With the new generation consoles and computer hardware, games have become more trying to steal the hearts of gamers with ultra-realistic images and complex game mechanics. However, playing games is actually about having fun, and to have fun, it is enough that the game actually touches the soul of the player. Small game studios achieve this very well with indie games and we paid attention, the games we have enjoyed the most recently are generally in this genre. Although it has released only one game called Far: Lone Sails until now, Swiss Indie studio Okomotive has made a name for itself. This three-hour melancholy adventure, in which we struggle to keep a strange all-terrain vehicle running smoothly on a dry land through the ruins of an extinct civilization, has managed to grab the attention of atmospheric independent adventure fans such as Limbo, Inside 7th Sector and Journey. It seems that Okomotive has achieved success in its new game and decided to protect this genre.
Headlight: Lone Sails lovers should not miss it
Far: Changing Tides, as you can imagine, is a sequel to Lone Sails. But the play tells about a completely different protagonist, a boy named To. Also, unlike the thirsty world of the first episode, our hero finds himself in a half-submerged city this time, and his refuge to survive is an interesting ship. We mentioned that the Far series feels close to Inside and similar games, but it also has very unique distinctive features and mechanics that will definitely not be a copycat. Along the way you have a strange ship that has become not only a means of transportation, but also your cozy home where you feel safe and your true friend. This ship is your shelter, but it is entirely up to you whether it moves and stays in one piece. As the story of our inseparable duo progresses relentlessly, after a while you feel that you are really connected to this ship.
A puzzle platformer with original mechanics
Far: Changing Tides is basically a simple puzzle platformer with some nuances, mechanically Inside or Limbo style. definable. Of course, there are no tricky jumps and head-banging puzzles here. We travel from left to right in our ship in a background composition created by changing weather and sea conditions. Periodically we encounter obstacles such as collapsed sunken houses, lighthouses and rocks. In this case, it is no longer enough to pour fuel into the boiler and fan it, and we are looking for ways to get out of our comfort zone and take our ship further. The ship itself is not as simple as it seems. However, you don’t have that much difficulty in operation as we gradually develop it with various modules that we find throughout the story. First, we just need to keep the sail in the wind. Then the engine, boiler and water pump come into play and it is possible to explore the depths in the following sections.
Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone
The game regularly tests you with new obstacles and you have to look for new ways to overcome them. For example, faulty behaviors such as overheating of the engine or breaking the mast can damage some of the ship’s equipment. But there is no need to panic, because you can easily repair it with special parts like a welding machine among the objects you collect from around. However, don’t be afraid to try anything you can think of. Far: There’s no such thing as dying in Changing Tides. While the malfunctions on the ship only slow down your journey, our hero does not drown in the water and after falling from a great height, you can only shake it off and continue on your way. You can think of it as an anti souls-like, peaceful game.
Changing Tides’ magic isn’t just in gameplay, of course. One has to really appreciate Okomotive for the atmosphere, emotions and short but intense sense of adventure on offer. As we are used to in this kind of indie games, we are not told directly where and why the main character went, what kind of world he was surrounded by, and what kind of disaster happened to him. The story is somewhat limited by your imagination. The architecture of flooded cities is very impressive; Left and right preserved paintings, posters and strange mechanisms that you have to figure out how to use and some terrible secrets hang silently behind the whole environment.
It was a peaceful and warm game
The story progresses in peace. While there are some shocking moments, there are often episodes that are almost nothing. The ship wobbles in the waves, and for a long time it is enough to simply fan the fire in the cauldron again and again and keep our eyes on the temperature sensor. Of course, don’t forget to take small breaks whenever possible and collect as much garbage as possible for fuel. After all, you don’t want to be without fuel in an area where there is no wind and where you can’t find a single piece of trash.
Putting it that way, these processes may not sound very fascinating on their own. You have to play it to understand it. Only then will it be possible for you to understand that melancholic mood accompanied by the sounds of rhythmic mechanisms mixed with the sound of the wind.
Conclusion
You would like to dedicate an evening to a small peaceful independent adventure next to the AAA games of the last period we played with the stress that you can die at any moment when the tension and action are high. Changing Tides is an excellent option for this. Those who have played the previous game will definitely want to play this one too. Like its predecessor, it is a game that takes no more than three hours of your time, but leaves a bitter-sweet melancholic taste that will settle in your heart for a long time. There is no reason not to try it, as it can be played for free via Xbox GamePass.
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Publisher Frontier Foundry
Developer Okomotive
Platform Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Genre Action Adventure
Web www.farchangingtides.com
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