Forever Skies is one of the most promising survival games on Steam right now. It blends Fallout and Subnautica into an entirely new experience, where you and a few friends must thrive on an ecologically ruined Earth. To do so, you need to pilot and look after a high-tech airship while delving into the ruins below. After finally launching out of early access back in April, however, plenty of players have been left disappointed. Technical issues, tedious gameplay, and repetitive environments have all hindered the experience for many, but developer Far From Home has a plan. The team isn't done with Forever Skies, and outlines how it will right the ship with updates.
"First off, we want to thank each and every one of you for your continued and for Forever Skies," Far From Home writes in a new blog. "That said, we recognize that a significant part of our player base has been left disappointed with the game. Rest assured, we have been closely watching and listening to your concerns.
"We have no intention of abandoning our game and moving on. This goes against the principles on which our studio was founded. If you've been following us for some time, you'll know that we have remained highly active in releadates and communicating with our players." The survival game isn't going anywhere, then, as Far From Home outlines its plans.
The team says it has done a lot of analysis and looked at Forever Skies reviews and comments to understand the bulk of players' negative feelings towards the game, grouping the issues into four main categories. The first is technical issues that block progression and break immersion, making it much harder to enjoy Forever Skies. Then there are performance problems, alongside repetitive environments that lessen the sense of exploration and general variety throughout the game. Finally, Far From Home says players aren't pleased with some tedious gameplay mechanics, as they lack meaningful engagement with the game itself.
"Our plan now is to work on updates and fixes that we will release regularly as we push to bring the game closer to the hopes and expectations many had for Forever Skies," the team writes. "Some of these updates will be pushed out quickly, while others will need more time and work for us to get right, so we ask for your patience and understanding here. Getting things right takes a bit of time and room to work."
The latest update, however, doesn't focus on the four main areas of improvement. Patch 1.0.2 fixes a range of bugs Far From Home was working on before it identified these bigger problems, while also making small adjustments and game changes. Far From Home says these fixes help lay the groundwork for the bigger updates it has planned, though.
If games like Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man's Sky can rise from the ashes, I have faith that Forever Skies can, too. Far From Home is already making it clear that it's not done yet, and I can't wait to look back a year from now and see where the game is at.
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