Far Cry 3innovated on a lot of features and aspects of Ubisoft’s long-running shooter franchise. From its humble Crytek beginnings as an innovative proof of concept,Far Cry 3’s usage of an iconic villain and conquerable, open-ended outposts has permeated throughout every subsequent entry. It’s arguable that evenFar Cry 2was responsible for a lot of the staple features that were established and utilized in future entries. WithFar Cry 6on the eventual horizon, it’s already clear there’s just as many new and existing influences fromFar Crygoing into this next entry.
It’s been a while since the game was first introduced, so it’s hard to gauge what gameplay is going to be like. Most will guess that it’ll still follow the usual open world formula that every post-Far Cry 3entry has, and they likely won’t be wrong. However, there are some sorely missed mechanics/systems/features from previousFar Crygames that would enhance the gameplay experience ofFar Cry 6. A varied mix of gameplay influences fromFar Cry 2,Far Cry 3,Far Cry 4, andFar Cry 5could potentially help shake up the strainedFar Cryformula that Ubisoft has been applying since 2012.
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A Systemic, Manipulative World For Far Cry 6
One particular feature that used to be synonymous withFar Crywas the systemic and interactive game world.Far Cry 2andFar Cry 3in particular emphasized the usage of fire and minorBattlefield-esque destruction to manipulate environments during firefights. Players could set up a distraction or temporarily cut off access from a certain area by setting fire to the tall grass, and then make their moves elsewhere. In other more story-centric encounters, certain areas of the map would eventually become inaccessible or be altered significantly based on the events of that mission.Far Cry 6’s Yara should hone in on what used to makeFar Cryworlds malleable and unique.
This could be as simple an example as the “False Prophet” mission inFar Cry 5, where players destroy the giant Father Joseph statue. Or it could be as drastic as the “Kick the Hornet’s Nest” mission, where players can calculate and plan their sabotage accordingly. RecentFar Crygames have still featured some of these open-ended environments and mission design, but rarely have they given players the capability of utilizing any major manipulation of the environment. Destroying the Seed statue inFar Cry 5is an iconic moment, but moments like these arefew and far between throughoutFar Cry 5’s playthrough, rarely justifying the player’s place in the game.
Amplifying the Importance of Buddies in Far Cry 6
One aspect that wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t comparatively worse next to previous games is the Guns/Fangs for Hire system in recentFar Crygames. Mercenaries, also known as “buddies,” were firstintroduced inFar Cry 2as a pivotal portion of the game’s story. While players took on the role of a silent protagonist inFar Cry 2, they were able to pick from an array of different character personalities to embody. The remaining characters would join the game world as NPCs, all of which the player could meet and befriend. Rather than acting as random, non-interactive hired help, buddies would offer alternative ways of finishing main quests and reward players for it.
Buddies in recentFar Crygames, outside of their own respective side quests, don’t amount to anything other than an extra weapon in firefights. They might have a few pre-recorded quips and additional lines, but each character’s respective importance fades entirely after their side quests. Again, ifFar Cry 2didn’t set a precedent for how much better a buddy/mercenary-for-hire could be, this wouldn’t be as big of a request. However,Far Cry 2showed how extraneous or supporting characters can be interwoven into the narrative in a compelling and meaningful way. Granted,Far Cry 6seems to have already shown nothing’s changing, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t.
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Rekindling the Unpredictability of the Series in Far Cry 6
There’s alsoone characteristic ofFar Crygames that’s ever-so-slowly wanedwith each entry, and it’s more of an abstract feature rather than something specific.Far Crygames in the past used to have varying degrees of unpredictability, regardless of how much players would calculate and plan their actions. Players inFar Cry 3could toss bait or open up an animal cage to let loose any manner of dangerous predators on foes. Animals could sneak up and attack players inFar Cry 4seemingly out of nowhere, which is something players would have to manage on the fly. Things would just happen on their own in the world, indifferent of the players' actions or plans.
RecentFar Crygames have either not had that semblance of unpredictability, or simply relied on existing tricks that have become more predictable.Far Cry 5had some variation in environment design, but lacked any significant variables of difficulty that would make liberating outposts thrilling in previous games. InFar Cry 3, outposts had animal cages where predators could be let loose, or alternatively players could toss bait to lure in more predators. Roaming patrols could interrupt infiltrations at any time. Outpost capturing in other entries, a pivotal portion of gameplay, eventually felt slightly easier and subpar in comparison.
In all fairness, these features can be chalked up to nitpicking an enduring franchise that, in general, hasn’t had too many missteps. TheFar Cryformula has proven compelling time and time again, even in spite of its missteps.Far Cry 6, despite only being teased relatively recently, already seems like a promising meld of existing series trends alongside some new features as well.
Far Cry 6is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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