Forever Skies Review – Apocalyptic Adventure

Jumping into Forever Skies, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. From the title alone, I was expecting some sort of War game, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a post-apocalyptic survival game that takes place on Earth. There were two significant periods in which I played the game. The first was during the initial Early Access period, and the second was after the co-op update was released. During these times, the changes made were incredibly obvious, and for the most part, they made the experience a lot smoother and more user-friendly. Games like this can often be quite overwhelming, as you’re being introduced to a lot of new features, which usually include traveling through space or something of the sort.

However, I found that Forever Skies is a very peaceful game, regardless of difficulty. It eases you into the game as you need and tells you how and where to find everything. While some may find this a bit “hand-holdy,” it’s perfect for being introduced to all of the necessary features of the game.

Pressing play, I was a little bit disappointed with the intro cutscene. Both times I watched it, before and after the update, it was severely broken. The cutscene froze often, was very laggy and the subtitles were in no way synced up with the audio, which isn’t helpful for those who do need subtitles. While I managed to get the gist of what was happening in the cutscene, it doesn’t give a great first impression of what’s to come in Forever Skies. I was immediately a bit on edge and wasn’t sure what to expect, especially if the cutscene was in such a state.

What came after the cutscene made up for it significantly. The game was easy to dive into, and immediately, I found myself loving every second of it. Comparing it to games like No Man’s Sky, Forever Skies isn’t nearly as overwhelming. The only thing I would wish for with this game is that it gets Steam Deck support, as this is the perfect game to play on the go or while you’re lounging.

The world that you are put into is desolate, and it’s very obvious that there is a strong feeling of loneliness and danger. The atmosphere is quite heavy, and I loved that about the game. You could sense the feeling of desperation, especially when fighting to create food and water for survival without risking your health further. I loved the crafting system and the ability to take materials from floating objects through the sky, turning them into Synthetics and Metals for you to use in crafting. I was a little bit surprised at how small my airship was to begin with, especially when it came to putting the engine on the ship. It felt like there wasn’t really enough space to do so, and it left me a little bit concerned about how using the ship would pan out.

Admittedly, once you get a bit further into the game, encountering the horrifying creatures that are now inhabiting Earth is absolutely terrifying and does rip you out of the safe and sound mindset that you’ve been carrying prior to that event.

From the outset, you’re thrown into the deep end of exploration and scavenging for resources. Luckily, it’s all explained to you, and it’s very easy to get started on hoarding materials like your life depends on it (because it does). You then have to craft a research station and a crafting machine, which will allow you to get access to clean water and edible food. My only gripe with the process of doing this is that when crafting items, it’s on a timer. For example, if I were to craft a membrane for the water purifier, that would take 30 seconds, while other items could take up to and over a minute to create. If this was in the late game, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem. However, getting started, you essentially have to stand around and wait for it to be done, as there are no other quests for you to complete.

Because I played it before the update initially, it meant that by the time I got around to playing it again, my save wasn’t compatible with the latest version of the game. While this is an issue that probably didn’t affect many people, it was a bit frustrating to have to go through it all again. However, it was interesting to see the changes that the developers made to the game, especially in the intro scenes. It felt like the tutorial area was easy and quicker to get through compared to the previous version.

Overall, I had a great time with Forever Skies, and I can’t wait to sink more time into this game. It is very well padded out and has a lot of love poured into it. This game is the perfect game to dive into after a long day and can prove to be quite relaxing. Admittedly, I have not played it in co-op, and I’m happy to continue to play this game solo, but the option is now there for those interested. The only real issue is the laggy cutscene at the beginning and the flying being terribly slow to start with. Of course, this is something that you can upgrade later on in the game, but it makes short distances feel like endless corridors.

Despite that, I love Forever Skies’s echo chamber feeling, as well as the loneliness and desolation that come with it. Even though it’s post-apocalyptic, I found myself soothed by the gameplay. I hope that one day I get to see this game become Steam Deck verified, as it would be the perfect game to play on a portable device.

Reviewed on PC (code provided by the publisher).

8.5

WCCFTECH RATING

Forever Skies