Getting tired of Sea of Thieves? Want to just relax by the ocean while building a settlement? Well this is partially possible in Raft if a regular difficulty isn't selected. What I thought was a laid back settlement game turned out to be one where having friends to play with became crucial to progressing. This has a similar Minecraft mixed with a little Planet Crafter build type gameplay to deliver an open world experience floating out on the ocean. In short, fun game but has potential to wear off after a certain amount of hours. Some game mechanics might also drive certain players bonkers.
Raft's premise is the player is immediately dropped into an endless ocean world on a tiny 4x4 plank and plastic floating platform. The only tool that is given is a rope hook that is used to lure floating junk from the ocean. The twist comes in as there is a shark constantly circling the player. Now staying out of the water seems like the obvious idea, but the shark (or Bruce the ________ as I like to call him) will eventually start gnawing at the player's raft by removing chunks of the plastic and wood. As the player's raft is blown (in whatever direction the wind is blowing) new elements appear on the map. Most elements include small to large sized islands and random floating abandoned rafts with potential treasure. Islands generally have metal substances than can be harvested shoreside waters and trees, flowers, and wildlife on land. Some of the wildlife is hostile (such as boars or giant birds) while some will hop away from the player. The gameplay in Raft is simple and straight forward, as for the controls. Basic movements are included, such as crouch, sprint, and jump. There is a research tree that eventually allows the player to become sort of self-sufficient. It will take some time to properly be able to run an entire raft as there are loads of chores. In addition to a shark randomly biting away at the boat, there are seagulls that come by and will often try to steal food. This is where having more than one person is extremely handy, on any difficulty.
The visuals and graphics are similar to Sea of Thieves. Sea of Thieves certainly did it better, but this game absolutely nails dawn and dusk. The colours and the amount of light that comes and goes always makes me stop for a moment, and wish I did something with my life that involved me actually seeing that in real life. Mind you - I'd rather not do it from a raft. The rest of the graphics are okay. The islands have all the required or basic graphics, the animals all have their own respective animations, but what bothers me the most are the shorelines by the islands. The corals look cool and the objects are fine, it all just looks a little cartoon-ey and slightly out of place. Then there's the sudden drops around the islands that don't quite make sense especially when the player relies heavily on acquiring ore in those areas. The design is a little wonky and is difficult early game when it isn't possible to take down or distract the shark. The sounds and music were absolutely well done. Sounds quickly indicate to the player what is happening around the raft. A lot of sounds have been included with proper purpose. The music absolutely creates an awesome mood and can flip the player into gear when necessary. It seems to have been inspired a little by Minecraft, knowing when to deliver a piece of music to alter the mood.
Overall, the game is okay alone, but can be very fun with friends. The game certainly is challenging on normal difficulty and can even be difficult on easy. There is enough replayability depending on whose playing. While building, scavenging, crafting, and even attacking is fun, the loop of sea > island > sea > island > sea can become repetitive. I feel like it seriously depends on who is playing this game with you. I would recommend waiting for a sale even though I bought this one for full price!
RATING: 7.9/10
Gameplay
B-
Story / Campaign
B-
Visuals / User Interface
B-
Sounds / Music
B+
Replay-ability
C+
Overall
B-
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