Those within the indie video game community will most likely know the astonishing game “Raft”. Originally, the game only started off as a simple student project at Uppsala University in the fall of 2016 but after its popular take from the public (mostly through the review of youtubers), it became an official business project.
Photo Source: Raft – Axolot Games (Publisher) – Redbeet Interactive (Developer)
The prototype was launched in December of 2016 as a free downloadable game. Although by May, the game had been downloaded 7 million times and became a topic of interest in the pop culture world. Building on what was first created, “Raft” had many new features for it’s official May 23, 2018 release at a price of $19.99. Another fun bit of information was that it was this games development that help establish Redbeet Interactive.
Upon this brief introduction to the games history, let us discuss/ review the game in question.
Photo Source: Raft – Axolot Games (Publisher) – Redbeet Interactive (Developer)
First things first, this is a survival game that offers the option to play in a multiplayer mode with friends. Many players had negative comments upon reaching a certain threshold or the level of difficulty so its important to remember the objective of this game is to survive on a raft. Personally, we found it hard to utilize the controls effectively in the beginning which made it frustrating to start. when you first try to play the game, it can be difficult to but after one familiarizes themselves with the controls and general game-play it can be simple. The drawback for us was that this game didn’t seem to be controller compatible, since we unfamiliar with the exact means it would take to make this possible we are not going to hold it against them but this could make playing more difficult for those not use to using a keyboard for gaming.
In terms of graphics, we found the quality to be well considering this was not the product of a major company with a budget to match. Players can easily make out objects and construct things without issues while still enjoys their visuals. These basic graphics complimented the game perfectly so the games flow was rather harmonious.
Photo Source: Raft – Axolot Games (Publisher) – Redbeet Interactive (Developer)
Contrasting the first game, new features were added such as the ability to co-op and dive into the sea so scavenge. These features made the new game a bit more interesting as it added new challenges along with more fun. It was new features like these that made the new version of this game feel more refreshed. In order to prevent anything that would spoil the future experience for those who have yet to play, we left out some of these details. Still keeping it’s core charm, the creators certainly made sure to bring more chances to challenge and captivate audiences.
Photo Source: Raft – Axolot Games (Publisher) – Redbeet Interactive (Developer)
Interesting in the beginning but as the hours go on, its difficult to stay engaged over prolonged periods of time. While this game does offer plenty of entertainment opportunity for the price there is only so much you can do after some time. We fell in love with this game for its interesting development story along with the reasonable requirements for survival. “Raft”, a casual game that most gamers interested in survival, crafting and strategy will enjoy.
