FAR: Changing Tides Reviews

FAR: Changing Tides opens in a surprisingly intimidating way for a game that’s often so relaxing and tranquil. You, as a tiny protagonist with no name, are thrown into a large body of water with debris laying all around you. It takes you a while to get to your ship, the vessel that will carry you throughout the game’s deserted world. These solitary vibes are similar to Okomotive’s previous 2018 title that is from the same universe, FAR: Lone Sails. Both are atmospheric side-scrollers th...

Game length is about right and although there is very little narrative, the story does come full circle and has a satisfying conclusion. If you are looking for a chilled-out, unusual puzzle-solving game I heartily recommend this one.  It has been available to play from day one on Game Pass so there is no reason not to jump in and check it out.

The gameplay and design of Far: Changing Tides are reminiscent of Playdead's Limbo and Inside, featuring a beautiful setting that really draws you into the world without ever saying a word. If you like puzzle games and are looking for a quick and scenic adventure, then Far: Changing Tides is going to be just for you.

When the issues of a game are rolled and stomped by its greatness, then it’s something to invest on if you have some spare.

Traverse a drowned world in this atmospheric puzzler.

Every adventure is a journey of some sort, but we are often so consumed with the destination we sometimes forget to enjoy the ride. Far: Changing Tides pushes you to soak in the small moments that can be overlooked in our rush to reach the peak. Okomotive newest side-scrolling platformer is a meditative odyssey full of trials and triumphs. But this pilgrimage is so powerful I was often content to forget about my end goal.

Far: Changing Tides largely sticks to the same recipe as its predecessor, making its vessel more complex and sending players on a journey through a different world. Its description as a companion game is fitting – although you will get slightly more out of it if you play the series in order – and while I loved the original, the sequel didn’t grab me as much.

Far: Changing Tides isn’t going to be for everyone. But if the idea of a quiet, lonesome adventure about keeping your boat moving forward puts wind in your sails, you’ll love it. There’s a wonderful soundtrack to enjoy, and the puzzles it presents to you are engaging and well thought-out. But sometimes it’s just a little too barren for its own good, and the awkwardness of controlling your ship can get in the way of its serenity.

FAR: Changing Tides is an indie game about a journey through a devastated world. And while it is pretty, it could have been much better.

The sequel to FAR: Lone Sails scours off the rust and polishes the rest to an acceptable shine. It’s a well-oiled machine that runs for twice as long, with a lot more adventure hiding under its hood to compensate for the series’ shortcomings.

FAR: Changing Tides is a mysterious, intriguing game. It builds off the inventive mechanics of managing a ship, the adventure you face taking on a vaguely unsettling tone at times. It's also fairly short – I finished it in about five hours – but that means it also doesn't try and stretch out its ideas until it outstays its welcome. This is an original and artistic game that deserves a little appreciation.

Mysterious, beautiful, and almost dreamlike, FAR: Changing Tides betters its predecessor, delivering a truly memorable and engaging seafaring journey.

The mystery of this broken world and the wordless, yet varied means by which you explore it makes FAR: Changing Tides an excellent follow-up to Lone Sails. The vessel is incredibly enjoyable to operate and maintain, and the music and world around it make the journey a compelling and satisfying one. It’s not a long game and the adventure arrives at the credits before you know it, but for what it has going, Changing Tides is a compelling and gorgeous puzzle full of satisfying mechanical engagement and incredible breakthrough moments as you sail ever forward.

Far: Changing Tides may be familiar to those who played the original, but it's just as soothing and enjoyable a trip as ever.

A delightful adventure powered by toys and fun, but with a heartfelt warning. FAR: Changing Tides is a little more barbed that its predecessor, but there's hope - and surprises - to be found.

Much of what is present in Changing Tides is plainly fantastic, but it is a shame that the game goes on for too long until it itself runs out of fuel and sputters across the finish line.