Farever preview: A colorful co-op RPG with interesting ability mechanics

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Shiro Games, the studio behind popular, easy-to-learn strategy games, is expanding its offerings with two new titles: the multiplayer automation game SpaceCraft and the co-op RPG, Farever. At Gamescom 2025, seeing these two games showcased one after the other highlighted their very different approaches. SpaceCraft aims for realistic visuals, while Farever embraces a bright, colorful, and blocky art style, intentionally avoiding realism.

Okay, so as a fan of these kinds of games, I’ll be honest, Farever doesn’t reinvent the wheel. You basically explore a world full of monsters and dungeons, take on quests that slowly reveal the story, and get better by leveling up your skills and finding awesome new gear. It’s familiar territory, but sometimes that’s exactly what you want!

Shiro Games is adding some unique twists to the gameplay. The world of Farever features a lot of verticality, meaning you’ll do a lot of platforming. Some of the game’s dungeons are designed as themed challenges, similar to the shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Getting around the world is a challenge in itself, and exploring every corner will be worthwhile – you’ll find hidden loot and secrets as you jump, climb, and glide. Luckily, fast travel points in each region show you how many treasures and challenges are nearby.

Despite the game’s pixelated style suggesting a randomly created world, everything is actually carefully designed by hand. This means that if a particular spot feels like it might hide something, it probably does. The developers explained they want players to be rewarded for exploring and being curious.

Like many role-playing games, Farever lets you choose a character class. However, there’s a unique element: your skills in battle come mostly from the equipment you use, not just your class. Each piece of gear is special and grants its own abilities. You can even save a few skills from weapons, letting you keep them even when you switch to different gear. This gives players a lot of freedom in how they build their character, encouraging them to try out different combinations, explore the game world, and create new items – because what RPG is complete without crafting?

So, this game really leans into teamwork. It’s built like an MMO, meaning you pick a profession – like cooking – and actually level it up to get better at it. Anyone can gather basic stuff if they have the tools – you need a pickaxe to mine, obviously. That’s where having friends comes in handy! We can all cover different jobs and do things my character can’t. It makes us rely on each other, which is awesome because it leads to helping each other out and trading. Gear is often class-specific, so if I find a sweet bow as a warrior, I’ll probably sell it to my archer friend. That’s the idea, anyway – a lot of cooperation and trading to get everyone geared up.

The developers want players to feel unique, not like powerful fantasy figures like Gandalf who can both fight with a sword and use magic. However, players will still be able to create characters who combine those skills. While warriors and wizards might share some equipment and learn similar abilities, their core class features will ensure they play very differently, even if they use the same weapons.

The combat system is pretty standard: you can block and dodge, use special skills that recharge over time, manage resources, and rely on regular attacks. It’s a familiar setup – you’ll quickly recognize the patterns in enemy attacks and learn how to counter them. The game gets harder or easier based on how many people are playing at the same time.

The more you play and fight enemies, the game will fill up a codex with useful information, including story details and what items each enemy can drop. This item-tracking system feels like a classic gaming feature, and it encourages exploration. To get the materials you need, you’ll have to figure out which monsters carry them, where to find those monsters, and the best way to win the fight.

The developers have stated they aren’t including a traditional main storyline. Instead, players who want to learn about the game’s world will have to explore and gather information from sources like an in-game encyclopedia, collectible books, dig sites, and by talking to characters.

Anyone looking for an MMO-lite RPG might want to keep their eyes on this one.

Farever currently doesn’t have a release date, but is planned to come to PC.

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2025-09-16 15:17