Review - Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4 is a fantastic mix of excitement and fun that will make you want to investigate every nook and cranny (alcove?) in the vast world of Kyrat. Following on from the hugely popular Far Cry 3, the sequel has a similar atmosphere and a whole load of similar elements. The lack of reinvention could perhaps be regarded as a point against this game, but when you are riding through an outpost on the back of an elephant, simultaneously trampling on enemies as you pick others off with a precise headshot or two, as all the while a tiger you have attracted by throwing some well-placed bait wreaks havoc and a general air of chaos resides around the whole camp, the lack of blue sky thinking doesn’t seem to matter much. Far Cry 4 is a diamond in a month or so of Ubisoft rough.

Coming two years after its predecessor and in the midst of Ubisoft chaos, it seems that something that was on the radar for so long ended up passing under it. In this incarnation of the franchise you play as a tad more likeable character than the frat buffoons of Far Cry 3 (probably only more likeable because he barely speaks). Your name is Ajay Ghale and you have arrived in the mountainous country of Kyrat so that you can bury your mother’s ashes. When you arrive all hell breaks out and you eventually find your way into the hands of the local rebel militia, The Golden Path. It seems your family has some history with this organization and you are instantly recruited to join their ranks and help fight for freedom against the tyrannical Pagan Min. I guess it’s lucky that you are pretty handy with a gun. And can heal yourself. And don’t mind murdering scores of soldiers. Despite coming from the city. And probably never having held a gun before. And probably having only used a knife to peel a satsuma. I guess that’s fine.

Far Cry 4 does not really innovate. Most of the action in the game is rehashed and will probably feel fairly familiar to anyone that has played the Far Cry series before. But as Samsung has shown, it is not all about innovation. There is most definitely a place in gaming for video games that perhaps don’t push the envelope, but instead replace the envelope with one that makes you shout ‘holy mother of ****, did you see that?’… that kinda envelope. And Far Cry 4 is one of those video games. It constantly makes you feel powerful and gives you a whole host of toys to play with, mountains to scale and animals to slaughter. For some reason it takes four Rhinos to make a wallet. That’s some pretty fancy walleting that’s going on there. For the action man. From the city. With his satsumas. Etc.

One aspect of Far Cry 4 that gives it a certain freshness is the mission development between the two wannabe heads of The Golden Path. Sabal is one of the commanders of the militia and is deeply concerned with ensuring the traditional values of The Golden Path are maintained. He wants the community to win peace back and then digress to a state of spiritual harmony where everyone has their place and rules are abided by. Amita on the other hand is pragmatic and sees the future of Kyrat as that of a modern country, one that can move forward with a working economy and equality for all. They clash continuously over this and you are placed right in the middle. You will be asked to choose sides and the repercussions of your decisions are instantly apparent. It’s an interesting concept because instead of being forced to choose between good and bad decisions you are essentially being asked to decide which direction you want Kyrat to head in.

The game is of course built upon campaign missions and a whole host of side missions. The side missions are fun and I have been clearling out large areas of the map before moving on with the next campaign mission. They can, however, feel somewhat intrusive when you are trying to get other things done. You will be trying to sort your weapons out and a woman will be literally screaming in your ear to try to tempt you to do a side mission. Other times you will be heading to do something and the government forces will try to recapture a nearby outpost that you have already liberated. It’s clear that Ubisoft want to make the world feel dynamic, but when you have already been bothered by tiresome side mission people and you are on your way to do something else, the notice that an outpost is under attack can be an unwanted distraction. But Far Cry 4 is a very wanted distraction. Buy it.

as someone who started getting bored about half way through far cry 3 the lack of innovation is a bit of a deal breaker for me.

i think i would prefer it if they did away with all the side missions, made the game more linear and story driven (like far cry 1 and crysis, still with large open areas) and then brought in all the side missions / open the island up to explore when the game / story ends to give you something to do after you've finished it

I like this idea.

@Macutchi: Yeah, i can see that. Don't think they can afford to rinse, repeat many more times with Far Cry. Would be good to see it changed up like you suggested. I was happy enough with the Far Cry formula one more time though

When both Far Cry and Crysis released, players grumbled about the artificial barriers that prevented open exploration of the islands. I think Far Cry 3 made the SP campaign easy by tying weapon unlock to liberation of radio towers. Far Cry 4 fixed that by tying many weapons to the side missions.

I much prefer Far Cry 3 and 4's layout to that of Far Cry or Crysis.

i genuinely can't remember anyone saying that about those games tbh. they're pretty wide open games and the story was driving them onwards so there's no real reason to want to explore.

i thought it was a bit cheap to borrow that whole unlock the map by climbing a tower thing from assassin's creed. the original far cry had binoculars to scout ahead with ;)

i'm the opposite but to each their own, i'm sure there's plenty who feel the same as you

Nice info dude