Far Cry 6 review: 'A series in need of its own revolution'
By Aaron Bayne // Â鶹ԼÅÄ The Social contributor // 6 October 2021
What do you look for in a Far Cry game? A stunning open world? Intriguing villains? Maybe some chaotic first-person gameplay? All of the above have been hallmarks of the series for years, and of course they are back in Ubisoft’s latest outing Far Cry 6.
But are the newest additions to the franchise enough to keep things fresh? Sadly, Far Cry 6 takes one step forward and two steps back.
Far Cry 6 review
Aaron Bayne reviews the latest in the Far Cry series and finds it in need of a revamp.
You play as Dani Rojas, the series’ first speaking protagonist since 2012. It’s honestly a relief to see the back of the previous stoic silent types, replaced with a character that feels immediately more ingrained in the world and story. While there is nothing new or particularly exciting about Far Cry 6’s story, having a character like Dani meant I engaged with cutscenes, rather than unenthusiastically staring into the eyes of a monologuing character.
Aiding that storyline is dictator Anton Castillo, who continues the tradition of scene-chewing villains. And with none other than Giancarlo Esposito taking on the role of Castillo, he’s a breath of fresh air over the previous villains that made up the last couple of games.
With a behemoth of an actor at the helm of such a character, it is heartbreaking to see his performance hindered by some truly awful facial animations. Honestly, these look like some kind of 4K upscaled Xbox 360 era cutscenes.
Luckily the tired looking graphics don’t extend beyond the cutscenes. In fact, this is easily the nicest looking Far Cry to date.Yara is massive, beautiful, and vibrantly diverse. Unlike previous games, Yara feels like a setting that existed long before you turned up. With cities, shanties, jungles, and swamps, Yara just makes sense, and its history is discoverable through the finer details.
Despite its beauty however, Far Cry 6 gives you very little reason to explore it. Let me rephrase that. Far Cry 6 gives you too many reasons to explore, with a typical onslaught of Far Cry content. Anyone that has played a Far Cry game has played Far Cry 6. You are still liberating the same checkpoints, chasing down the same supply drops, and running off on the same fetch quests.
For those looking for more Far Cry, this is likely to scratch that open world itch. But for those hoping to find a new kind of Far Cry experience, you won’t find it here.
It is true though that Far Cry 6 does try to mix things up a little. In your opening hours you will be astonished by the games new approach to gear, weapons, and the guerilla-styled “Resolver” weapons.
Despite featuring what is arguably its best setting, a decent attempt at story, an intriguing villain and a packed experience, Far Cry 6 is still just more Far Cry.
With customisation and even a Destiny-like ultimate, Far Cry 6 feels new and exciting…for a time. Twenty hours into my playthrough and I found I was using the exact same loadout I had come across nearly 15 hours earlier. Maybe I’m just a dull player, but I really didn’t see much of the appeal once I had found the loadout that worked for me.
Far Cry 6 needed to be the big shakeup for the franchise. The series has been coasting off the success of Far Cry 3 since 2012 and has struggled to evolve much beyond it. Far Cry 6 continues the tradition of snowballing features from one game to the next. Despite featuring what is arguably its best setting, a decent attempt at story, an intriguing villain and a packed experience, Far Cry 6 is still just more Far Cry.
Far Cry 6 may talk about revolution, but what it really needs is a revolutionary rework of a tired formula.
