With the exception of the fact that it is now fully set on water, FAR: Changing Tides is essentially more of the first game. That would sound condescending, but given how great the original game is, it's actually not a terrible thing. Despite this, however, Changing Tides isn't nearly as daring as Lone Sails was.
In fairness, the necessary changes were made to the sequel in regards to the puzzle designs and overall, they feel much more intricate and rewarding than they did before. On the flipside, though, traversing the waters, which, again, is the bulk of what you'll be doing in this game, isn't nearly as exciting or intriguing as riding across dunes and marshes was in Lone Sails.
It's bizarre that this is the case, given that you've got a lot more to do moment-to-moment in order to keep your boat's engine running than with the vehicle in the previous game. Like last time, you have to feed the engine, make sure it doesn't overheat, make necessary repairs, and now you have to keep watch of the sails and prevailing winds.
However, this starts to feel like busywork in a way that Lone Sails didn't, and the reason for that is two-fold. For one, during the second half of the game, you'll be doing a lot of transitioning between above-water and underwater, depending on the obstacles in your path. This does make sense and in theory, it shouldn't cause any frustration, but it does become incredibly tedious when that becomes the majority of what you'll be doing, particularly for the last segment of the game's story.
Speaking of story and world-building, the environments you travel through aren't nearly as interesting as they were in Lone Sails and as a result, your investment in the mystery of the story and world takes a backseat.
There's one moment early in the game where the tide lowers out of nowhere, only for a gargantuan tidal wave to come hurtling towards you and throw you way off course. These are the kinds of set pieces, like the volcano eruption, that made me enjoy Lone Sails so much. Here, however, apart from this one moment, there aren't really many at all. There are some heavy storms, sure, but they don't really disrupt the usual gameplay routine other than having to make a few quick repairs.
Overall, Changing Tides isn't a bad sequel. However, it feels like an experience more befitting of an expansion to the first game to bridge the gap until a bigger, more ambitious follow-up. Of course, ambition doesn't always equal better, but here there could have been a little bit more of it employed in certain parts. As it stands, though, it's a decent entry to this series, but perhaps not one that would make you wildly prefer it over its predecessor.
6.5/10
In fairness, the necessary changes were made to the sequel in regards to the puzzle designs and overall, they feel much more intricate and rewarding than they did before. On the flipside, though, traversing the waters, which, again, is the bulk of what you'll be doing in this game, isn't nearly as exciting or intriguing as riding across dunes and marshes was in Lone Sails.
It's bizarre that this is the case, given that you've got a lot more to do moment-to-moment in order to keep your boat's engine running than with the vehicle in the previous game. Like last time, you have to feed the engine, make sure it doesn't overheat, make necessary repairs, and now you have to keep watch of the sails and prevailing winds.
However, this starts to feel like busywork in a way that Lone Sails didn't, and the reason for that is two-fold. For one, during the second half of the game, you'll be doing a lot of transitioning between above-water and underwater, depending on the obstacles in your path. This does make sense and in theory, it shouldn't cause any frustration, but it does become incredibly tedious when that becomes the majority of what you'll be doing, particularly for the last segment of the game's story.
Speaking of story and world-building, the environments you travel through aren't nearly as interesting as they were in Lone Sails and as a result, your investment in the mystery of the story and world takes a backseat.
There's one moment early in the game where the tide lowers out of nowhere, only for a gargantuan tidal wave to come hurtling towards you and throw you way off course. These are the kinds of set pieces, like the volcano eruption, that made me enjoy Lone Sails so much. Here, however, apart from this one moment, there aren't really many at all. There are some heavy storms, sure, but they don't really disrupt the usual gameplay routine other than having to make a few quick repairs.
Overall, Changing Tides isn't a bad sequel. However, it feels like an experience more befitting of an expansion to the first game to bridge the gap until a bigger, more ambitious follow-up. Of course, ambition doesn't always equal better, but here there could have been a little bit more of it employed in certain parts. As it stands, though, it's a decent entry to this series, but perhaps not one that would make you wildly prefer it over its predecessor.
6.5/10