Far: Changing Tides

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. The various parts of the vehicle can take damage, requiring the player to stop and extinguish fires and repair damaged systems. The game has no enemies, though the player-character can die due to environmental hazards, and will restart at the last checkpoint. While the game starts with a burial scene, 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. FAR began in 2015 as the Bachelor's student project of lead developer Don Schmocker at the Zurich University of the Arts. They founded the game studio Okomotive in February 2017 and expanded the team with other students and friends from University. 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. Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer praised the game's ability to connect the player to their vehicle, the world building, and the puzzles.Limmy described the game as "brilliant and beautiful" and "almost had a tear in my eye cos it was so nice, no joke". GameSpot scored the game 8/10, praising the visual style and ease of play. 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. The game was a finalist in the Best Student Game category at the 2017 Independent Games Festival.