Raft

Survival genre in video gaming becomes more and more popular lately. Raft is the title which represents the best of the survival simulators. We are going to test our strength and survival skills in the dangerous waters of the ocean.

According to the plot, you survive after a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean. What to do next to stay alive? You’ll need to sort out, alone or with the team of survived. It all looks like the "Life of Pi" movie. All you need to become the main character is to download Raft and try to get through all the difficulties. The rest of details — in our Raft review below.

Graphics — 4.5/5

Raft is an indie game and has the graphics corresponding to its genre. We mean that all the visuals are rather plain and unrealistic. Despite its minimalist style, Raft still looks amazing. There are lots of eye-pleasing elements letting you enjoy the visuals while playing.

The game designers recreated the first-person experience of being in the ocean. So when you dive, the environment becomes darker. When your head is over the water, it is brighter, and the ocean waves are constantly moving. The ocean water is blue and naturally-looking. The sky above is like another ocean thanks to the deep blue color used. The rays of sunlight up everything around. And when the darkness comes, the beautiful moonlit skies create a magical atmosphere.

Gameplay — 4.5/5

With one of the most challenging survival tasks, to survive in the open waters of the ocean on a small raft, you are starting this game. The number of resources is limited, and the indicators of hunger and thirst are reduced. Moreover, there are predators all over in the water.

You need to have time to create all the necessary items for survival, and then gradually expand your raft. Only in this way can you survive in a dangerous environment.

Beware of the sharks which are going to chase you and bite off the pieces of your raft. However, the ocean fauna in Raft is not so vast to be afraid of many other animals.

Raft requires a lot of items to be created, so you should sort out the crafting process from the very beginning. On the left of the screen, you will find a special menu allowing you to craft everything you need for survival. Select “Water Purifier” and press the “Craft” button, the number of items needed for this, and indeed for each item you create, you can see under the description of the craft option.

If you don't have the needed resources, look for them in the ocean. Sometimes you’ll need to collect garbage and debris and even hunt for shark meat to still hunger.

There is a universal guide to Raft suitable for all players: collect absolutely all resources that you see in the water. In this game, there are no useless materials and components, everything that can be found can be used to create different objects. You have to craft weapons to protect yourself from sharks, and the fishing pole to get food, and many other equally useful attributes.

Controls — 4.5/5

The controls in the game are intuitive and ergonomic enough. Probably only the hook mastering can be problematic, but you will manage it over time.

There is no much to learn about actions. The WASD keys and the mouse are absolutely enough for providing all the actions and interacting with items.

Replay Value — 4/5

When you just start playing Raft, the game seems blood-thrilling. Over time, when all the issues are more or less solved, the gameplay doesn’t amaze you so much.

To make the game more exciting, we recommend you not to use any guides or cheats. You need to master everything yourself in the conditions of the constant danger.

Download Raft by clicking “Get the game” button on our site, and find out whether our point on the game value checks with yours.

The Bottom Line

Raft Survival is about exploring the surrounding terrain and collecting all the possible resources. The game is not as complicated as it may seem at the initial stages. Therefore, all the difficulties with the extraction of water and food go into the background, after the player has built all that is needed to solve these problems.

Raft is thrilling at the beginning but lacks the excitement after a while of playing. So some dramatic component must be included to make the game more attractive.

• Graphics 4.5
• Gameplay 4.5
• Controls 4.5
• Replay Value 4

Pros

Exciting plot
Unlimited possibilities for crafting
Eye-pleasing graphics

Cons

Lack of actions and content
Modest coop