Released in May 2018, FAR: Lone Sails was a rather atypical game, the journey of a small character aboard his strange vehicle. Four years later, the Swiss from Okomotive offer us the new iteration of their formula. Souquez firm, we are going to get under way and see what awaits us out at sea.
Ahoy, ahoy, forsaken captain
If it is not necessary to have played Lone Sails to appreciate this new title, it is however recommended in order to take advantage of the few references that we meet on the way. It is in any case a brand new character that we embody here and, if the elder proposed arid expanses following the seas dried up, we are now confronted with the oceans which covered the land.
The heart of the recipe, however, remains the same: a man alone and isolated embarks on a strange machine that he must pilot himself. He then embarks on a great journey to his goal, straight ahead through a post-apocalyptic world. Its path is regularly blocked by ancient installations that must be visited to find out how to clear the way.
The narration is also of the same ilk: entirely environmental, the only lines of text you see are those explaining how to direct the character. As for how to maneuver the vehicle or how to handle the different puzzles, it must be discovered through experimentation.
The artistic direction is still in the same vein; and it’s not so bad, both the style and the lights were already a success on the original. The progression is accompanied by background noises sometimes underlined by pleasant melodies (played by real instruments, to the point of sometimes hearing the flautist’s breath). The magic of the whole still operates.
It’s a famous one mast, thin as a manatee
Same formula, yes, but its application is quite different. Our faithful machine is here a proud and wide tub and the large expanses of water offer new dangers and scenery.
At first, you have to progress only by sailing. Its handling is done via a lever and it must be continually adjusted in order to best catch the wind. The flag flapping once morest the mast always tells us if the conditions are favourable, but it also serves as an indicator of our pace and the direction of the trade winds. Crossing the seas and breaking the waves proves pleasant; All that’s missing is a fan and an iodized water sprayer to complete the atmosphere.
As our odyssey progresses, we also recover various modules that complete the possibilities. And, as soon as we have access to the engine room, we start jumping in all directions in order to manage the speed, the boiler (no more energy motor, here we are back to the steam engine), the fuel supply and many other parameters that I let you discover. Everything is even equipped with a sonar that warns you if there are resources lying around nearby. The installation is rather well done and everything is done to avoid tedious round trips as we might experience in the previous episode. Oh, maybe I preferred the big red buttons on the other one; but that’s in the details.
The character himself is offered new abilities: marine environment obliges, he is able to swim and dive to the depths. Another revolution, he knows how to climb ladders! Don’t laugh, its predecessor was confined to elevators and stairs.
Me, the sea, it took me. I remember a Tuesday.
The FAR series is essentially narrative. If it is a delight to let yourself be carried away by the journeys it provides, you should also know that the difficulty is very low. The different puzzles are varied, but hardly complicated. We can worry at first to run out of fuel for our progress, but they are in abundance on the way and we quickly end up with overflowing holds. Our character is also very robust: he has no problem staying underwater for long, even before getting his spacesuit, and he resists dizzying falls surprisingly well. Everything is really done to serenely enjoy the experience.
A voyage of discovery takes regarding five hours. It’s a bit longer than Lone Sails, but some sections can be unnecessarily long at times. The large maritime spaces offer a welcome change of environment, but they also have a little more difficulty in varying the scenery. However, the game also manages to offer moments of grace: a stormy sky, a starry night, the colors of twilight, a majestic presence…
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Run
translates to “running” in French. Used to request the escape of the team.
“>run can be considered: some sections can be visited from another point of view. But beware, this will in no way change the purpose of the adventure; it is only a means of contemplating other decorations. It is on the trophy hunting side that we will find what comes closest to a challenge, with in particular the objective of completing a crossing in less than 210 minutes.
FAR: Changing Tides succeeds in reproducing the magic of its predecessor while bringing its share of novelties. The machine is a pleasure to pilot and the universe pleasant to discover. If you like narrative experiences and accept its very light difficulty, you will have the opportunity to make a very nice trip there.
Test carried out on PC by NeoGrifteR from a version provided by the publisher.
