Every adventure is a journey of some kind, but we’re often so caught up in the destination that we sometimes forget to enjoy the ride. Wide: Changing tides force you to savor the little moments that may be overlooked in our rush to reach the summit. Okomotive’s newest side-scrolling platformer is a meditative odyssey of trials and triumphs. But this pilgrimage is so powerful that I have often been content to forget my ultimate goal.
Okomotive’s new release, Far: Lone Sails, followed in the footsteps of atmospheric puzzle-platformers like Inside and Little Nightmares. While Lone Sails wasn’t nearly as gritty or brooding as those other titles, it set a distinctive tone as players navigated a giant country sled through a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, all the while searching for a new home. Far: Changing Tides is – in many ways – more of the same, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Instead of piloting a vehicle across land, Changing Tides puts you at the helm of an oversized boat. The mechanics of this ship are complex enough to be intriguing without feeling pretentious. I enjoyed hoisting the sails and moving the mast to catch the wind, or scooping fuel into my engine to give my craft a nice boost over the water. Along the way you’ll find ship upgrades, like a chain for hoisting sunken treasure or an overcharger that grants short-lived but exciting speed boosts. I couldn’t wait to discover my next upgrade and see how it transformed the way I navigated these freezing waters.
During this journey you will encounter various roadblocks and will often be forced to abandon your ship to solve environmental puzzles. These moments are rarely tiring, but I’ve enjoyed stretching my legs to power a rusted windmill, studying the inner workings of a rotted locomotive, or diving the seabed for mysteries. Much like Lone Sails, Changing Tides doesn’t bother you with tooltips or gameplay explanations; Instead, through trial and error, you learn about this world and how it all works. I would occasionally scratch my head at what appeared to be a dead end, but after tinkering with the environment for a few minutes I was always able to come up with a solution that felt like a well-deserved one.
Between the puzzle breaks you will experience long stretches where you can watch the landscape go by. These sequences reminded me of the best moments of a long car ride, immersed in the beauty of nature. It helps that Far: Changing Tides is packed with awe-inspiring vistas and backed by an moody, often wistful, score.
Far: Changing Tides isn’t an action-packed roller coaster—it’s a contemplative journey that’s not afraid to slow down and challenges you to reflect on your expedition. Of course, this adventure is full of challenges to overcome. But whether I was watching the clouds glide over a flooded city with the wind at my back, or hurtling white-knuckled through a storm while ten-foot waves bombarded my ship, I was always mesmerized by the moment. It’s a journey I hope to take again one day.
