Faraver is an online co-op action RPG that drops you into a cartoony world where you’re just trying to survive the wild lands of Siagarta. Before you think this is just another generic title with a hero complex, keep in mind that we aren’t the saviors here. We’re basically nobodies. It’s pretty refreshing to just be a regular person doing highly irregular things with your buddies. More on that after the trailer jump!
Sweaty Fights
Faraver may look cutesy and simple, but you can’t just mash buttons until a boss explodes. The combat is heavily built around teamwork. Once we lock into a class, it’s refreshing to see how the game gives us hundreds of combinations of attributes and weapon skills to mess around with. It’s easy to step on your friends’ toes, so you do need time to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, you have to coordinate.
By timing your strikes, you set off combo spells. This is crucial because it not only looks good but does a lot more damage. Of course, you could also hang back with support skills when your buddy inevitably pulls way too many enemies in a camp. That’s also both doable and fun.
Outside of combat Faravers is highly vertical.
We climbed cliffs just so we could jump off and glide across ravines. Then we dove into underwater caves. The devs try to keep things interesting so that you’re always finding something new and fresh to explore. Actively moving and poking around—forgotten temples, for example—is exactly what you’re expected to do. We loved that exploration feel. Above or below ground, better loot is always waiting for you.
The Art of Know-How
But, try as you might, you can’t just find everything. Some things must be crafted. Sooner or later, you will have to pick a profession like blacksmithing or gathering and then—and we really can’t stress this enough—you have to commit. Faraver is a game where you can’t be a master of everything, and it wants you to know that from the get-go.
You simply have to rely on your party. Yes, solo play is possible, but it’s really not recommended. To give you just one example: as a gatherer, you are able to find rare items, but then you have to pass them along to your dedicated crafter. Gearing up a group actually feels earned because it takes a village.
Riding in a Wobbly Cart
It’s fairly easy to look at Faraver as a multiplayer cart for you and your friends to ride in. But the game has the potential to become more than that—much more. We loved all the class combos and the specific crafting jobs; they made playing as a group feel genuinely good.
We feel that it’s okay if the cart we’re in creaks a bit under the weight of it all. It is an Early Access game, and Shiro plans to tweak things for about a year. You have to admit, that’s plenty of time to smooth things out. Meanwhile, if you do decide to check out Faraver, you will find an ambitious and charming sandbox with cool but slightly undercooked mechanics.
ID Card:
- Developer: Shiro Games
- Publisher: Shiro Games
- Platforms: PC (Early Access)
- Release Date: Early Access (Current)
- Genre: Multiplayer Action RPG
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