As noted in my review of “Far Cry 4”, I was genuinely apprehensive about investing my time and money in the series due to my short, mostly disappointing experience with “Far Cry 2”. I eventually gave the sequels a chance and found myself incredibly satisfied and excited when a new game was announced. Yet, that apprehensive, cautious feeling returned with the announcement of a promised full-blown spin-off to “Far Cry 4”. Rather than stick to the formula that had become the series’ norm, Ubisoft Montreal stripped the game of most everything that we “Far Cry” players had become accustomed to. How? Because “Far Cry Primal” took the series back some 12,000 years into the past; placing the gamer in the year 10,000 BCE. With the promise of no guns, cars, or even the incredibly fun & beneficial wing suit, “Primal” had the potential of alienating anyone who loved what made the last games what they were. Thanks to having a fantastic gameplay foundation still intact, “Primal” proved to be both the usual fun seen in a “Far Cry” experience while innovating & pushing the series forward. Two years after “Primal’s” release and somewhat unwarranted mixed reception, Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto returned to the game’s most recent roots by promising to give fans of the last few games everything they enjoyed and more with the fifth numbered game in the series – the first “Far Cry” game occurring in the United States. Though I was hyped for the next “Far Cry” game, I came into this one wondering if the formula established six years ago was still as fun now as it was when people were actually quoting the standout character from “Far Cry 3”.
Did I Complete “Far Cry 5”?
Unlike every “Far Cry” in the series thus far, “Far Cry 5” allows the player to take control of an avatar actually created by the gamer with the limited tools provided. Given a nickname of “Rook” (short for “Rookie” or “Rookie Deputy”) or “Deputy”, the player will encounter the insanity that has taken hold of the fictional Hope County, Montana – a diverse area featuring hidden treasures, destructible monuments & shrines, incredible scaleable mountains, premium fishing spots, farmland, and a plethora of wildlife. With a muted protagonist, the player most likely will see Rook as a digitized version of themselves taking on a renegade doomsday cult headed by a horrifically eccentric leader supposedly touched by God himself known as “Father” Joseph Seed. As per the norm, the player must take their character throughout the map while completing missions, recruiting supporters and taking on the big baddies known as Seed’s “Family”. While “Primal” featured fundamental changes to the gameplay tying into the primitive setting, “FC 5” feels like familiar territory if someone has played the previously numbered sequels; meaning jumping in and completing the game is pretty straight-forward for those who know how not to get overwhelmed with the copious amounts of things that can be accomplished including wild time trials and base jumping. After twenty-five hours I completed the main story, saw all three endings, attained every single player trophy before focusing on the online portion – “Far Cry Arcade” – before attaining the platinum trophy after another three or so hours of work.
Did “Far Cry 5” Live Up to the Hype?
After allowing players to find their inner barbarian in “Far Cry Primal”, Ubisoft takes things back to what made the last two numbered “Far Cry” games such fun by sticking the player in a first-person environment surrounded by homicidal enemies, animals both hostile & passive, missions aplenty, outposts to liberate, various vehicles made for multiple terrains while featuring one of the best soundtracks in gaming history, & guns (guns, guns). The player’s character has the task of working alongside the various communities under the growing control of Project Eden’s Gate headed by Joseph Seed & his family. Gaining “Resistance” points by completing main story missions, side quests & taking part in random events such as freeing enslaved townspeople being carried by a discrete van, Rook builds up an army across the map while drawing the ire of the Seeds – each Seed having a distinctive style both in interacting with the protagonist during cutscenes or on the battlefield. For example, the only female Family member in Faith Seed uses the power of a chemically-altered flower residue known as “Bliss” to cause hallucinations and tougher enemies. Taking a page out “Primal’s” playbook, each Seed – John, Faith & Jacob – controls a part of the map that needs to be liberated to initiate a character specific boss battle.
The gameplay used to complete Rook’s journey is incredibly similar to what was seen in previous “FC” offerings be it the strong handling of weaponry no matter the size, the inconsistent AI (ranging from hyper intelligent with the shooting abilities of a sniper even with a shotgun, to dumb as a box of rocks just standing around ready to be shot), and vehicles that feel rather loose and need some getting used to especially if the player is trying to shoot & drive at the same time. When it comes the missions themselves, the majority of the story offerings are usually the same featuring a few sneaking moments, the protagonist needing to shoot his/her way through a situation that no normal person would live through, and the stereotypical opportunity to blow up a monument. There are also jarring moments when the player is thrust into the next mission without a way to stop it from happening (a very annoying feature, but shows just how much control the antagonists have over what’s happening), and odd checkpoints where failing a mission midway might actually cause the game to move past that moment and allow the player to journey forward. Side quests are more varied than their main counterparts including moments where the player can go fishing, help a pregnant woman save her home, honor the greatest stuntman in American history & even send a man into space. Oh, and there are no bell towers to constantly climb to reveal more of the map – just walk or drive through an area, or pick up one of the various maps located inside the various locales and there it is on the map.
Returning from “Far Cry 4” & “Primal” is the buddy system, “Guns for Hire”. By saving certain NPCs, the player can recruit a partner to work alongside them in battle. To up the ante when it comes to buddies are certain mission completions/outpost liberations providing “Specialists” that have specific skills like character Jess Black being an expert marksman with her crossbow or Nick Rye’s piloting abilities allowing for him to wipe out a horde of enemies with one bomb drop; animal buddies return as well. With the introduction of Specialists, however, it just makes the regular NPC supporters utterly useless in comparison.
Completely gone from “Far Cry 5” compared to the previous iteration is crafting. No longer does the player have to hunt animals to make pouches and expand holsters, item slots and the like. Instead, the player must spend points earned by completing various challenges such as killing a certain number of people or animals with a specific item to purchase Perks. These Perks aren’t necessarily connected similar to the previous games’ skill trees as a majority of the Perks are not associated with one another and are able to be bought as long as there are enough points available. Microtransactions are in the game as a player can spend real money to buy costly weapons or clothes rather than spend in-game currency. These bought weapons can be used online, but can be limited depending on the map. Co-op is back in “Far Cry 5” with two friends having the ability to play through the game together, but only the initial player gains progress – meaning the second player is essentially a buddy character who must play the game on their own to attain trophies & story progression.
Multiplayer also returns beyond the campaign with “Far Cry Arcade” – a pair of complementary modes: “Arcade Hero” (a mode where the player can go it alone or team up with people to take on AI enemies in player-created environments) and the typical deathmatch style multiplayer mode based around map creations. Players are given the ability to create their own maps featuring items from the versions “Far Cry” games in the past – giving gamers a chance to craft memorable environments rather than being stuck shooting each other on the same few predetermined maps. There are also “Live Event” challenges to help players gain special items tied to both the campaigns & “Arcade” that changes weekly and will definitely keep things fresh. “Far Cry Arcade” is a mode built on potential as the fan base will determine if it’s a success as the more time passes and the better map artists get the more entertaining the mode will become; making it one of the biggest forms of innovation seen in the series in quite some time. Unfortunately, the online portion is also the most problematic when it comes to glitches for yours truly as moments of getting stuck in walls by simply walking proved to be frustrating and ruined several games.
One of the biggest draw points of “Far Cry 5” pre-launch was the apparent story based around a group of religious-based separatists sporting enough weaponry to be considered a bona fide militia. Reviewers & players have lambasted the story for what it’s not, but ignore what it is: a showcase of society’s ills caused by its own nature. The main antagonist Joseph Seed spouts Biblical scripture, scars his flesh with the seven deadly sins while insisting his followers intake a drug that turns them into the same type of zombies he claims politicians, teachers, parents & the media have created living in & outside of Hope County. It doesn’t focus on bashing the current political climate both nationally (in regards to Montana) & globally, but instead tries to emphasize the power of one; be it the “Father’s” words controlling an entire group of people ready to kill & die for him or the silent protagonist going around murdering nameless Eden’s Gate followers to rescue his allies & potentially free Hope County from the grip of a megalomaniac. While the story isn’t the most robust and it feels like the “Resistance” system is only there to keep the game from only lasting ten hours, the main characters – specifically the antagonists – are unforgettable thanks to the incredible performances. Improving on where “Primal” fell short in having dynamic sub-bosses to take up the screen time so the featured antagonist isn’t over exposed, the three lieutenants have distinct personalities that tie into their respective fighting styles. But even the best performances can’t save a story coming up short in regards to a satisfying ending. Once again, a “Far Cry” game ends on a controversial note as it will divide players looking for gratification – a conclusion better made for a different entertainment medium. There’s also the typical problem with open world games featuring a story woven into the very fabric of the protagonist’s conflict & essentially the world around that person where depending on what the player is doing dictates the current tone. For every moment the protagonist should be moving around the map trying to help people survive, Rook is pulled into a mission where collecting alien pieces of hardware for a teleporter is a necessity.
“Far Cry 5” is a “Far Cry” game if there ever was one following “Far Cry 3” with a setting that is unlike anything seen in the previous iterations featuring very dynamic main antagonists, a varied mission structure that doesn’t change the formula while still being fun, and a multiplayer aspect having the potential of being something people will talk about for years to come.
Should You Play “Far Cry 5”?
Like the other “Far Cry” games that came before it, “FC 5” feels grand, yet all-too familiar. The gameplay is exceptionally fun thanks to the restructured stealth system from “Primal” returning alongside the crazy firefights thanks to the copious amount of guns both made to simply be held by a person & those attached to the various vehicles while battling enemies. The story may be the best and most satisfying in the series, but is obviously stretched out thanks to the “Resistance” system and features endings that will most likely leave you wanting more. There’s plenty to do in the game, but a lot of it is similar in nature to what’s been seen in the various “Far Cry” games in the past. If you enjoyed the last few “Far Cry” games this is a must-play as it’s mostly everything you’d want from a “FC” experience post-“Far Cry 3”. For those who have grown tired of the “Far Cry” or Ubisoft game formula, “Far Cry 5” won’t change your feelings. And for those who haven’t tried a “Far Cry” game at all, this is definitely a great one to start off with; if not the best considering how streamlined mostly everything is while presenting a group of characters that standout against a lot of what has been seen thus far during gaming’s eighth generation. All in all, “Far Cry 5” is a fine return to form, but really doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from the franchise’s past successes – why fix something if it isn’t broken, right?
