Far: Tide Change Assessment – IGN
Bigger is not always better. In the case of Far: Change Tides, 2018’s sequel is lovable and underrated Far: Lone Sails, bigger certainly means more to do and see, but it doesn’t necessarily mean those things are more interesting. It’s still an absolutely stunning and at times almost meditative journey across a world full of stunning vistas and clever puzzles – but developer Okomotive’s effort to make it a multi-faceted journey mechanically more varied, and at the same time successful, also inadvertently shifted the balance of the original formula from the peaceful to the sometimes tedious.
Far: Changing the Tide gives you almost comical control of a tiny person, at least compared to the large sailboat they’re piloting themselves. Like its predecessor, it tells a story in quiet words, conveying information through images to a powerful overall effect. Most of the time you may not know exactly what you are doing in this seemingly post-apocalyptic world, but you will also never feel lost and never lose motivation to keep moving forward. right to seek some salvation.
Thrusting your ship is done by manually strung a sail over it or by hopping around its internals to manually refuel and fan a giant engine. It’s a fun little dance to do, requires you to gather resources to ignite from beneath the waves as you move, make sure the engine doesn’t overheat, and perform other little quests to help you out. smooth sailing – not to mention you’ Sometimes you’ll have to jump out completely to face larger obstacles in your way, such as large closed gates or abandoned buildings. When you get a specific upgrade, your ship even has the ability to submerge itself underwater and essentially become a submarine, smart allowing you to go under certain obstacles instead of overcome them.
But while it’s a flashy addition, the most impactful change from the original is that raising your sails is no longer straightforward this time around. Instead of just pressing a button, you must first raise the mast, then climb up, grab the ropes to tie underneath, and finally adjust the position of the sails to accommodate the ever-changing winds to optimal speed. Additionally, there are obstacles in the background that your sail can run into and damage, as well as low overhangs that will knock your mast down. These additions make your sailing without a motor all the more enticing, but unfortunately it’s mostly the same way you have to “engage” when trying to steer a fly.
While the scenery of Change Tides is beautiful, the 2D perspective makes it difficult to determine if your sails have actually hit something. Also, unless you’re already on the roof of your ship, you usually have very little time to react between seeing an oncoming overhang and actually being able to do something about it, even if it’s closed. small. That means some of my absolute favorite moments in Lone Sails – catching a breath of fresh air and simply enjoying its sights and music after a stressful time to fuel up. power to the engine – has essentially disappeared, with those sections now occupied by worries about sail management, threat assessment, and running inside to check your radar to make sure you Don’t miss the items hidden under the wave. These added tasks are still entertaining but give off a very different overall vibe, and it’s work I get tired of more quickly.
Thankfully the areas you’re sailing through are still a feast for the eyes and ears. The subtle spot fits perfectly into the terrain around it (even if it’s not as memorable as the Lone Sails’ incredible soundtrack) and the path to your right is often filled with moments you can screenshot , print it out and post it on the art gallery wall without them looking away. The underwater sections can be especially stunning, with one highlight being a cluster of fluorescent jellyfish that I swam along the underside of my ship.
There were some interesting scripted moments over the course of almost five hours, which I also took to complete the Change Tides – none of which I wanted to spoil. They are epic in both scope and scale, and they do a good job of adding adrenaline to an otherwise slow-paced game. In fact, they’re also the only real source of stress you’ll find, as there seems to be little risk of going horribly wrong unless it’s explicitly designed to do so around the same time. this time – a far cry from my memories of my vehicle in the Lone Sails constantly on fire. That can make you feel as though you’re just getting through the motions rather than fighting to keep moving.
https://www.ign.com/articles/far-changing-tides-review Far: Tide Change Assessment – IGN
