When developer Okomotive released FAR: Lone Sails in 2018, the developer found a receptive audience from players and critics alike. Set in a world where all the water had disappeared, the game provided a very different take on both the post-apocalyptic setting and the isolated indie game experience. Thankfully Okomotive has returned with FAR: Changing Tides, to give fans another taste of this ruined world.
FAR: Changing Tides brings back the side-scrolling adventure gameplay of its predecessor, but its world is very different from the first FAR game. The player is this time left alone in a locale that has been flooded, with cities and towns drowned by whatever strange cataclysm has happened. However, the central mission will feel familiar, with the player finding a vehicle that they must maintain in order to keep progressing through ruined climes and absorb the atmosphere around them.
As such FAR: Changing Tides also sits in the same rather unique place in the video game sphere as the original game. Although there are elements of silent puzzle platforming, as seen in many other indie games such as Inside, instead the player will spend a lot of their time using their ship, be it catching the wind with its sails or manning the engine when the breeze dies down.
Controlling such a large vessel may seem daunting, but FAR: Changing Tides manages its complexity curve well. After learning the movement mechanics via the engine and the sails, other elements are steadily introduced to the player such as turning the ship into a submarine, and by the end of the game the player will feel comfortable with hopping around the ship to take care of what needs to be done. It helps that the control scheme is very simple, with one key action button alongside basic movement meaning the player never feels overwhelmed by accident, but merely by design in key moments.
Every so often the player will also need to leave the security of their ship, be it to grab fuel or items from the sunken world or the more essential task of solving external puzzles. At times, the ship will not be able to make it past some kind of barrier, such as a closed gate or massive wreckage, and the player will have to enter the area to resolve the issue, by removing said hurdle or gaining a new ship ability to overcome it. Most of the time these puzzles are engaging, although occasionally they may feel a little unclear thanks to a minimalist approach to design.
That said, atmosphere is just as important as gameplay in FAR: Changing Tides. The game is absolutely gorgeous, with a half-sunken world that matches the silent moments of Sea of Solitude easily, and the loneliness is then punctuated by the appearance of animals like seagulls, whales, and jellyfish. The technological world is just as impressive as its natural elements, and an emphasis on steam, brass, sails, and arcane technology gives it the feel of Myst.
This is where FAR: Changing Tides really finds its depth, sitting as a meditative experience for the player as they perfect their sailing, listen to the beautiful video game soundtrack, and take in the vision of the world around them. There's little by way of a narrative here, with the question of what happened to the world never truly answered and the structure of the world only hinted at by the mise en scene. It sometimes may feel a little too slow for some, particularly when travelling across the water with little going on, but overall the balance is solid.
That said, there are a couple of minor critiques to be had. Having to occasionally repair the ship feels like more of a time-waster rather than anything else, while there are occasional visual glitches here and there. However there is nothing to take away from its most impressive moments, like finding a forgotten music box or abandoned carousel toy, and wondering what happened to the owner.
FAR: Changing Tides is a real triumph. There's a phenomenal depth to the experience here, from its striking ambiance through to a compelling gameplay loop, while the sense of exploration is truly remarkable. Fans of FAR: Lone Sails will no doubt love this, but those who have not played the first game should not shy away from this one.
FAR: Changing Tides releases 1 March 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was provided with a Xbox Series X code for the purposes of this review.
