Far Cry 6 – Review

Since its release in 2004, Far Cry has taken open-world gaming to a new level, setting a solid quality standard that has been refined game by game. Since then, Far Cry’s name has become synonymous with giant open maps, emerging gameplay, freedom, and unforgettable villains. The sixth game of the main series is no exception to the formula, redoubling the bet on the most characteristic points of Far Cry.

In one of the most memorable scenes of Far Cry 3, considered by many to be the best of the series, Vaas Montenegro asks if we know what the definition of insanity is – “Doing exactly the same thing and expect different results,” as he prepares to throw us out of a ravine below with a cement block tied to its feet. Ubisoft was heeding the lunatic villain’s advice, and while at first glance it seems to have repeated the formula, the truth is that it has greatly improved the various ingredients of Far Cry 6, introducing new gameplay elements that still haven’t freed you from some. negative consequences.

Far Cry 6 puts us in the shoes of a guerrilla or guerrilla fighting for the freedom of the paradise island of Yara. In a delicious touch of irony, it is probably the entry in the series that gives us more freedom to face its challenges. As soon as I finished the game tutorial and left the starting zone behind, I had the entire map open to explore at will and with all the tools I needed to do so.

At the base of the Libertad group, I can ask for a boat, or a plane, helicopter, horse, or car to go on the adventure, and although at the beginning I only have basic options, it is very easy to expand the group’s garage. Unlike previous games, no map area is limited by the progression in the main story, and there’s nothing to stop us from exploring it at will.

Massive Map

The tour around the island of Yara is worth it; not only is it a massive map but it is also varied. Divided into five regions, each one of them presents unique geography, from the farms and ranches of Madrugada to the dense forest of El Este. In the middle, we have the mountains and valleys of Valle del Oro and finally the capital of Esperanza island, where Antón Castillo’s seat of power is located.

Scattered across the island, we have an endless array of items to collect as there is a whole range of activities to participate in, as has been a tradition in Far Cry. I’ve missed the number of times from car races, Indiana Jones-style treasure hunts, military bases to assault, checkpoints. I’ve strayed from my main mission to explore the various activities Yara offers without ever feeling forced to do it. I blew up several anti-aircraft batteries casually, all because I happened to pass close to them. Dynamite was thrown over my shoulder while riding a quad bike, and voila, I made the skies safe to fly and skydive.

Yara breathes life as if all the activities and things are not enough to discover, and there is always a surprise around the corner. Sometimes it was a prisoner transport van begging to be intercepted, sometimes skirmishes between guerrillas and soldiers, or a summary execution to prevent it. And, of course, wild animals could not be missing. Some advice: Crocodiles are particularly fond of swamps, and ria and coyotes are particularly active at the end of the day. I may have let out a scream or two of surprise the first time a crocodile attacked me from behind, but be aware that a grenade launcher is particularly effective against these reptiles. Or coyotes. Or anything that moves, to tell you the truth.

All this adds to the graphic beauty of Far Cry 6, which gives the final brushstroke on the Yara painting. Between idyllic beaches, mountains shrouded in forests, the city of Esperanza, the dense jungle of El Este, I believe that digital photography fans will not lack reasons to create Yara business cards. In this department, I can also say that even without Ray Tracing, the game’s performance on the Xbox Series X is remarkable, with a constant framerate, even in the most intense situations, with burning tobacco fields, exploding helicopters, and a small army of soldiers around me.

Gameplay

The gameplay is much more important than the story. Most of the time in Far Cry 6 is spent traveling through a tropical island, capturing outposts, destroying anti-aircraft guns (to move freely in helicopters and planes), or burning tobacco plantations from which Viviro is made.

In addition to these obvious activities in which we put ourselves in a cruel el Presidente, we can also go fishing, take part in car racing to the death, hunt, look for hidden treasures or put our rooster to fight in the arena. Although there are many things to do, they quickly become repetitive, and the main motivation to finish them is the internal need to “clean the map.”

By the way, Ubisoft has created a huge map for the game. We have as many as 12 different districts here. What’s more, there is something to do at every step, although no dynamic stories appear during the exploration. Traveling across the island shouldn’t be too much of a problem either. We find there a whole network of partisans’ hideouts, between which we can move freely by fast travel. As if that was not enough, we can even choose the air landing option. Thanks to it, we will quickly get to slightly more distant places using a parachute or a gliding suit.

However, there are more classic travel methods. We can call our car at any time, which can be modified by adding bulldozers and roof plots. The partisans also have trucks, quads, boats, and even horses or tanks stolen from the army. Each of these means of transport is different, and each (maybe except for crazy beach buggies) is smooth and pleasant to drive.

Climbing can be tedious as you travel through the world of Far Cry 6. In cities where Dani has no major problems with pulling herself up onto a protruding ledge, she suddenly loses this ability when she has to climb a waist-high rock. Then you have to look for alternative paths.

Villain Forever

Finally, it is necessary to address the elephant in the room: Antón Castillo and the story of Far Cry 6. Since Ubisoft bet on the game’s marketing early on, and no wonder, the bet on the villain exceeds all others, with Giancarlo Esposito a embody the fearsome dictator of Yara. The actor plays a fantastic role, whether or not he was a veteran in these wanderings. For better or worse, Castillo shines above all other players in the Far Cry 6 story, especially our character, who, contrary to tradition, tries to take a more active and personal role in the game’s story.

In this field, Ubisoft decided to give a more pronounced personality to Dani Rojas, the heroine or hero of the story. Right at the beginning of the game, our mission is to flee Yara, searching for a better life in the United States. It’s a matter of seconds before your best friend loses his life and a matter of minutes for your childhood friend. However, we are not given the context of this relationship, nor what it means for Dani. By the way, they seem to forget about their deaths very quickly.

There is an almost total disconnect between Dani and the rest of the story that is even contradictory. In the first act of the game, she is determined to abandon Yara in search of a better life but is forced to collaborate with the guerrillas. In exchange for his collaboration, the Libertad group offers him a way to escape to the United States, something he ends up refusing because “being a guerrilla is fun” and “blowing shit is fun.”

It’s surprising and unheard of for me, what deep down is a total subversion of what we’re expecting in a game with role-playing elements. As a general rule, we are the players who step into the characters’ shoes to understand their story, pain, joys, and feelings. Here, it looks like it’s the other way around; Dani Rojas wants to get under our skin and feel the fun that is Far Cry 6 gameplay, because without a shadow of a doubt – blowing up mer$%s is downright fun.

In the difficult narrative of a revolution, the remaining characters are somewhat limited and cannot leave the shadow of the omnipresent Castillo. Some are genuine caricatures, exaggerated and predictable; others are entitled to so little time to live that they barely leave a mark. Castillo is cruel, ruthless, crushing, but at the same time, his relationship with his son shows something more, a human side that has the potential to make this villain one of the best, if not the best, in the franchise.

Verdict

Far Cry 6 is a huge game, to say the least, full of content and activities, stories to experience, and places to discover. The concept of open-world FPS is taken to the extreme and peppered with interesting elements such as battle cars or the renewed customization of the character, but if you are among those who wanted a radical change for the series, know that the revolution is only for the yarans.

Dani Rojas’s tropical epic is not without flaws, some venial and others that prevent her, together with her “classic” formula, from aiming for higher peaks. But if you loved the previous chapter, you should start preparing more luggage than you have because Yara will kidnap you for a long time. On the other hand, if you haven’t played it badly, the right opportunity has come to remedy it.