If there is one thing the Far Cry series is known for doing well it is the vast and breathtakingly beautiful open world maps. That’s not to say the franchise isn’t also a smooth and enjoyable first-person shooter which it is but its the landscape the player is in which makes the experience unforgettable. Far Cry 5, out March 27, makes improvements on its predecessors across the board but the changes the Far Cry team at Ubisoft have made to the stunning open-world experience impacts the gameplay in a brand new way.
The Far Cry Of The Past
In the previous installments of the Far Cry series, a Players progress was dictated by which Outposts they liberated. This gives the Player the illusion of controlling their destiny when in reality they were simply opening up new potions on the map.
The idea of liberating Outposts to unlock sections of a map is not new. Games from Zelda: Breath Of The Wild to Assassins Creed: Origins use a similar structure, substituting Outposts for Towers and Viewpoints. This structure, despite being a helpful way to develop gameplay around a more complex narrative, quickly becomes repetitive. Especially when used by so many different game titles. One could be forgiven for confusing Just Cause 3 and Far Cry 4 based solely on gameplay description.
The developers at Ubisoft appear to be aware of this problem and have set out to fix this problem without having to sacrifice the quality of the overall story and experience.
A More Open World
What would an artificial world be without a little resistance? Set in the wilds of Montana amongst a violent, religious, cult uprising, Far Cry 5 promises more than it’s fair share of good old fashion American resistance. But it may not come in all the ways you may expect.
Instead of hopping from Outpost to Outpost in a seemingly purposeless blur of death and destruction without much adaptation required Far Cry 5 will rise to meet its competition. Players will no longer simply be able to power through a chunk of the map anymore. Instead, the difficulty will increase as the Player progresses through one of the several Cult controlled territories. This increase in difficulty and resistance from the Cult will force the Player to explore different parts of the Map.
This simple yet effective change will ensure a Player can’t run through half the map with only a grenade launcher, but let’s admit you will still try. Instead, Players will get to learn different approaches to liberating Outposts and freeing hostages. This expands the gameplay and fixes the problem of repetitive a repetitive experience.
The Environment Could Kill You
Far Cry 5 has gone above and beyond to make Montana an exhilarating backdrop for it’s the latest installment in the franchise. Like past games the wildlife in Far Cry 5 is as realistic looking as it is ferocious. Bears, Mountain Lions, and incredibly tough badgers are only a few of the animals that may try to kill you as you play through the vast landscape.
In addition to being a natural source of danger in the game animals such as Turkey, Boar and Wild Deer can be hunted and sold in town for their meat. Players could actually spend hours simply fishing on one of the many beautiful bodies of water the world has to offer. Check out some of the exciting gameplay below for an extra indepth look at Far Cry 5.