“Do you know the definition of ‘insanity?’” The infamous line from “Far Cry 3’s” cover star unintentionally catapulted the “Far Cry” franchise into the stratosphere of popularity. Though many gamers claim that “Far Cry 3” was the beginning of a downward spiral in creativity following the polarizing second entry, “FC 3” became the template for all its sequels that would follow. Lush locales full of nameless goons ready to be slaughtered by a variety of weapons and techniques including utilizing local wildlife became a series’ staple until the developers had to go above & beyond in hopes of outdoing the near impossible.
With a new, incredibly recognizable & charismatic antagonist running a country on fear & pain, it’s up to the player to take control of a former soldier in their quest to start a true revolution alongside their country people. Being a fan of the franchise including playing its multiple spin-offs, I was definitely excited to see if this latest entry could reinvigorate the series without reinventing the wheel.
Did I Complete “Far Cry 6”?
Unlike the last two “Far Cry” experiences, the player controls a set character named Dani Rojas – a former soldier who wants to be more than just a number existing on the fictional island of Yara. The Cuba-inspired land is under the tyrannical thumb of a mesmerizing president, Anton Castillo (Giancarlo Esposito). Yara contains a copious amount of things Dani and the various resistance groups must take down to make the island a safer place for those looked down as lesser than or Yaran transplants including military bases, highway checkpoints, intercepting supply drops, and blowing up anti-air missiles. Between all the crazy action and various activities like fishing & hunting are the prototypical “Far Cry” & Ubisoft open-world game staples including many different collectibles ranging from USB sticks containing songs, boxes housing roosters for the cock fighting minigame, and certain chests that can only be opened by finding a pair of pictures usually placed in inconvenient areas.
After nearly forty-five hours on “Action” difficulty (the one of only two options with the other being “Story” difficulty), I finished the main story, all the side stories, gathered all the necessary collectibles including forty-nine unique weapons, conquered every outpost & checkpoint, and took part in the game’s online aspects including working with another player to conquer a military base and complete the “Special Operation” mission involving retrieving a nuclear device that must stay cool to avoid risk of explosion & failing the mission. After completing a series of tasks such as taking down three “Insurgency Leaders” that are only available after finishing all the main missions, I was able to attain my latest “Far Cry” platinum trophy.
Did “Far Cry 6” Live Up to the Hype?
After blowing up the world in “Far Cry 5” and showcasing the aftermath with the non-canon sequel “New Dawn”, the developers opted to go back to the exotic locales featuring dictators trying to subdue oppressed people looking to start their own revolution. Set in the Cuba-inspired land of Yara, the player controls either a male or female version of Dani Rojas. Dani’s dream to leave Yara after serving its military and making it to Miami is cut off by none other than the man causing so much pain throughout Yara for those looked at as “fake Yarans”, Anton Castillo.
Dani is left for dead, only to wash ashore on an island housing the revolutionary faction “Libertad” who are looking to obliterate Castillo’s regimen. Thanks to some interesting aesthetic choices including presenting Dani from a third-person perspective during cutscenes and, thankfully, showcasing “El Presidente” and his cover-star son Diego (Anthony Gonzalez) via reactionary footage instead of simply hearing their voices through the radio as seen in almost every “FC” game since “2”, “6’s” story has a more personal, intimate feel even in the middle of a war. The supplementary characters like El Tigre and Paz add a nice layer of humor to an otherwise serious narrative that is, arguably, the best overall story following “Far Cry 2”.
Libertad’s goal is complemented by what has become the series’ now stereotypical formula of entering areas, killing enemies in a variety of ways if the player sees fit, and moving on to the next mission. Guns are plentiful both in types and offerings in terms of modifications. While the gunplay isn’t out of the ordinary in regards to the genre with weighty, appropriate feeling and sounding firearms, the gameplay addition of gun modifications is welcomed. By entering a workbench with a bunch of craft-ready items found throughout Yara and earned when completing missions/overtaking Military Targets & the like, players can build & attach things like suppressors or extended clips so a pistol can hold more ammo.
Ammo also gets an upgrade in presentation. Both Dani and Yara’s finest soldiers sport a variety of ammo options including armor-piercing and hollow point bullets perfect for sniper rifles. A player can use poison rounds in their pistol that will not only cause enemies to vomit, but may also infect them & turn the sick adversaries against each other similar to what was seen in “Far Cry Primal”. Unfortunately for players, mods can’t be added or removed when away from a workbench, and having only four weapon slots means gamers will have to plan accordingly before going into battle; though players can change their loadout at any time. Though ammo mods sounds like a good idea, the truth is armor-piercing rounds are better than anything else available starting at the game’s beginning.
The most noticeable addition to “6’s” combat is the “Supremo” backpack. Earned pretty early in the story, the Supremo backpack houses four slots for projectiles like grenades, molotovs, and even a baseball for distraction purposes; as well as a separate special ability. Each Supremo backpack is different in what it provides. The first Supremo shoots homing rockets across the battlefield, while another can dispense three clouds of poisonous gas. One of the best Supremo backpacks is the health-based “Medico” that has the ability to revive Dani when downed while producing a health-restoring mist for a short period of time; practically making Rojas invincible. Like weapons, the mods that can be added to Supremos like making health restoration activate faster and what projectiles will be available in Dani’s inventory when in combat can only be changed at a workbench, but players can switch out the backpacks for another at any time when moving throughout Yara.
Taking a page out of “New Dawn’s” weapon-presentation playbook is “Resolver Weapons”. These special items that can be bought alongside Supremos are definitely unique in all the right ways such as a fireworks rocket launcher, a gun that shoots electric bolts that explodes enemies, and a pistol-shield combination where the prior has the power of a shotgun and the latter stops incoming bullet damage until the player has to reload the pistol. Though the Resolver Weapons don’t necessarily take the gunplay & combat to another level like the Supremos, the fact there are fun options to mix things up when it gets too rudimentary with the average weapons is a nice touch. Both Supremo and Resolver Weapons are only bought with drained uranium solely attained in anti-aircraft areas.
There are also “Unique” weapons usually found via the game’s “Treasure Hunt” missions or simply located throughout Yara. These Unique guns come with pre-assigned mods that can’t be removed; making them less appealing than just modifying the standard weapons to a player’s liking. Stealth options are still available due to Dani’s machete that works great for silent kills, but not so much when the player is looking to melee someone especially when the target can kick Rojas down even if the player is swinging their blade beforehand.
The enemy AI is both impressive in terms of having ridiculous aim & sight lines, and incredibly easy to pick off both up close & from afar by walking together in clusters of straight lines and even blowing themselves up when shooting off a rocket even when Dani is literally three inches in front of his foe. There is a “Heat” system that, when reaching the second level, produces “Special Forces” enemies that sport greater armor & more powerful guns; though armor-piercing bullets makes them less than special as it does for pretty much every adversary.
In an effort to present artificial difficulty in regards to AI foes is the return of “New Dawn’s” rank system. Depending on the area, missions & enemies are leveled according to the number seen on the in-game map. If Dani is two or three levels lower than the suggested level, enemies will take little to no damage even when being shot in the head without a helmet. Thankfully the rank system is a lot more forgiving than in “New Dawn” with the experience points rolling in fairly quickly to keep Dani either near or even above the recommended level if the player is taking part in side quests, outpost takeovers, and simply playing through the story.
The “Guns For Hire” feature from “Far Cry 5” is gone with the developers opting to return to “Primal’s” buddy system now known as “Amigos”. Featuring up to five animal friends, Dani can summon them into combat all sporting different abilities, though all but one (the two-legged dog Chorizo good for finding items when traveling and distracting enemies when in combat) pretty much do the same thing by attacking foes until they either succeed or are downed. Unlike the human companions from the other games, Amigos can’t revive Dani when the protagonist is downed; reducing their usefulness in a grand firefight.
With Dani being a soldier, the developers decided to remove the game’s skill tree in favor of giving him perks & abilities via gear. Like weapons, gear can be purchased, found in chests, or earned with mission completion. Depending on the gear, Dani may have better defenses against specific bullets, or be able to sprint longer (a great perk because Rojas can barely run for three seconds without getting winded). The player can mix & match gear to fit their needs, or equip a full set to assist in helping Dani complete a goal like making it easier to fish. Players who loved being a super-powered monster by the end of a “Far Cry” will be disappointed, but the change does allow for the difficulty to stay throughout the experience.
There are several more in-game systems including Guerrilla Camp construction a la what was seen in “Primal”. Constructing and upgrading certain buildings like the Bandido Barracks will present more purchasable gear for Dani, or a meal hut that provides cooked food for temporary buffs such as being more protected against poison for six real time hours. There are multiple minigames ranging from cock fighting to dominoes, not to mention the “Far Cry” staples of timed races and hunting legendary animals. “Bandidos Operations” also work in real time as players can send unseen bandidos into Yara for resources and money.
Co-op play returns when playing through the story (the joining player doesn’t earn progress be it narratively or in regards to trophies/achievements). The optional co-op “Expeditions” mode from “New Dawn” gets a new coat of paint as “Special Operations” where the player(s) must infiltrate a specific map and attain a nuclear device that can’t get too hot or it will explode. Water dispensers are scattered around these “Special Operation” maps, but so are enemies ready to shoot the thief. “Special Operations” are definitely a nice diversion once, though the lack of maps and mission diversity even with the addition of separate difficulty levels after finishing the map once makes it an experience that is only worth spending an hour or two playing with or without an ally.
Technically, “Far Cry 6” is one of the better offerings compared to its predecessors. The visuals and audio are fantastic including a stellar soundtrack ranging from contemporary artists like Nitty Scott to featuring more known songs (“Living La Vida Loca”, anyone?). Frame rate drops were pretty much nonexistent even on a base PS4, but stability was a problem including hard crashes, graphical glitches like enemies getting stuck in rocks, and NPCs refusing to move in hopes of advancing a story mission. “6’s” biggest problem, though, is enemy spawning. Clearing an area of foes and walking a good twenty feet away can see that dead enemy pop back up in the same spot they were killed. This problem can be detrimental or simply annoying, or both depending on the mission.
“Far Cry 6” is a “Far Cry” game if there ever was one by following the “Far Cry 3” formula with some better implementations including, arguably, the franchise’s best story and weapon mods. But those positives don’t remove the feeling of “been there, done that” coupled by unnecessary additions and subtractions like ammo variety and “Guns For Hire” human AI buddies respectively.
Should You Play “Far Cry 6”?
There’s no denying that “Far Cry 6” is more of the same in the best way possible in regards to “Far Cry” games. The gunplay & combat is mostly always exciting even if the enemy AI isn’t that intelligent and things like AI companions has been reduced. “6’s” story, while it won’t win any “Best Of” awards, is surprisingly good with the main antagonist getting more screen time than his recently celebrated predecessors. Fans of the franchise following “Far Cry 3” or even players who are new to the series will most likely enjoy this expansive experience if they like open-world, first-person shooters; but only if they get the game when it’s on sale. Players who have grown tired of the “Far Cry” and even the Ubisoft games formula will discover nothing here to change their mind on how sick they are of doing essentially the same thing for the past decade; that is unless causing mayhem with a bloodthirsty roster while Latin metal plays in the background sounds like a great time worth sixty dollars.
