FAR: Lone Sails

It's not about the destination, but about the journey, as an ol' sayin' goes that FAR Lone Sails captures perfectly. With so little, this game delivered so much on different levels and provides unique experience, feel and vibe. Embark on this epic, yet short, voyage in peculiar locomotive vehicle that will be your mobile shelter and "home".

Whilst playing the game my partner started watching me play.

Partner: That looks really nice, but where is everyone?
Me: I don't know
Partner: But what is the story?
Me: I don't know
Partner: What are you trying to do?
Me: I don't know
Partner: Where are you going?
Me: I don't know
Partner: Well it looks really nice
Me: I know

This is something novel I haven't played before, combining 2d puzzle platformer with vehicle maintenance so it keeps moving, although you can stop it at any time so it's not really stressful, which doesn't mean it can't be suspenseful. I had doubts about whether this game was for me mostly because of the graphics and the type of gameplay, but it turns out I played it all in one game session. Took about 3 hours and a half and it did not outlast its welcome. The gameplay is rather simple with basically only a jump and take button, but the game does a lot with it. I should not forget the buttons to zoom out of the vehicle for a better view of the surroundings or close inside it which I both appreciated.
You've got to keep your rolling vehicle running, constantly feeding it energy from scraps you find, but it's not frustrating or complicated. The game was quite atmospheric by moments. The music was sparse but effective to convey appropriate moods. Even turns out I did like the graphics, although the main character was so tiny. I thought the environmental puzzles were very good and fair, even had a few ah, ah moments. I wish more had been done story-wise because it left too much to the imagination. Overall, I recommend taking the trip even if you have big reservations. There's a demo if you want to make sure.

Just found out that this game made for bachelor’s project =)))))) Developer had studied game design at zurich uni and developed this masterpiece as a project. It was amazing and unique.

I played this game on a cold night during a 2 day train ride, and enjoyed the lonely yet beautiful journey that was this game!
Diving into it blind was the certainly right decision - the lack of instructions or context, only added to the sense of discovery. As I gradually learned about the ship's mechanics through my progress. You control a steam engine powered vessel of sorts, which felt incredibly intuitive and engaging. I loved how you could feel the sail catching the wind, the ship slowing down, and having to carefully manage steam levels. For a brief time, I was truly the captain steering this ship through changing weather!!
Repairing damage faced by the ship/vessel thingy gave a sense of realism. Sound design and the soundtrack adapted to speed/pace your ship, also immersed me further. The hand-drawn artistic style and detailed environments were breathtaking. Every frame looked like a beautiful painting come to life. Puzzles were well-paced and manageable without becoming frustrating obstacles. Playing as the sole character in an empty world heightened the solitary atmosphere. Which resonated more perhaps because I myself was in an actual train, where all my fellow travelers were asleep.
It was incredibly satisfying to see the upgraded ship Choo Choo-ing against gorgeous, continually evolving skies. While there was no dialogue, the story still came through clearly, in the atmospheric gameplay. At the end, you felt as though you took something positive from the game. My only criticism would be its optimization, the game surprisingly heated up my laptop. Wasn't a huge problem as that kept me warm during that cold night :P
Far Lone Sails is a short (3hrs) but impactful experience that stays with you. Even a month later, I can vividly recall moments that struck me. For those seeking a soothing, beautifully crafted journey, I would heartily recommend giving this indie gem a try. Will surely play Part 2 at some point :)

I honestly don’t have much to say about this game besides imploring others to give it a chance. for just $2, you get a short yet sweet remarkable experience.

it’s atmospheric, scenic, artistic, tranquil, and soothing. the developers knew exactly what they were doing while crafting this game. you embark on a journey in the okomotive, a mobile shelter that essentially is your home. it's just you and your okomotive out there, granting you a sense of perfect solitude. the game is designed for players to savor the journey and simply have a great time. it’s not centered around tricky gameplay or mechanics that demand a lot of effort. this direction really suits the game. some scenes are so artistic, as if they were lifted straight out of a painting.

I strongly urge players of all kinds to experience this scenic visual gem. unique experiences like this are hard to come by, and I’m glad I came across it.

Truly unique game. A unique game with unique feelings!
If you liked this one try new game too! FAR_Changing_Tides
Full review:
---{GRAPHICS}---
✖ Horrible
✖ Very bad
✖ Bad
✔ Normal
✖ Ordinary
✖ Beautiful
✖ You will forget what reality is...
----------------
---{GAMEPLAY}---
✖ Gameplay? What did you say?
✖ At least better than just looking at the sky.
✖ Normal, usual
✔ Something new
✖ Excellent
✖ How much better?
----------------
---{SOUNDTRACK}---
✖ No need to talk about it...
✖ Not bad
✖ Good
✔ Very good
✔ Excellent
----------------
---{OPTIMIZATION}---
✖ Almost none.
✖ Normal
✖ With minor errors
✖ Excellent
✔ No questions
----------------
---{DIFFICULTY}---
✖ Just press "SPACE"
✖ Easy
✔ You need to think a little
✖ Not Easy to learn - and hard to fight
✖ Hard
✖ Dark Souls
----------------
---{GRIND}---
✔ No grind
✖ No need
✖ Medium level of grind
✖ A lot of grind
✖ You need a second life for grind
----------------
---{STORY}---
✖ Story? There is no story.
✖ Text or audio floating around
✔ Average
✖ Magnificent
✖ Will replace your life!
----------------
---{PLAYTIME}---
✖ Long enough for a cup of tea ☕
✔ Short ( < 3 hours )
✖ Average ( 3-15 hours )
✖ Long ( 15-60 hours )
✖ Up to ∞ and more
✖ Online
----------------
---{WORLD}---
✔ Small
✖ Mini-games
✖ Multi-level | Not open world
✖ Medium locations | Not open world
✖ Large locations | Not open world
✔ Seamless world
✖ By chance, not bigger than Earth?
✖ Random world, infinite.
✖ Random world, not infinite, but different every time.
✖ World consisting of separate modules (chunks), that is, similar to each other.
----------------
---{WORLD SATURATION}---
✖ Time killer
✖ Emptiness is off the scale?... Fill it with CONVEYORS!
✖ Better than nothing
✔ Definitely, there is something to look at
✖ Gorgeous and captivating world!
----------------
---{PHYSICS}---
✖ Horrible
✖ Tolerable
✔ Ordinary
✖ Pleasant
✖ Realistic
----------------
---{PRICE}---
✖ There is none.
✔ There is one
✖ If you have extra money
✖ Not recommended
✖ You can also just burn your money
----------------
---{BUGS}---
✖ No, I haven't heard
✔ Minor
✖ Can be annoying
✖ PUBG
✖ Not a game, but one big bug
----------------
---{DONATION}---
✔ Without donation
✖ In small quantities
✖ Cosmetic
✖ Affects gameplay
✖ Pay to Win
----------------
---{RESULT}---
✖ Not worth the time
✖ Well, decide for yourself
✔ You can try it
✖ Definitely take it!
----------------