Raft is a free survival game in which you live your life, you guessed it… on a raft. The game was created by Redbeet Interactive and this is the first serious title of the studio. The game is in early access and is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It can be downloaded from Steam.
How to Download Raft 1.05b
To download Raft click on the Download button at the end of this review.
A Floating Empire
In the game, we play as a castaway, who travels through the deep and endless ocean. Our humble raft we live on is everything for us, our means of transportation, our home, and our shelter. Our archenemy and also ironically an ally is the ocean. Around us, flotsam and jetsam are drifting slowly along with the murderous sharks. The only resources that we can get will be recovered from the water. With the floating debris, in the crafting menu, we will be able to create useful items.
The mechanics of the game are based on getting rid of threats and defending against the sharks. Additionally, we need to take care of the basic needs of our character and expand our raft. The process is quite intricate. We can add new levels, stairs, and segments. As we make progress, our floating house may become quite a fortress.
The games give the player quite a few things to do. Besides getting harvesting the items from the water, we can catch fish or hunt for the sharks. The latter are the main danger. They can damage the raft heavily so we need to repel them. With time we can learn to automate a lot of things for example by installing the fishing net.
Raft Updates
With each new update, the game receives the players get new cool features, for example, the day and night cycle and the ability to cultivate plants. The game is still in development but the devs add improvements, consulting them with the community of the players. Another plus is all the patches that fix bugs.
The physics of water is faithfully rendered. The floating items move with the correct, believable resistance. Also, the textures of the items look good.
All around is just the ocean so the only items we can get we need to craft ourselves. The soft fog over the water gives the air of mystery and increases the feeling of being lost. The only land we can see are occasional islands.
As far as survival games go there hasn’t been a game like Raft before. The authors of the game don’t copy the others. The player cast in the middle of the ocean, without any goal is an original idea. It’s a pity that the game lacks the multiplayer mode, although it has been promised to be included in one of the future releases.
