, with cute in-game photos, and heartfelt original songs sprinkled into the plot.

If you’re looking for a visual novel that’s both thoughtful and cute, LongStory might just be for you. It’s available over on Steam for $14.99 and you can buy it on Android and iOS episodically for $1.99 or as a season bundle for $9.99.

All photo credit to Bloom Media.