Online game "Farlight 84"

Farlight 84 is a free "battle royale" game, somewhat similar to Apex Legends. Its action also takes place in the future, the graphics are reminiscent of 3D cartoons, and the scenery is designed at the crossroads of post-apocalyptic and cyberpunk. Even the characters are unique, and when you choose a fighter, you decide on the style of firefights. But there is one important difference - Farlight 84 does not tolerate loners. Here you almost always fight in a group, so the success depends not so much on your skills or abilities of your hero, but on the coherence of the whole team. If one of you fails, the rest of your team will be crushed. Let's tell you what else this dynamic online action game is notable for.

It may seem that the developers are a bit late with the release of "battle royale" in 2023, when the fashion for such entertainment has already gone down. But it's worth considering that the game appeared on mobile devices at the very moment when Fortnite was removed from the largest digital stores. So the leader of the genre remained PUBG Mobile, gravitating towards realism and giving everyone equal tactical opportunities at the start of the match. In other words, what was missing was a superhero action game where each hero has his own aces up his sleeve, but the general rules are clear to all fans of the genre. And such a game appeared - first on smartphones, and then on PC, including Steam.

The basics of Farlight 84 are familiar to anyone who has ever participated in a "battle royal" game. Together with other gamers, you land your character at any point on a large map, then collect weapons, supplies, and various power-ups to fight in a gradually shrinking circle that limits the theater of battle. Over time, this area becomes quite small - and whoever is the last one left in it wins. But that's where the commonalities end, and the action movie offers quite a few distinctive solutions.

Features begin right at the start of the fight, when each user in the group must choose a character. You can't repeat someone else's choice, and everyone takes turns "beeping" while the timer counts down. Next, the game automatically determines the leader of the team - he will land his friends in the location he will specify. First, the fighters fly over the map in capsules, then the commander gives a signal to open them - and everyone dives down after the leader on jetpacks. In other words, Farlight 84's debut is very reminiscent of Apex Legends.

The same goes for the heroes. They, as in Respawn Studios' action game, have unique traits. Guard Dominic, for example, puts turrets that can slow down and wound enemies, and also covers his allies with a shield and automatically receives protection when he is damaged. And Maggie, who became a kind of mascot of the game due to her colorful appearance, can fly on a jetpack, performs tactical somersaults with simultaneous reloading of weapons and has a passive skill of jet acceleration. In general, the characters are different, so you can choose a variant to your liking.

Already during the battle, other differences become apparent. In addition to guns, ammunition, first aid kits and weapon accessories, you can find vehicles on the locations. They are designed in futuristic style and sometimes equipped with air cushions or paws instead of wheels, so they move in the manner of spiders. They also carry various reinforcements - from additional armor to cannons, which can be used immediately after landing. Here you'll find rockets, machine guns, and powerful lasers that can tear to shreds not only heroes, but also armored vehicles. Not to mention the possibility of simply crushing the opponents who did not have time to take cover. These tanks can hold a whole squad, but there is no role distribution inside - the mechanic-driver is also responsible for shooting. You can't pick up resources from the cockpit either, so if you spot an item you need on the battlefield, you'll have to run for it on your own.

The game makes significant concessions to the participants of matches - unlike many "battle royales". Here, for example, there is a solid duration of knockout, during which you can crawl to a safe place, call for help and use the first aid kit. And also revive your killed character by pressing one key. It is available, however, only once during the battle, and at late stages of the match resurrection is canceled at all. But it's still a good help for those who got into trouble at the start, having landed in an unlucky point or hesitated under fire. It's also worth noting that the time required for self-healing and bringing wounded partners to their senses is also decent here - and it's better to do such things in a shelter.

Everything in Farlight 84 is done in such a way that users are not distracted by unnecessary actions. Sights, silencers, magazines and grips are put on guns automatically - as soon as you pick up these modules from the ground. Ammo can also be vacuumed up all in a row, and the game itself will figure out what you need. The same goes for armor, medicines and other consumables. Nevertheless, managing the hero still requires skill: you need to move competently, occasionally using the jetpack for jumps and leaps, to understand the guns and skills of the character you've chosen. If you just run and shoot, you will have little chance of success.

The action takes place in the Isle City, surrounded by cliffs on three sides and the sea on the fourth. There are not many sights here, and the buildings are arranged in small groups, so the main principle of landing for a newcomer is to fly to the place where you can see at least some buildings. Nevertheless, there are several locations that are worth discussing in detail. There are three towers dominating the city - the Tower of Refuge, the Tree Generator and another spire in the Industrial Zone. These structures are convenient because they offer a great view - you can assess the situation and plan your actions. Tinman Industrial Zone is also famous for its abundance of loot and the fact that it is surrounded by water on all sides, so it is easier to keep defense in it.

Those who are looking for a vehicle from the start can land near Todd's Hot Rods, and those who prefer to fight indoors can jump off near the Sunflower Shopping Center. A lot of supplies and shelters will be found by the heroes debuting in Feteville and Planetarium. The latter also has a spacious courtyard in the middle - there is no better place for an ambush. On the other hand, the deserted areas and Riverview Park are not the most convenient starting locations - of course, there's plenty to do there too, but the hills to the east overhang it, from which you can shoot everything below. If you land here, you run the risk of being ambushed.

At first, you don't have much choice of characters: only three of the roster are available (Guard, Captain, and Maggie), and on the second level, a fourth one - a girl named Momoi - is unlocked. Meanwhile, there are fourteen heroes in the game, and you'll need to unlock all of them if you want to get the full range of tactical options. You won't find two similar fighters here, because each one has special skills in his arsenal. And everyone should be at least once tested in practice in training mode, because the choice made at random, can ruin the "skating rink" not only for you, but also for your teammates. For beginners, an excellent option will be Maggie, who thanks to her mobility and skills in handling grenades more often survives the first stages of the battle.

Among the interesting fighters is Momoi, who doesn't set records by herself, but is very useful as part of a group - because of the speeding up of healing for partners and the summoning of a crate with supplies. Among the more advanced heroes we should also mention the master of illusions nicknamed Coal - he creates a dome, inside which your team can see everything, while the opponents are blinded. This allows you to quickly eliminate opponents who are huddled together. Sunil is also famous for boosting the damage and movement speed of everyone in his group, and he also puts a trampoline anywhere for those who want to jump higher. Daxeid is a cool shield, Seanna for her quick heal and drone support, and the Mk.R robot for infinite ammo and a couple missile salvos.

All fourteen heroes can be unlocked for free, for which you need to save up resources, gain levels in battles and complete missions. But it's easy to buy any of them by investing some real money in virtual currency. It in the game is divided into two types - gold and diamonds. The first is given for successes on the battlefield, and the second are exchanged for real money. For both resources you can buy everything - from characters to their appearance, individual elements of costumes, weapon colors and unique animations. The only thing you won't be sold here is a significant advantage in a fight. But to stand out from the others due to a colorful style - you are always welcome.

The progression is organized in two ways: there is a progression of each hero individually the whole profile as a whole. To progress along the first path it is enough to simply fight - defeat enemies, collect experience bonuses on the map, help your partners in trouble. And then your fighter will be credited with new levels. There are 12 of them in total, and each of them gives some minor improvement - such as speeding up the recharge of ultimatum ability or increasing the damage by a few percent. It seems like a small thing, but it's still nice. On the other hand, profile development expands the set of available modes and opens up a lot of appearance customization.

The basic match format in Farlight 84 is a battle royal in teams of four. But if you want, you can also choose duos, although the choice doesn't end there. In fact, the game has an unexpectedly large number of modes. In "Hunt" 48 participants land on the map, and each gets a target to destroy before evacuating by helicopter. "Fight to the death" is a variation of the classic desmatches, where everyone plays for themselves on two small locations - in the Industrial Zone "Tinman" and on the Polar Point. There is also a category of temporary activities, which often includes races and armored vehicle battles.

"Colosseum", in turn, is represented by limited arenas with different conditions of fights. For example, on the third level of your account you can open "Training" and "Warm-up" - in the first one you can test different guns, skills and movement style of the hero, and in the second one users play "friendly matches" without getting any points or ratings. At levels 7 and 8, "Single Player" and "Treasure War" become available in "Colosseum". However, these are all optional extras for those who can't get enough variety. If you simply go to the lobby and press "Play", you will go to the main mode of the action movie.

There is not a single reason why Farlight 84 may not appeal to the fan of "battle royale". The game is available for free, it has a simple gameplay without unnecessary complications, a wide range of weapons, beautiful and not too demanding graphics, a minimum of bugs, and there is also an element of collecting, when users gradually unlock all the heroes. The similarity with Apex Legends is even good for the project, because we should borrow from the best. However, there are plenty of original features, such as combat vehicles and independent revival of dead characters. Before going to the battlefield you should take into account only the quality of the Internet connection - in case of connection failures you will often be thrown out of the match in the lobby.

Zarium. September 2023