One of the most exciting impending additions to the Game Pass service isFAR: Changing Tides. Becoming available toXbox Game Passusers at day one of its launch,FAR: Changing Tidesis sure to catch more eyes than some of the usual titles that are introduced.
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What Is FAR: Changing Tides?
FAR: Changing Tideswill become available todownload and play with Game Pass on its day of release on March 1. Developed by Okomotive and published by Frontier Developments,FAR: Changing Tidesis an action-adventure platformer that operates from a side-scrolling point of view.
The game sees players take control of a large boat with sub-aquatic capabilities, that additionally acts as a base of operations and home. Set in a dystopian apocalyptic reality where most of the planet is flooded and civilization is buried underwater,FAR: Changing Tidesis an extremely thematic and stylized experience.
With very little overt contextual knowledge or on-the-nose exposition as to the why’s and what’s of the world the player finds themselves in, they must instead develop an understanding through exploration and interaction. The game additionally has a ruggedly beautiful steampunk art style, with the elegance of hand-painted backgrounds juxtaposing the bleak dystopian reality in which the game takes place.
Gamers will find themselves having to solve puzzles in their journey to find a new home, with the gameadding to the Game Pass puzzle repertoire. With players hoisting the sails and rationing materials to power their ship’s furnace, as well as delving deep below the water in exploration of the empty shells of cities that once were,FAR: Changing Tidesboasts rather unique gameplay. It also possesses an equally impressive soundtrack, using the connotations of the peaceful water environment and the sense of purpose and mystery surrounding the player’s journey to craft a soundtrack that saw the game become a Music and Sound Awards 2021 finalist.
FAR: Changing Tidesis a spiritual successor to the 2019 releaseFAR: Lone Sails, withLone Sailspossessing the same action-adventure vehicle-based gameplay complete with the side-scroller perspective.Lone Sailswas set in an apocalyptic world in which the oceans had dried up, with the flooded cities ofChanging Tidesjuxtaposing the barren and arid landscapes of its predecessor. WhileFAR: Lone Tideswas extremely well-received by critics, this upcoming sequel promises to build on the scale and detail of its gameplay formula, leaving fans with a lot to be excited forregardingFAR: Changing Tides' impending release.
FAR: Changing Tides' Critical Reception
Despite not releasing until March, Game Pass users can already have their interest piqued by thefantastic reviews thatFAR: Changing Tidesis already receiving.
Critics who have managed to get their hands on pre-release copies of the game have lauded it for how experience-driven it is, with its methodical and well-paced gameplay providing an almost meditative experience. Despite being compact in its approximate 10-hour time to completion,FAR: Changing Tidesreviewsclaim it isconsistently saturated with intriguing and stimulating set-pieces and puzzles, providing a truly thematic and awe-inspiring experience for players.
FAR: Changing Tideswill be available from March 1 for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
