Far Cry 6 is available at Xbox Game Passwe would like to thank XboxBR for sending us a subscription code and allowing us to play this game.
Back in 2004, Ubisoft, in partnership with the German company Crytek Studios, took the first step in launching what is perhaps the most unstable franchise that Ubi owns. More specifically, on March 23rd, the first Far Cry, a first-person shooter with some fictional elements, was released.
The game was set on an island paradise, with a large, well-designed open world that was far superior to anything we had seen so far. The graphics impressed everyone, as did the freedom that the game brings. Speaking of freedom, hold on to that word as it will be very important throughout this review.
As far as the storyline is concerned, it could be said that the game was quite limited, but that's not something that bothered because, despite its short storyline, it was very satisfying. These factors made the game an absolute critical and sales success, selling 730,000 units just four months after its release. With all this success, it was obvious that a sequel was on the way, and so Far Cry 2 arrived.
But things were different here. First, Crytek left the development of Far Cry to create its own franchise, Crysis, in 2007, following the same path as the first Far Cry, but taking all its elements to the next level. Then, responsibility for the game was passed on to Ubisoft Montreal, which had the difficult task of delivering a game at least on a par with its predecessor.
On October 21, 2008, Ubisoft released the long-awaited sequel to the franchise, four years after the release of the first game. In this sequel, Ubisoft decided to abandon the science fiction aspects of its predecessor in favor of a more realistic environment, inspired by Africa.
In terms of story, the game fell short of expectations, being very shallow, but this game was responsible for creating many of the pillars that are still present in the franchise today. The game featured highly realistic climatic aspects, such as flames, which are still a reference in the gaming world today. It also included wild animals such as zebras, antelopes, buffalo and wildebeest.
Despite not being exactly what fans of the franchise had hoped for, Far Cry 2 was yet another success. It surpassed the one million copies barrier after just three weeks, which was helped by the timing of its release, as it was released around Christmas. And of course, with a success like that, a sequel was expected, so began the development of what is to date the highest rated Far Cry ever.
Far Cry 3 was released on November 29, 2012 in Europe and December 4 in America and sold no less than 10 million copies, quickly selling out of stores on physical media, its release was the pinnacle at the time, but what could be the reason for all this success?
The game maintained the first-person, open-world structure of the previous games and was still being developed by Ubisoft Montreal. However, unlike Far Cry 2, the third game followed more of the line established by the first game in the franchise and decided to focus on fun rather than the exacerbated realism present in the previous game. Like the first game, it was set on an island paradise, full of secrets and other reasons to explore. This time they decided to create a more cartoony look, but you can hardly notice how well done the game's visuals were.
The events of Far Cry 3 take place on a tropical island, as previously mentioned, located at the crossroads of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with a strong Indonesian inspiration. The game tells the story of American Jason Brody, who, after getting lost on the island during his vacation, must save his kidnapped friends and escape from the pirates who inhabit it.
The first difference that raised the bar was the story. In Far Cry 3, the player found a story that unfolded in a very satisfying way, featuring several very interesting characters and good backstories that made everything more plausible. In addition, there were moments in the game that took everyone's breath away, with chaotic and incredible action scenes. However, there is another point that made FC3 leave its mark forever on the franchise.
Just as FC2 introduced animals to the franchise, giving them even more space in the third game, FC3 introduced what is surely the franchise's most striking feature: the villain. This was represented by none other than Vaas Montenegro, who for many is the greatest villain in the franchise and one of the greatest in the world of games.
From then on, the franchise reached a new high point, which subsequent games would have to achieve in order to be as special as this one. A very difficult mission and one that, spoiler alert, they failed to achieve. In Far Cry 4, the setting has changed completely, now inspired by the Himalayas and with Pagan Min as the main villain.
It was a good villain, don't get me wrong, but it didn't reach the level of Vaas, just as the missions didn't reach the level of the previous game. And there was still a slight drop in sales, reaching 8 million sales, which is nowhere near enough, but it didn't achieve what they wanted.
Then came the fifth game in the franchise, Far Cry 5, whose villain is Joseph Seed, leader of a religious sect that has taken over Hope County, a town in the United States inspired by Montana. Despite not reaching the level of quality of Far Cry 3, FC5 easily surpassed the sales of its predecessor.
It's a very competent game, with a slightly heavier story, not in terms of violence, because all Far Cry games are very violent, but in terms of their theme. Joseph Seed was also a competent villain, but it felt like something was missing. The game had fun missions, but they didn't have the same weight as the previous ones, the character didn't have a personality, some side missions were introduced as main ones just to stretch the game out.
Something was missing, a change that would make the game memorable or something that would make the game impactful in some way, other than just the gratuitous violence. Despite this, the game was a success as already mentioned, but would this formula be enough to please the public in a future game? So, I believe Ubisoft has taken a look at its past to review what had previously been successful and bring it back in the next game. A second return to the origins of the franchise, arriving at what is the reason for this analysis.
Far Cry 6
Released on October 7, 2021, available for Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series X|S, Far Cry 6 once again brings back its open-world first-person shooter structure, with some RPG elements and this time developed by Ubisoft Toronto.
This time, the game is set on a fictional Caribbean island called Yara, totally inspired by Cuba and ruled by the dictator known as "El Presidente" Anton Castillo. As with the most recent games, the villain was a major focus of the game's marketing and this time he was played by the brilliant Giancarlo Esposito, showing that the aim really was to create a great villain.
Storyline
Remember when we said that the word freedom would be very important, that's because it's a very important part of this game. As already mentioned, the game portrays a Yara suffering from a military dictatorship that affects many people in the country, bringing many deaths and violence, which is the main motivation behind the protagonist Dani Rojas.
Initially, we find ourselves trying to escape from Yara and heading towards the United States, and this is when we are properly introduced to the character of Ruancarlo and his son, Diego Castillo, played by Anthony Gonzalez. At this point, and in the very introduction of the game, our friends die, which isn't a spoiler as this is present in the trailers.
Given the actor's acting ability, it was expected that he would give a good performance, but he goes beyond that. The villain appears much more than in the other games in the franchise, even than in Far Cry 3. And he's not just an evil villain who's evil for the sake of being evil, he has good motivations and shows feelings in various ways in the game, especially towards his son.
An evolution from the previous game is that the character has a personality, just like in Far Cry 3. Dani has her own opinions and makes her own choices, and we now see the character and her features, bringing us closer to the character.
In general, the story is as good as, or perhaps better than, Far Cry 3. Those moments of unbridled action present in the old game are back, and with the technological evolutions that the latest generation provides. The previous game in the franchise had some sub-bosses that were cool but not very interesting. In this game, there are also sub-bosses, but here they are much better represented, as are the supporting characters.
Audiovisual
The game is set on a Cuban-inspired island, and this is reflected in the game's visuals, which here don't have that yellow filter characteristic of American films when it comes to Latin people in American films. Everything follows the real "colors" you're likely to find there, as well as the architecture you'll find there.
Visually, everything is beautiful. The graphics are the best yet in the franchise, with very detailed and well-modeled scenery. Although it's set in one country, there's a wide variety of scenery depending on the region. In this game we find perhaps the most urbanized setting of all the games in the franchise and yet it still has that Far Cry feel.
The weather in the game is dynamic, with a day and night cycle as well as weather changes that occur seemingly at random, except for a few moments when it rains to give a greater impact to the moment. However, at times this is used in a slightly exaggerated way, which ends up taking away some of the weight that the moment would have, as the same change has occurred at other times.
With regard to visual effects, as mentioned above, the fire in Far Cry 2 is still a reference to this day when it comes to the way it acts, how it transforms the environment and reacts to the wind, for example. However, this was done away with in Far Cry 3 where it was simplified, as well as other things, but there are some differences that are still a reference in the franchise.
The water in the franchise is one of the most realistic you'll find today, and this doesn't come from this game in particular, since previous games it's already impressive, and in this game it only gets better. Of course, it doesn't affect the gameplay at all, but in terms of visuals, it's very important. It reacts to practically everything in a very realistic way, and that's not a simple thing to do, so it's to be congratulated.
Another very interesting feature of the game is the wide range of accessibility options. You can highlight objects that you can interact with, highlight enemies and so on. Not only does it have a color-blind mode, but it's also possible to customize the colors of the interface and even in-game colors, such as the color of the lasers used in the sights.
Moving on to issues related to the game's audio, there is also nothing but praise. The sounds of the weapons are very consistent with the types and models, and there are weapons created for the game (well done by the way) and each of them has its own specific sound, and again, very consistent with the weapon and even very creative in relation to some of them.
The soundtrack is very present and pleasant whenever it's on. It's very varied, with a good variety of songs for the different situations that occur in the game. In addition, there are a large number of licensed songs, some of which are very well known.
As has been the case for a long time, the songs are those from the region from which the game is inspired, and this is no different. They are all Latin songs, of various genres and types, and a new feature in the game is very striking. When certain songs are played, Dani sings along with the radio, something I've never seen happen in a game before. It's a small, simple detail, but it gives you all the feels, and it's a great idea on the part of the studio.
Gameplay
Speaking of the gameplay, there are no secrets to what we've seen in previous games, but there have been some welcome additions to the franchise. The game, as it always has been, is based on a first-person perspective, but for the first time in the franchise, there were a few moments when we saw the protagonist in third person. They're not very significant moments, but whenever they were present, they were interesting, a good idea.
In the game you can run, jump, crouch, aim and shoot, as well as pilot vehicles, helicopters and airplanes, but so far, nothing new in the franchise. The last Far Cry before 6 was New Dawn, which was a standalone expansion, as was the case with other games in the franchise. In that game, many RPG elements were introduced that had never appeared before in the franchise, and now in this new game, some of them are back. It's important to note that at the start of the game you can choose between a male and female character.
Enemies have a level, it's not visible on the character, but on the map you can see the recommended level for that region. Because of this, depending on the level of the region or the weapon you use, the enemy won't die with a shot to the head, but a good amount of energy will come out of his bar. Enemies are identified by color. When they're white, they're at the same "level" as our character, when they're red, they're above, and when they have a skull on their identification, they're much stronger than our character. But even if they're way above our level, it's possible to defeat them with a few strategies.
One thing that has actually been introduced in this game are the Supremes, which are basically the ultras present in some RPGs, or special moves. There are a few available and you can buy them by purchasing one of the types of collectible items, each of which has a function that directly affects the gameplay.
Speaking of collectibles, there are a lot of them, and each one has different functions. Some of them are used to create different weapons, here called gambiarras, others are used to create parts of weapons, etc. There are also yarense pesos, which are the game's money, used to buy weapons, items and bribes.
The game's map has various activities to carry out, as well as various places to explore. This is the biggest map the franchise has ever seen, or at least that's the feeling it gives off, and there's plenty to do on it. Once you've completed all the story missions, there are still plenty of places to explore and extra missions to complete.
The story missions work in much the same way as in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, where you go to certain regions and help the people there to form alliances that will be useful to you in the future. But unlike AC, Far Cry 6 doesn't have too many missions, and you can complete all the main missions in at least 18 hours. If you do the secondary missions, this time increases considerably.
There are various types of side missions, and I'll mention a few for you to see. There is a type of mission that is very present in the most recent games in the franchise, which are the missions where you recruit allies to help you in the missions, and in this game they are all animals, for example, Chorizo who is that super cute little dog with wheels on his paws. Only one of these missions is present in the main story, so it's up to the player to do them or not.
There are also exploration missions, where you hunt for treasures, invade areas taken over by enemies, take over checkpoints, help allies in ambushes, and so on. One thing that hasn't been present since the previous game and is still here are the missions to open up the map via the towers, but it's not something that's really missed.
As far as gun play is concerned, everything is as pleasant and satisfying as usual. Each weapon has a different gameplay, working in a specific way. The enemies have been simplified, not in terms of their abilities, but in terms of how to defeat them. Each type of enemy has its own particularities, but the way to kill them always remains the same. Despite this, I noticed a slight improvement in their artificial intelligence.
So far, the game only has two difficulties, and even on the highest difficulty, the difficulty isn't very high, so you're unlikely to get much of a challenge out of it, although there are times when it's really challenging, especially if you don't evolve your character to the level indicated in the mission region. But if you want to beat the game, you can.
It's possible to finish the game in both single player and cooperative mode, but I haven't been able to try it out yet. As soon as we have a sufficiently good experience, we'll talk more about the mode. One thing that has been reduced are the uses of items acquired through hunting. There are a variety of animals here, but their use has been greatly reduced.
Conclusion
Far Cry is one of Ubisoft's most stable franchises, where you're almost guaranteed to find quality. Of course, some games are better than others in the franchise, but in all of them, you can find a good game, and the same can be said for the franchise's villains.
Far Cry 6 is a great game that will deliver everything it promises and maybe a little more. It's one of the best in the franchise, if not the best. It has a great story, very interesting and captivating characters and the same can be said for the protagonist, who is now a real person and not just a "recruit". You'll have a good experience, whether you're Dani or Dani. If you're looking for Far Cry, you'll find a genuine Far Cry in this game. The game can be accessed with a subscription on Xbox and PC via Game Pass.
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