A small figure sinks to the bottom of a body of water. Then he moves his arms, starts swimming and makes it back to the surface. All around him, he sees a flooded world: the ruins of houses with water all the way to the upper floors, wooden planks drifting on the waves, and mountains rising up in the distance. Undaunted, the boy swims on, dives among the ruins and finally arrives at a rotting hangar where he finds a huge craft, half sailboat and half submarine. Somehow, he manages to raise the sails and get the boat moving. Then it simply sails off – past ruined houses and rugged rocky shores. No human being can be seen for miles around. All you can hear is waves, wind and ethereal music that accompanies the boy on his long journey.
No explosions, no fights
When you play «FAR: Changing Tides», you’ll soon realize that it’s an unusual game. There are no explosions, fights or car chases here. Instead, an almost melancholic calm reigns in this puzzle adventure that leaves plenty of room for contemplation and emotion. With «FAR: Changing Tides», Zurich-based games studio Okomotive has created a puzzle game that combines moments of solitude with the simple desire to find out what’s at the end of this long sailing voyage. At the SGDA Swiss Game Awards at Gamesweek Zurich, Okomotive won two awards for its game: the «Best Entertainment Game Award» and the Audience Award.
Well-coordinated team: Zurich’s Okomotive
Dives and multi-level puzzles
«FAR: Changing Tides» is already the second game from Okomotive. The first one, «FAR: Lone Sails», was a great success. Since its launch in 2018, the studio has sold about 500,000 copies. «FAR: Changing Tides», which was released in January 2022, isn’t a direct sequel. Although the underlying atmosphere in this game is similar to the first, it has a new protagonist, a new setting, new sounds and new game mechanics – for example, underwater levels that the little hero boldly explores. On his dives, he searches for resources to keep the ship running, removes barriers that prevent it from continuing its journey – and solves multi-level puzzles requiring patience and quick thinking. The following video gives you a good impression of the gameplay and the atmosphere of the game.
The idea was born at college
The basic idea for the «FAR» universe originated in the middle of the last decade when Don Schmocker and Goran Saric, who would become the founders of Okomotive, were studying game design at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). «The original idea came about during a lecture at the university, which involved the concept of a city in motion,» recalls Don. «Of course, the idea of a moving vehicle that the player indirectly controls continued to develop, with various influences from films and games – until the first prototype was produced in 2015.» Don continued to develop the concept as part of his bachelor’s thesis and, while he was working on his subsequent master’s degree, the project increasingly took shape. In 2017, Goran and Don founded their studio in Zurich with the intention of making «FAR: Lone Sails» a reality. ZHdK students Martina Hugentobler (lead animator and artist), Philipp Stern (level designer) and Fabio Baumgartner (programmer and sound designer) were also on board. The studio set sail... and got going!
There’s a lot to do inside the ship – as shown in a scene from «FAR: Changing Tides».
But hold on a minute! Why is «Okomotive» actually called «Okomotive»? «When we founded the studio, we didn’t have much time to think about a name and simply wanted something that we wouldn’t find embarrassing in the long run,» says Goran. «‘Okomotive’ is the name of the vehicle in ‘FAR: Lone Sails’ – and so we simply went with that.» An interesting fact – but one that Goran claims had nothing to do with the naming of the studio: «'Oko' means 'eye' in many Slavic languages – and it can therefore be translated as 'eye motifs'.» It actually fits very well, because, on long sailing voyages, your gaze is constantly wandering through the lonely landscape – and new details always come into focus...
With its underwater levels, «FAR: Changing Tides» offers a lot of new gameplay.
Okomotive expands its universe
The debut title «FAR: Lone Sails» was released in 2018 – initially as a download for Windows and macOS. The game received rave reviews on download platform Steam – and also won two accolades at the German Developer Award 2018. The success of «FAR: Lone Sails» enabled Okomotive to expand its fascinating universe – and recruit additional specialists to work on «FAR: Changing Tides». Today, the team led by the founders Don (Creative Director) and Goran (Managing Director) consists of around ten people, plus external specialists, such as a tech artist. The studio is located on Badenerstrasse in the Altstetten district of Zurich. The makers can’t yet reveal which new project Okomotive is currently working on there – because they’re contractually bound to a publisher. «We try to stay true to our DNA,» says Goran.
Okomotive is delighted with the feedback on the new game. After all, it wasn’t a given that «FAR: Changing Tides» would be as well received as its predecessor. But it’s not only the awards it’s won that have vindicated Okomotive’s decision to expand the «FAR» universe. «Most fans were impressed by the depth of the story, the final part and the very end of the game,» says Goran. We can’t wait to see which shores Okomotive will set sail for next!