Let’s Play Raft: New Beginnings (Episode 1)

After playing for a bit last month, I felt an inspiration to start a “Let’s Play Text And Cinematic Texture” series. This new venture aims to revive the nostalgic essence of the early 2000s walkthrough-style guides.

Prologue

This time, starting a new game on easy mode. Defeating the game in the hardest difficulty wasn’t for me the best gaming experience.

Heading back out onto the open sea with Raft, but first I dial down the difficulty. Turns out, my survival instincts are better suited to a less… frantic pace. Easy mode should let me focus on building and exploration and a podcast!

Hard mode just means that food and thirst deplete faster. Alright, the animals pose a more threat, but that’s a skill issue at first, and been there, done that.

New Game, New Shark Battles

Podcast on, eyes peeled… the usual ‘grab everything’ frenzy kicks in. I even documented how I feel, robotic.

My eyes scan the water without even focusing.

First priority: craft the essentials, especially a spear to keep that pesky shark at bay. Then it’s the familiar grind: gather, eat, drink, gather some more.

The shark’s circling, time to break the routine and hit it with a stick!

And again. Rinse and repeat.

First Checkpoint: Finding a Small Island

Having gathered some scrap and equipped myself with an axe, a fishing net, and potatoes, I set off towards my first stop, a small island. Now I can turn on my brain and explore.

Get some supplies, mostly fruit.

Back on the raft, time for the good ‘ol routine: Fight, sleep, repeat and repeat.

Will not go underwater this time, I am too tired, and will probably take a break.

Drifting Afloat

For now, it’s maintenance mode: tools sharpened, potatoes planted, water purified.

A bit of fishing to spice up my menu. Baking, so much baking, whatever I’ve been eating is baked.

But the next checkpoint calls: another island, and this time I will explore the underwater.

... And The Day Turned To Night

Where’d the sun go? Eyes adjusting to the dark.

Hint: Anchor on the island’s far side. The shark’s will only stay and hunt in the raft’s vicinity.

Exploring a Larger Island

This is it… farther from my raft than ever before!

This island feels… wrong. Huge! Sinister bird overhead, i remember this bird. I also see a boar… Played it cool, grabbed supplies, and bailed.

Back for more, figured I could search for dirt, to be able to plant grass on my raft. The bird attacked me, and I threw a few arrows hitting nothing. It’s not that easy, like shooting a static seagull that comes to steal my food.