Far Cry 6 is the latest installment in the renowned open-world first-person shooter franchise. Ubisoft’s Far Cry series is an interesting one. Crytek developed the IP, not Ubisoft. They utilized it primarily as a showcase for their CryEngine. So, while Ubisoft did not publish the first Far Cry game, they have worked on every game since then. However, the series did not burst in popularity until Far Cry 3, when it began to become more mainstream.
Far Cry 3 remains the series’ pinnacle in many ways. It established the template for every subsequent game since then. These sequels have iterated and improved on their predecessors, yet at their core, they continue to use the same principles and carry out the same concepts. Far Cry 6 follows a similar path and does not revitalize the franchise in the same way that, say, Assassin’s Creed Origins did.
Guerrilla warfare is the focus of Far Cry 6. The plot of the game places you smack in the center of one. The narrative takes place in the fictitious Caribbean country of Yara. It is controlled by a tyrant named Antón Castillo, played on screen by Giancarlo Esposito. He is a very remarkable character who is ruthless and dominates his country with an iron hand. As citizens’ rights are crushed and their lives are rendered meaningless, this is sure to produce a feeling of chaos among them.
Because of Antón Castillo’s cruelty, or “El Presidente,” as he is known locally, a small number of people create their resistance forces and wage guerilla warfare against the dictator. You play as Dani Rojas in this struggle to free Yara and overthrow the Castillo administration. The game allows you to play as either a male or female version of Dani, just like Assasin’s Creed Odyssey, which provided a similar option.
Far Cry 6 makes it quite evident that, aside from the Dictator’s lackeys, no one is safe in this world. Anyone who disobeys commands can be executed. Dani tries to flee a military hunt for rebels but ends up almost dead due to a visit by Castillo, who winds up on the same ship as Dani in pursuit of his kid. Castillo is attempting to raise his son Diego to be a tyrant like himself, but Diego has different intentions. After escaping imminent death at the hands of Castillo, Dani joins the guerilla forces and embarks on a mission to destabilize the regime.
Far Cry 6’s gameplay is without a doubt among the greatest in the series. The weapons are all entirely customizable, with various adjustments such as modifying them with a certain sort of ammo or altering their performance to be effective for specific jobs. While the majority of the missions have the same goal, you are given a range of methods to approach them. You have two options: go all-in with weapons blazing or go all-in with stealth. Your strategy is crucial, and depending on your playstyle, it may make or break the game.
Far Cry 6 showers you with weaponry, and the guns seem wonderfully immersive owing to the DualSense implementation. The analog triggers and haptic feedback work together to give each weapon a distinct feel. It took some time for me to get used to this new system, but once you do, you won’t be able to play the game without them. The game does seem a little compromised due to the auto-aim that is common in most console first-person shooters. It is also pretty simple if you have a good arsenal at your disposal.
Ubisoft has a history of mixing up the various gameplay elements from its internal games. This, I believe, was the case with Far Cry 6’s new inventory and equipment system. It’s as if they cut a section from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla straight down to the UI menu. Dani can equip many pieces of clothes obtained throughout your trip to Yara. These aren’t just for show; they also give in-game benefits like increasing defense, providing a particular ability or boost, and so on.
Amigo is the newest addition to the game. They are the animals that you can control with in-game orders and use as a fighting ally. You begin with a pet crocodile named Guapo and progressively uncover and unlock additional wonderful animals to accompany you on this perilous trip. Chorizo is one of them, an adorably charming dog who is aided by a set of wheels. Every amigo has its own set of abilities that might come in handy during missions, such as tagging foes or discovering resources.
With side activities like Treasure Hunts, the world of Yara is primed for exploration. There are also minigames. Cockfighting is one of the minigames that has sparked some debate. While it is a real-world sport, albeit a horrible one, the in-game version is largely a spin on the popular Tekken fighting game. It’s OK for a few excursions, but it’s not something you’d want to keep digging your teeth into. If you don’t take it as seriously as PETA did, you’ll enjoy the cockfighting and humorous take on Tekken.
On the technical front, Far Cry 6 isn’t exactly a game-changer in terms of graphics. The good news is that it operates at 60 frames per second on the PS5 as opposed to the PS4. The PS5 version of the game lacks ray-tracing, although it delivers a good performance. Load times are very quick, and you won’t have to wait for the loading screen to finish, as you would with the PS4. The enhancements to the graphics and performance, in my opinion, are sufficient to justify playing this game on the PS5.
In conclusion, while Far Cry 6 has maintained a very safe formula that has worked for the series thus far, it is beginning to grow a little stale. While I appreciated how Ubisoft finally provided us with a well-developed lead protagonist in Dani Rojas, I was a little distracted by the vast open environment and the same repetitive tasks. Even if you receive a wonderful reward after these side tasks, you can feel the monotony in their design. I’m hoping that the next chapter in the series does something to shake things up, because merely adding co-op isn’t enough to keep it going, at least not for me.
Far Cry 6 Game Information
- Price: $59.99
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Platform: PS5 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
