I have played Raft since their ItchIO days, and I can't believe this game has become what it has become. 7/10.

Raft as a game was simple - hunt stuff, make boat. There was no heading anywhere, and I always thought that was a meta-commentary on the sea and how it had no heading either. Of course, the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ shark has been there longer than I have as well. It was similar to what The Long Dark is now - a very peaceful suffering.

The game in itself is fun, like most other survival-y explore-y titles. There's fully realized islands that drop your FPS hard when they spawn - I'm afraid of the larger landmasses. You are blessed by the sea and its gamer salt, and can get a continuous supply of wood, leaves, scrap, and barrels. The amount of crafting materials has gone up significantly. The ability to decorate your raft has gone up significantly. The tools at your disposal have gone up significantly. But, has the game gone up significantly?

Eh.

Here's the thing - Raft used to be an survival-idler of sorts, and that was a weird combination in which I found myself spending hours. Now, there's stuff to get to. There's the looming feeling of an end, when you have so much stuff that the survival part wouldn't matter. The hitboxes are janky, and I experienced that firsthand as a warthog buckaroo'd me from a mile away and yet my spear wouldn't dare breach it's soft fleshy belly. The game never told me I would soon have a net launcher, so I expended two spears and poked a running llama to death, only to find that they yielded nothing. The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Screechers need a bow and arrow to be finished off, which you have to learn the hard way. It's fun that the game doesn't hold my hand, and yet it feels too janky to play without a friend or hints.

Of course, the beta title still feels like a beta, with half-optimized framerates and video graphics. Thank goodness this isn't a competitive first person shooter. Anyway, like I said before, 7/10. Fun game. Makes you feel like Bear Gryllis, if Bear Gryllis had to hook wood and fish shoes. Go play Minecraft or something.

I have played Raft since their ItchIO days, and I can't believe this game has become what it has become. 7/10. Raft as a game was simple - hunt stuff, make boat. There was no heading anywhere, and I always thought that was a meta-commentary on the sea and how it had no heading either. Of course, the goddamn shark has been there longer than I have as well. It was similar to what The Long Dark is now - a very peaceful suffering. The game in itself is fun, like most other survival-y explore-y titles. There's fully realized islands that drop your FPS hard when they spawn - I'm afraid of the larger landmasses. You are blessed by the sea and its gamer salt, and can get a continuous supply of wood, leaves, scrap, and barrels. The amount of crafting materials has gone up significantly. The ability to decorate your raft has gone up significantly. The tools at your disposal have gone up significantly. But, has the game gone up significantly? Eh. Here's the thing - Raft used to be an survival-idler of sorts, and that was a weird combination in which I found myself spending hours. Now, there's stuff to get to. There's the looming feeling of an end, when you have so much stuff that the survival part wouldn't matter. The hitboxes are janky, and I experienced that firsthand as a warthog buckaroo'd me from a mile away and yet my spear wouldn't dare breach it's soft fleshy belly. The game never told me I would soon have a net launcher, so I expended two spears and poked a running llama to death, only to find that they yielded nothing. The goddamn Screechers need a bow and arrow to be finished off, which you have to learn the hard way. It's fun that the game doesn't hold my hand, and yet it feels too janky to play without a friend or hints. Of course, the beta title still feels like a beta, with half-optimized framerates and video graphics. Thank goodness this isn't a competitive first person shooter. Anyway, like I said before, 7/10. Fun game. Makes you feel like Bear Gryllis, if Bear Gryllis had to hook wood and fish shoes. Go play Minecraft or something.