Over the past decade or so, the 2D side-scrolling genre has undergone a solid resurgence within the indie space. There are a ton in this category in recent years that I’ve really liked and even loved (Inside, Unravel Two, This War of Mine, Carrion, Little Nightmares II, etc), but the sheer amount of options out there make it hard for any smaller project without marketing chops to make a name for themselves in any significant way. Released between 2018 and 2022, the FAR games - Lone Sails and Changing Tides - seem to have fallen under that paradigm. They don’t seem to be widely known, or at least I barely ever hear anyone talk about them. Through that prism, and even though the staples of the genre are mostly all there, they actually offer a somewhat unique concept: your goal throughout the entirety of the games is to guide a vehicle through the different environments. For that, you need to tend to, repair, unblock and upgrade it when the need arises. There is nothing revolutionary about the FAR games, but they showcase an interesting premise and even more interesting moments throughout your time with them.

To me, Lone Sails is easily the best game of the two, and there's an obvious reason for that: atmosphere. From its minimalistic soundscape to its cryptic environmental storytelling and deceptively simple, yet perfect noir-colour contrast world, Lone Sails is a beautiful, contemplative experience, an immersive train journey that really nudges you into focusing on the here and the now, not unlike what meditation sets out to achieve. The tone and sense of isolation work really well in tandem with the relationship you start developing with your manned vehicle: it is very interesting to me how Okomotive was able to instil this sense of bonding between player and vehicle in such a short game, and that happened because everything in the game serves that purpose. Though it never reaches the somber tone or, for the most part, the high bar of any of them, every now and then you get some Limbo nods, some Inside nods, even some Little Nightmare nods, which was absolute music to my ears. My main issue with this game was the silliness to some of the puzzles, though most are well designed and entertaining enough, and none of them are likely to stump you anyway. Ultimately, the first game of the FAR duo offers a melancholic journey dressed as an ode to solitude, one that will probably please most fans of the genre. 7.5/10