Release Date: 17/05/2018
Played On: Win
Available On: Mac / PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played:vvvvompleted
Developer: Okomotive
Publisher: Mixtvision
There's something exciting in the process of discovery that's often ruined by mass marketing and the hype machine. It's kind of impossible to be surprised by a big budget game with an even bigger advertising budget, as they tend to throw all the good stuff at you before you even make a purchase. Thankfully though, the lower end of the market is full of little surprises waiting to be discovered.
I knew nothing at all about FAR: Lone Sails when I saw it on the Steam front page, but I was immediately interested. The steampunk-ish aesthetic grabbed my attention, and the descriptions and screenshots of the store page sealed the deal. Basically I'm a sucker for near-future science fiction, and this game plays right into that hand.
On the surface it's simple: your character is tasked with repairing a unique vehicle, and piloting it over a vast and desolate landscape. The vehicle feels home-made, like you've assembled it from scrap that's been scavenged in the wastes beyond. Everything is a little bit rudimentary, but functional and purposeful, as being able to travel long distances is important for survival.
FAR: Lone Sails follows the style of games like Limbo, where everything takes place on a two dimensional plane. However, a lot of work has gone into the foreground and background to extend the experience beyond a blinkered view. The entire game is about travelling from left to right, with practically no deviation from the given path.
Although, it's not as simple as all that and there are a number of things to keep track of along the way. Initially your vehicle is equipped with an engine fuelled on energy drawn from a furnace of sorts that's stoked with various objects. Eventually though, you find stations where upgrades can be fitted, like sails that get you moving on wind power, or better wheels that can withstand rough terrain.
The upgrades are few and far between, but it's a nice way to get used to the game's key mechanics, as you're never overwhelmed. At key points throughout your journey, progression churns to a halt and you have to get out and solve some light puzzles. It doesn't amount to much more than opening gates and unlocking areas, but it's a nice way to break up the constant driving.
Besides, keeping this Frankenstein's monster of a vehicle moving requires a number of actions to stoke and fuel the engine consistently and build momentum. All of which is done by pressing buttons located in the cabin, managing resources, and repairing parts as they wear out and break.
When the wind is blowing, press the button that raises the sails and get blown across the land. Pick up fuel along the way and store it in the cabin, as it only takes a couple of pieces in the furnace to fill the tank. While the engine's running, steam builds up and needs to be released, but doing so gives you a burst of speed that's handy when you're building momentum. It all balances out to become a gentle ballet of moving around the cabin to fill up fuel, keep it running, and blow off steam.
During my playthrough, I never ran out of fuel, but I was a little pedantic about picking up every morsel I came across. There are vast sections of wasteland that threaten to use up your reserves before you overcome them, but I was lucky enough to stay running throughout.
In the event of an emergency, you can get out and pull. It's slow and tiresome, but at least there's a way to progress, even if you manage to mess everything up and get stuck. At the other end of the spectrum, it's a lot of fun to have your sails raised in high winds, then kick in the engine for an extra burst of speed. It's not efficient, but when you're moving at a high clip, it's incredibly liberating.
Although, the weather will eventually slap you in the face and make you stop and take notice. When storms roll in, lightening can strike, which starts fires and breaks equipment. Every function in your vehicle has the potential to catch on fire and break, so it's a good thing you have a fire hose and a welding gun handy to deal with catastrophe. In the worst weather, panic sets in as you rush about fighting fires and fixing broken systems, just to keep everything limping along.
These moments are when FAR: Lone Sails is really at its best, as you're tested to see how well you can juggle everything at once. What's more, it only helps to grow the continuous threat that everything is going to break to an irreparable level. This is what really compelled me about the game, as it really pulled me into a desolate world where I was so reliant on keeping this machine running.
By the time I reached the final act, I had put so much effort into keeping everything running, that I winced and balked at every scratch and dent. It's funny how you can get protective and obsessive about a big hunk of metal, but I knew my survival was tied to this vehicle, and I'd already spent so much energy keeping it running. This is perhaps the shining achievement of this game, as it really makes the journey feel meaningful and necessary.
Plus, this is all happening within a canvas of a beautifully realised artistic style. Sure the whole game is about travelling through an uninhabited wasteland, but there's a lot of diversity to be found along the way. With differing landscapes and the extreme weather conditions, no single location ever out stays its welcome. In fact, I spent more time soaking up all the implied lore from the environments instead of trying to speed through them all.
Finally, the soundtrack needs a special mention, as it's gorgeous instrumentations are what ties it all together. Even when I like a soundtrack, I rarely want to listen to it outside of a game, but as soon as the credits were over I went and bought a copy for this game. There's a really nice mix of ambient soundscapes and invigorating melodies that punctuate the weather and changing locations without being obnoxious. This balance between art and sound is leveraged wonderfully in FAR: Lone Sails and managed to suck me right into the world.
Speaking of which, this is another game that will steal your time. I thought I had been playing for about fifteen minutes the first time I fired it up, but my clock told me it had been three hours. For some reason the mechanical loop, excellent soundtrack, and enticing world managed to flip of any time keeping module in my brain. These days it's rare that a game messes with my perception of time so aggressively, but when it happens I know I've been artfully immersed in a world with very little effort. It's a credit to any game that pulls it off, and FAR: Lone Sails is no exception.
This is a fantastic little game that came out with little fanfare and marketing (at least from where I'm sitting), but it's worth every penny. If you're looking for a sleeper hit to sink your teeth into, this should definitely be on your radar.