The Longing for Mac: Complete Walkthrough Guide

Step 1: Create a New Game and Initial Setup

After launching the game, the main screen has only one “New Game” option. Click it and the game begins. There is no difficulty selection or character creation. You will be placed in “Shadow’s” starting room——a home with a fireplace, books, and a chair.

Key Controls: At this point, you can immediately move “Shadow” by clicking any position on the cave floor with the mouse. Getting comfortable with movement is the first step.

Step 2: Get Familiar with Your Home and Basic Interactions

In the starting room, practice the following basic interactions:

1. Move: Click the target position with the mouse. “Shadow” will walk there at their own slow pace.
2. Sit Down: Move the cursor over the chair; when the “Sit Down” prompt appears, click it. “Shadow” will sit down and begin reading or drawing, which speeds up the passage of time and may restore mood.
3. Read: Click on a book on the bookshelf. Books are the main way to understand the world and pass the time.
4. Add firewood: Click on the pile of firewood next to the fireplace, then click on the fireplace. Keeping the fireplace burning maintains the comfort level of “home”.

Step 3: Explore the dungeon

Leave the starting room and begin exploring the vast underground kingdom.

1. Open the map: Press the I key to open the inventory and view the notes on the right side. The initial map is blank and will be drawn automatically as you explore.
2. Enter the passage: Click on the exit of the starting room (usually a tunnel entrance). The “Shadow” will enter the dark passage. Some passages require multiple clicks or specific conditions (such as having a light source) to pass through.
3. Mark and remember: When you encounter forked roads or special locations (such as mushrooms, crystals, peculiar walls), you can open the notes (I) to manually add markers to help you remember.
4. Collect resources: Click on glowing minerals (such as mica), mushrooms, or other collectible items; they will be added to the inventory and may be used for later puzzles or home decoration.

Step 4: Manage time and mindset

The core mechanic of the game is the passage of real time (even if you exit the game, the clock continues running in the background).

• Actively speed up time: Have the “Shadow” sit down to read or draw, and in-game time will pass at several times the speed (the time at the top of the screen jumps quickly). This is the main active method for advancing waits.
• Passive waiting: Quit the game or minimize it. Mac system time will continue to be counted, and when you next launch the game, several days or even weeks may have passed.
• Maintain mood: Keeping the home warm, decorating rooms, reading interesting books, and discovering new areas can improve mood. When mood is pleasant, the “Shadow” moves slightly faster.

Step 5: Solve puzzles and advance progress

The dungeon is scattered with many puzzles, which usually do not rely on quick operations but require time, observation, or logic.

Example — Mushroom Growth Puzzle:

1. Discover a small mushroom in a certain cave.
2. Record its location in your notes.
3. Wait several hours or days in real time by sitting down to read or quitting the game.
4. Return to that cave, and the mushroom may have grown and be ready to harvest.

Step 6: Reach the ending

The game has multiple endings, depending on your actions within (or before) 400 days. The most common path is:

1. Keep exploring and draw the complete map.
2. Discover key items (such as the “Eye of Time”) or locations (such as the “Library” or the “Mushroom Forest”).
3. During the waiting period, enrich the life of the “Shadow” through decorating, reading, and exploring.
4. When the 400-day countdown ends, or when you actively trigger a condition that ends it early, the ending animation will play.

Export/Save: The game auto-saves throughout. To exit, simply close the window. The next launch will resume from the “Shadow’s” location and the corresponding point in time.