Ylands Explained

Ylands
Developer:Bohemia Interactive
Publisher:Bohemia Interactive
Engine:Unity
Released:5 December 2019
Genre:Survival
Modes:Single-player, multiplayer
Composer:Varhan Orchestrovič Bauer

Ylands is a 2019 adventure game developed by Bohemia Interactive.

Gameplay

Developers describe Yands as "a low poly adventure game focusing on exploration, building and fighting." Adventurers sail between ylands and regions to gather resources, craft tools, discover unexpected adventures and encounter a variety of wildlife while trying to survive the elements with friends or alone. They are led by the Adventurers Handbook which is given to all new members of the Classy Adventurers Guild.

Yands gives players freedom in choosing how they play the game. One aspect of the game lets the players can focus on the exploration part of the game, in which they can travel to six different regions, discover new resources and encounter a variety of adventures. A core gameplay mechanic is crafting and building, which allows the players to use the resources they have gathered to progress in the game by crafting tools needed to improve their ships and access new crafting recipes. Ylands also includes survival aspects, which along with combat give an edge to the overall relaxing atmosphere of the game.

The integral mechanic of the game is the Adventurers Handbook, which guides the players on their adventures and gives an insight into the story of the Classy Adventurers Guild.

Development

The game was announced on 24 November 2017 when the Alpha version of the game was released on Bohemia Interactive's website.[1] [2] The game was formally announced worldwide on 1 November 2016 when it became part of project Bohemia Incubator.[3] The Steam version of the game was announced on March 9, 2017 and released on December 6, 2017.[4] According to the game's Steam page, the full version of the game was scheduled to be released 6–8 months after its release on Steam.

The game was released on 5 December 2019. The game switched to free-to-play as it was released.[5]

On 18 April 2023, the game released its Update 2.0, which is a major milestone, as the game can now be considered an adventure game which incorporated a large amount of community feedback into the development of the previous almost 3 years.

Reception

The game was nominated for 4 Czech Game of the Year Awards including categories Main Award, Best technological solution, Best Game Design and Free-to-play.[6] It managed to win in categories Best technological solution and Free-to-play[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dřevíkovský. Vojtěch. Bohemia Interactive ukazují své Ylands. Hrej.cz. 15 April 2017. 6 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191206100134/http://www.hrej.cz/novinky/2015/11/13/bohemia-interactive-ukazuji-sve-ylands-37821/. live.
  2. Web site: Homola. Adam. Nová česká hra Ylands si to namířila mezi Minecraft a jiné survival hry s otevřeným světem. Games.cz. 15 April 2017. cs. 17 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170517075556/https://games.tiscali.cz/oznameni/nova-ceska-hra-ylands-si-to-namirila-mezi-minecraft-a-jine-survival-hry-s-otevrenym-svetem-268725. live.
  3. Web site: O'Connor . Alice . 1 November 2016 . Arma Devs Launch 5v5 FPS Project Argo's Free Prototype . 15 April 2017 . Rock, Paper, Shotgun . 25 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125163109/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/11/01/arma-developers-release-free-project-argo-prototype/ . live .
  4. "Frequently Asked Questions ", Ylands. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  5. Web site: Chalk . Andy . Ylands, the sandbox survival game from the makers of Arma, goes free and exits Early Access on Steam . PC Gamer . 18 December 2019 . 7 December 2019 . 18 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191218155119/https://www.pcgamer.com/ylands-the-sandbox-survival-game-from-the-makers-of-arma-goes-free-and-exits-early-access-on-steam/ . live .
  6. Web site: Známe nominace na Českou a Slovenskou hru roku . games.tiscali.cz . 15 July 2020 . cs . 17 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200717151042/https://games.tiscali.cz/novinky/zname-nominace-na-ceskou-a-slovenskou-hru-roku-341333 . live .
  7. Web site: Českou hrou loňského roku jsou pohádkoví Pilgrims od Amanity . www.ceskenoviny.cz . 26 September 2020 . cs . 27 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200927144210/https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/ceskou-hrou-lonskeho-roku-jsou-pohadkovi-pilgrims-od-amanity/1937726 . live .