0 
0 Forever Skies is a different take on the post-apocalyptic base-building survival genre. It is the flagship game of Far From Home Studios, who believe that games can be a tool for enacting change in the world. Forever Skies is available in Early Access for PC only on Steam.
Forever Skies Brings Survival to New Heights
Let’s face it: there are a lot of base-building survival games out there right now. Many of them are post-apocalyptic, and even more involve zombies or other similar savage humanoids. So while Forever Skies seems to follow that post-apocalyptic route, it caught my eye because it looked a bit different than what I’m used to seeing. Not to mention the idea of a floating base too. Thankfully there also don’t appear to be any zombies either, which I am very glad for.
Gameplay
Forever Skies is a base-building survival game that is set on Earth long after the events of a global ecological disaster. You start out with a small airship which you can expand and customize as you gather resources flying through the skies and from large tower structures that poke out from the “dust”. The dust is like a constant toxic storm in the lower atmosphere that caused the planet to become uninhabitable. Eventually finding a way to descend to the surface you will explore the remnants of civilization and the changes in the environment since humanity’s departure. Though currently a solo-player game, there is a plan in place to have a four-player co-op available.
Gathering resources and researching new technologies of course play a key role in Forever Skies. Most new technologies seem to come from scanning broken-down tech or gathering a resource of that type. Then after completing some research at the station on your airship, you are able to materialize them for use. As in most survival games, survival becomes substantially easier once you’ve had a chance to establish yourself and get a better understanding of how to obtain food and water. That is one thing that I really am not a big fan of – nearly dying early in the game because I don’t know how to sustain myself. Thankfully, at least for now, there didn’t seem to be anything detrimental that happened to my character from dying.
There may not be zombies in the game but there certainly are mutant creatures. One of the first I came across was a worm thing that I heard long before I actually saw it. Forever Skies puts you a bit on edge in new areas, as exploring uncertain surroundings should. Naturally, I investigated the sound – dang that worm hurt! Prior to running into that, there hadn’t been another living thing to be found anywhere so it was rather unexpected too. With all the future tech I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was expecting more than a knife and crossbow to be my first weapons to utilize.
Graphics & Audio
Forever Skies looks brilliant overall. The graphics are clear and crisp and don’t look like half-baked freebie assets that some developers shove into a game to start early access. Unfortunately, it does also run the survival genre gambit of having a lot of everything look the same despite so much detail. Even in a dreary, abandoned world, one can hope for a bit more colour here and there, right? But hey I’ve got my fancy flying base and a handful of fancy tools to play around with in this dreary world! There are also random decorations while out exploring to spruce up your space. My personal favourite is a little garden gnome.
The audio track in Forever Skies also provides an appropriate amount of ominous atmosphere as you’re out exploring the world. Sound cues, like the one mentioned above, are a great touch too. Other sound effects seem appropriate for the setting as well.
Longevity
At this time I’m not entirely certain how much longevity there is to Forever Skies. It really depends on how the main storyline plays out with how the player goes about exploring the world. I could definitely see playing through both solo and with a group of friends though.
Final Thoughts
Forever Skies has a lot going for it, even in early access. Far From Home Studios hopes that EA will only last about a year. With what they already have now and the feedback they get from the community for further development, I can totally see this being an obtainable goal date for full release. If you’re out there looking for a new survival game that is different, I encourage you to check it out!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast
About Author
