Ubisoft’s fourth installment of the Far Cry series brings polished graphics and fun gunplay, despite a weak cast of characters.
Throughout my playthrough of Far Cry 4, I couldn’t stop reiterating “That’s awesome,” to myself.
Glide through the air with a wingsuit... “Woah, that’s awesome.”
Ride an elephant and flip vehicles around... “Oh my, that’s awesome.”
In theory, Far Cry 4 is stunning and thrilling. However, there are a few miscues throughout Ubisoft’s fourth installment that hinder the player’s overall experience.
Story
Before I dive in, I have to admit that I look at games as a form of art. If I’m going to put 20-plus hours into a game, I expect to get some sort of engaging experience out of it. Ubisoft, however, misses that mark.
Far Cry 4 follows Ajay Ghale on his journey into Kyrat — a fictional setting that feels and looks similar to Himalayan geography.
Ghale, who spent majority of his life in the United States, returns to his native homeland to spread his mother’s ashes, but very quickly is dragged into a civil war between the psychotic Pagan Min and a rebellious group called the “Golden Path”.
Throughout the 14-hour campaign, players will learn of Ghale’s family history, as the story is pulled in two separate directions. Players are given the option to follow one of two Golden Path leaders, Anita and Sabal, but neither storyline is very distinctive or effective.
The player will get themselves involved in some fairly intriguing missions for the two leaders, but don’t expect to get anything too in-depth from the characters you meet. Despite being totally engulfed in the beautiful biomes of Kyrat, the characters in Far Cry 4 are simply bland and uninteresting.
I was constantly asking myself questions like, “Why do I care about this temple I’m protecting for this guy,” or “Why am I in the Himalayas looking for weapons?”
In all, I didn’t feel a real purpose in the supporting casts’ assertions and it somewhat tainted Far Cry 4’s overall story.
Not to say it’s an absolute terrible story, and I won’t spoil anything, but the characters just feel underdeveloped and underwhelming.
On a side note: voice actor Troy Baker does an excellent job of creating a warped, twisted antagonist in Pagan Min, but after a thrilling opening act, the villain is underused heavily in the latter half of the story.
It’s a fairly disappointing since Far Cry 3 did such a superb job of developing main antagonist, Vaas.
Graphics and Gameplay
Kyrat is beautiful.
Despite some frame-rate issues and some texture pop-up when driving, the environments look polished and breathtaking.
I can’t tell me how many times I just stopped dead in my tracks during a side-mission and surveyed the fine details of a wolf or alligator.
At 1080p and 60 frames-per-second, rock climbing and riding helicopters has never looked so good.
Ubisoft will also take you through some fairly creative environments. One of my favorite sections was exploring the ancient world of Shambala. This section allows players to explore an ancient world of mysticism and mythology all without the use of guns. Shambala looks incredible and the change of pace is a nice substitution for a game filled with guns and explosions.
In terms of gameplay, not a whole lot has changed since Far Cry 3. Shooting mechanics feel tight and responsive, and the customization of weapons is simple, yet gives a variety of options.
Unlike the story, gameplay in Far Cry 4 feels like it has a purpose. The hunting of animals leads to the crafting of satchels, holsters and ammunition pouches, which in turn helps you garner more experience points. With those points, players then can improve Ghale with health upgrades and fighting techniques.
The system works well, as Ubisoft builds upon the foundation they built in Far Cry 3. It took me a few hours to get used to, but once I knew what Far Cry was trying to get me to do, it was hard to put down the controller.
Like previous installments, Far Cry 4 caters to many different types of gamers. Let say Ghale’s mission is to take over an occupied fortress. Players could easily just go in guns blazing, or they could try to stealthy sneak their way through and disarm all the alarms. If neither of those sound appealing, maybe the player could find a better vantage point and snipe away from afar. Or find some nearby vehicle and crash their way into the main gates. There’s numerous choices given to players and this allows the gameplay to seem fresh and not monotonous.
Some new additions, like the wingsuit and the ability to ride elephants, are exhilarating to use and are a nice touch to an already huge playground. I found myself pouring hours of gameplay into a world that is refreshing and layered with multiple fauna and flora along with some neat vehicle exploration.
It may take gamers a few hours to adjust to the fast pace of the game, but at about the sixth or seventh hour, Far Cry 4 really hits its stride. The fast gun play and quick vehicle movement really blend to give players an entertaining formula.
My only gameplay complaint comes from Far Cry’s driving mechanic. Ubisoft makes players drive with one analog stick and use the other to look around, which feels a little goofy for a first-person shooter. Of course, this doesn’t hinder the overall gameplay.
Final Verdict
Far Cry 4 is worth the purchase. Even though the characters may feel a little flat and the story may not live up to expectation, the world of Kyrat is a beautiful and eventful one to explore. With a variety of side missions and objectives to do, it’s hard to pass up on Far Cry 4 this holiday season.
Score: 4/5
@Lukeoroark
lr514812@ohio.edu
