Raft is a small indie game in the survival genre, which you can get for a modest €20 on Steam. You drift across the sea, build your raft, and experience a maritime adventure with your friends. MeinMMO author Maik Schneider is thrilled – for him, it’s the best survival game of 2022.
2022 is not exactly blessed with major game releases. So it’s the perfect time to keep an eye on the little gems.
And there Raft maneuvers into view. One of my favorite gems in the survival genre and since June 20, 2022, Raft is no longer in Early Access.
Together with MeinMMO colleague Benedict Grothaus and my girlfriend Alicia, I dove back into the sea adventure and must say: With the full release, Raft has taken a significant step forward.
The player numbers have increased enormously and it was among the top sellers on Steam for several weeks. I want to show you 3 mechanics that make the fascination of Raft clear and explain why you should definitely check it out.
We are embedding the trailer for the “Final Chapter” of Raft here:
Number 1: The Lonely Sea
It starts with the setting and the first seconds in the game. I see only blue – sea and sky, that’s it. Survival games often shine in the first moments of play, providing a sense of freedom that motivates. The urge to explore arises.
Raft does it a bit differently and feels refreshingly unfamiliar from the very first moment.
Especially survival veterans will be grateful for the unusual start. And as soon as the stressful beginning is overcome, you find yourself in the adventure and can’t stop.
The maritime setting provides small, unfamiliar scenarios throughout the gameplay. Truly refreshing, like a jump into cold water on an overly hot summer day.
Number 2: The Focus on Story
As you slowly calm down and the crates are generously filled with fish, you discover the research table and thus the first step back into civilization – or what’s left of it.
Collected resources and some crafting items can be analyzed and bring you new items to create.
For each new part, you need new resources again and have to figure out how to get them. This leads you to story islands where you experience a narrative and receive additional recipes for even more items.
This creates a red thread throughout the otherwise rather loose stories of the survival competition. The advantage: You always have something to do, always a goal in sight. The disadvantage: The game ends at some point.
Even with the survival hit “The Forest”, I liked this story aspect and it works just as well with Raft.
Number 3: Base Building
A good survival game needs base building for me, and how great does Raft do this?
We fish for leaves, wood, and plastic with a hook from the sea, build the foundation for our raft, and place workbenches and crates. With each new recipe learned, our space requirements increase, leading to huge constructions in the end.
Even automation is possible – instead of creating complicated assembly line processes, we build collection foundations that automatically gather debris. I walk a round around the raft and have another good load of materials in my inventory.
Additionally, all placed items can be taken back into the inventory at any time – a blessing for every base builder. Only with the raft building blocks created with the building hammer do resources get lost.
The concept of raft building also creates a unique dynamic. The base is constantly in motion, and in rough seas, it gets really lively. The connection to your own base is therefore quite different from that of genre competitors.
Conclusion: A Special Survival Adventure for Every Genre Fan
Raft is a well-rounded survival adventure with a clear goal. The mechanics fit together excellently, the resource grind feels rewarding on the “Normal” difficulty level, and there’s always something to do.
Rarely have I experienced that story and survival work so well together. The concept therefore feels innovative, drives forward, and ensures that the game hours just blend away.
Raft is, for me, the best survival game of 2022 in its finished release version.
This year, a few survival hits should still come, but Raft is such a loving, complete, and great game that others will have a hard time surpassing it.
Share your opinion about Raft – do we agree, or do you see it differently? If you have questions about the game, I will gladly answer them as well.
