Software:FAR: Lone Sails

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FAR: Lone Sails
FAR Lone Sails logo.png
Developer(s)Okomotive
Publisher(s)Mixtvision
EngineUnity
Platform(s)macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
ReleaseMay 17, 2018
Genre(s)Vehicle Adventure

4/10[1]FAR: Lone Sails is an exploration adventure video game developed by the Switzerland development company Okomotive. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and macOS on 17 May 2018, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions released in April 2019, and the Nintendo Switch version on 18 August 2019.[2][3][4] It was released in Japan on January 23, 2020.[5]

Gameplay

A cross-sectional view of the vehicle with sails raised, with a sunrise in the background.
Screenshot from FAR: Lone Sails showing the cross-sectional view of the player's vehicle.

In FAR, the player controls the driver of a large vehicle as they search through a post-apocalypse setting.[6][7] The game's vehicle is a hybrid between a land and sea vehicle that has been modified a number of times.[8] The game is played from a side-scrolling perspective, with the vehicle interior seen as a cross-section. To control the vehicle the player must move around inside it, operating stations and pressing buttons to perform various functions that keep the vehicle moving, such as engaging the engine or filling the boiler with fuel sources found over the course of the player's journey.[7][9] The various parts of the vehicle can take damage, requiring the player to stop and extinguish fires and repair damaged systems. They are also required to solve puzzles in the world to allow the vehicle to pass and collect upgrades for it.[10][11] The game has no enemies, though the player-character can die due to environmental hazards, and will restart at the last checkpoint.[12]

While the game starts with a burial scene,[9] the rest of the game's background story is intentionally vague, with the developers intending for the player's curiosity to motivate them to explore. The landscapes passed during the game show the ruins of a technically-advanced civilization, and a world where the oceans have dried up, leaving massive ships scuttled on dry beds and bouts of extremely hazardous weather.

Development

FAR began in 2015 as the Bachelor's student project of lead developer Don Schmocker at the Zurich University of the Arts. During his master's degree he continued the development together with his fellow student Goran Saric. They founded the game studio Okomotive in February 2017 and expanded the team with other students and friends from University.[13] Schmocker was inspired by Strandbeests, the book Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections, The Straight Story, and games such as Journey and LittleBigPlanet when designing FAR. Looking to take a new approach to the use of vehicles in video games, the developers aimed to create a game where the player was dependent on their vehicle, forming an emotional attachment to it over the course of the game.[8]

The game is developed in Unity, and the developers use Blender and Adobe Photoshop for the 3D and 2D graphics respectively.[8]

A sequel, titled FAR: Changing Tides was announced in June 2021, set for release later the same year.[14]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPC: 80/100[15]
PS4: 83/100[16]
XONE: 84/100[17]
NS: 88/100[18]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EurogamerRecommended[23]
GameSpot8/10[21]
IGN9/10[19]
Nintendo Life9/10 stars[20]
Pocket Gamer5/5 stars[24]
Push Square7/10 stars[22]

Writing for Mashable, Anna Washenko named the game as one of her favourites from E3 2016, calling it a "simple but lovely game".[10] After playing the game at GDC 2017, Chris Livingston of PC Gamer described FAR as "one of the most intuitive games" he had played, also praising the visual design and music.[25] On Polygon, Charlie Hall described the game as having "more meaning, conveyed silently, than many major AAA games released so far this year".[9] Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer praised the game's ability to connect the player to their vehicle, the world building, and the puzzles.[11] Limmy described the game as "brilliant and beautiful" and "almost had a tear in my eye cos it was so nice, no joke".[26]

GameSpot scored the game 8/10, praising the visual style and ease of play.[27] Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of Eurogamer recommended the game, describing it as an "enormously warm-hearted adventure" and commenting positively on the game's pace and environments.[28]

The game was a finalist in the Best Student Game category at the 2017 Independent Games Festival.[29][30] It was also nominated for "Best Visual Design" at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards,[31][32] and for "Game, Puzzle" at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.[33]

References

  1. ↑ Marsh, Calum (9 May 2018). "City of Brass Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/05/09/city-of-brass-review. 
  2. ↑ Chalk, Andy (15 March 2018). "Far: Lone Sails, a land yacht journey across a barren desert, is coming in May". PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/far-lone-sails-a-land-yacht-journey-across-a-barren-desert-is-coming-in-may/. 
  3. ↑ LeClair, Kyle (17 March 2018). "Vehicular Adventure Game Far: Lone Sails Sets Course For a May 17 Release Date". Hardcore Gamer. https://www.hardcoregamer.com/2018/03/17/vehicular-adventure-game-far-lone-sails-sets-course-for-a-may-17-release-date/293756/. 
  4. ↑ "Far: Lone Sails". https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/far-lone-sails-switch/. Retrieved 18 August 2019. 
  5. ↑ "Far: Lone Sails". https://ec.nintendo.com/JP/ja/titles/70010000027491. Retrieved 26 January 2020. 
  6. ↑ Foxall, Sam (5 February 2017). "Sail the literal open ocean in solitary adventure game Far: Lone Sails". PCGamesN. https://www.pcgamesn.com/far-lone-sails/far-lone-sails-gameplay. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lahti, Evan (16 June 2016). "Take a weirdly charming roadtrip through the post-apocalypse in Far". PC Gamer. http://www.pcgamer.com/take-a-weirdly-charming-roadtrip-through-the-post-apocalypse-in-far/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Couture, Joel (15 February 2017). "Road to the IGF: Student project FAR: Lone Sails". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/291303/Road_to_the_IGF_Student_project_FAR_Lone_Sails.php. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Hall, Charlie (16 May 2018). "Far: Lone Sails is a poem disguised as a video game". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/16/17357762/far-lone-sails-game-pc-mac. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Washenko, Anna (20 June 2016). "The 10 best independent games at E3 2016". Mashable. http://mashable.com/2016/06/20/e3-best-indies-2016/#1B_RNDE_skqn. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hilliard, Kyle (18 May 2018). "Far: Lone Sails". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/games/far_lone_sails/b/pc/archive/2018/05/18/far-lone-sails-game-informer-review.aspx. 
  12. ↑ Nielsen, Holly (2017-08-25). "The 11 best games at Gamescom: Mario Odyssey, new Assassin's Creed and more" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/25/gamescom-best-games-mario-odyssey-assassins-creed-cuphead-monster-hunter-video-games-event. 
  13. ↑ "Okomotive wins prize at Swiss game awards". 19 February 2019. https://www.s-ge.com/en/article/news/20191-games-okomotive. 
  14. ↑ Watts, Rachel (13 June 2021). "Far: Changing Tides is a lonely post-apocalyptic voyage, coming late 2021". PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/far-changing-tides-is-a-lonely-post-apocalyptic-voyage-coming-late-2021/. 
  15. ↑ "FAR: Lone Sails for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/far-lone-sails. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  16. ↑ "FAR: Lone Sails for PlayStation 4 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/far-lone-sails. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  17. ↑ "FAR: Lone Sails for Xbox One Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/far-lone-sails. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  18. ↑ "FAR: Lone Sails for Switch Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/far-lone-sails. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  19. ↑ Marks, Tom (16 August 2019). "Far: Lone Sails Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/08/16/far-lone-sails-review. 
  20. ↑ Blake, Vikki (22 August 2019). "FAR: Lone Sails Review (Switch eShop)". https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/far_lone_sails. 
  21. ↑ O'Connor, James (15 May 2018). "FAR: Lone Sails Review: Come Sail Away". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/far-lone-sails-review-come-sail-away/1900-6416909/. 
  22. ↑ Banas, Graham (15 April 2019). "FAR: Lone Sails Review (PS4)". https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/far_lone_sails. 
  23. ↑ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (29 May 2018). "FAR: Lone Sails review - outsailing the apocalypse". https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-15-far-lone-sails-review. 
  24. ↑ Ng Dellosa, Catherine (2 November 2020). "Far: Lone Sails review - “This is the end...and that’s okay”". https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/084595/far-lone-sails-review-this-is-the-end-and-thats-okay/. 
  25. ↑ Livingston, Chris (4 March 2017). "This week's highs and lows in PC gaming". PC Gamer. http://www.pcgamer.com/this-weeks-highs-and-lows-in-pc-gaming-march-3rd-2017/. 
  26. ↑ Limmy (2019-04-16). "Last night I streamed a brilliant and beautiful game called FAR: Lone Sails @FARtheGame. Almost had a tear in my eye at one point cos it was so nice, no joke. Completing it today at 9am right here:http://www.twitch.tv/brianlimond" (in en). https://twitter.com/daftlimmy/status/1118055296373534720?s=21. 
  27. ↑ O'Connor, James (15 May 2018). "FAR: Lone Sails Review: Come Sail Away". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/far-lone-sails-review-come-sail-away/1900-6416909/. 
  28. ↑ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (22 May 2018). "FAR: Lone Sails review - outsailing the apocalypse". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-15-far-lone-sails-review. Retrieved 29 September 2018. 
  29. ↑ "Finalists and Winners". Independent Games Festival. 22 September 2016. http://igf.com/finalists-and-winners. Retrieved 21 March 2017. 
  30. ↑ Chalk, Andy (9 January 2017). "Independent Games Festival Awards finalists announced". PC Gamer. http://www.pcgamer.com/independent-games-festival-awards-finalists-announced/. Retrieved 22 March 2017. 
  31. ↑ Hoggins, Tom (24 September 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/news/golden-joysticks-2018-nominees-announced-voting-open-now/. Retrieved 6 October 2018. 
  32. ↑ Sheridan, Connor (16 November 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale". GamesRadar+. https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2018-winners/. Retrieved 17 November 2018. 
  33. ↑ "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 11 February 2019. http://navgtr.org/archives/3566/. Retrieved 19 February 2019. 

External links




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