The world can be a dangerous place, and often the dangers are closer than we think. Ubisoft's Long way away games have exposed us to a wide array of exotic locations (and periods of time), forcing us to prove ourselves worth survival every time. The obstacles before us in Far Cry 5 are just as daunting, however the locale isn't quite as exotic. Actually, it's the following at home. Far Cry 3-arguably the most successful game in the series-laid the groundwork for that adventures coming after, with each switching up the setting and introducing its own basket of tweaks to the formula. The strengths of its foundation assures Far Cry 5's quality, but this new installment falters in most from the areas that it tries to branch out.
The peaceful county of Hope, Montana was not as peaceful because it was taken over with a doomsday cult calling themselves the Project at Eden's Gate. As a sheriff's deputy, you and a little squad are sent into Hope County to arrest the cult's leader, Father Joseph Seed. To anybody's surprise, things quickly go sideways, and you're simply left stranded within the backwoods of Montana without any choice but to help the local resistance dismantle the cult piece by piece.
Since Far Cry 3's bone-chilling performance by it's main antagonist, Vaas, the function from the villain has been an integral centerpiece around that the narrative of every Long way away game continues to be built. The Father shoulders an identical responsibility, because he and the siblings terrorize the location within the name of “saving” its people in the coming apocalypse. When compared with previous villains, the daddy is a little less erratic and unhinged. The passive condescension of his preachings can occasionally bleed over from sinister into obnoxious, however the new character direction is overall a welcomed change. The function is played well, and each occasionally he'll generate a line which makes you need to genuinely step backward.
Playing opposite this antagonist, the player-created character-male or female-is called “Rookie,” “Rook,” or “Deputy” by the people of Hope County, because of their lack of a real name. A much more important attribute than a name your character lacks is a voice, making Far Cry 5 the very first game in the series (since Far Cry 2) to feature a silent protagonist. Silent protagonists are not inherently bad, but the character-focused narratives of Long way away games have long benefited from the main character contributing their two cents; Far Cry 5's deviation from this framework did not get it done any favors.
There are a staggering quantity of characters vying for screen time in Far Cry 5. Some are serious, some are quirky, some well toned and some less so, but aside from several exceptions, the bond these characters try to form with the player fall flat due to the insufficient feedback. Every time the player character stares blankly at someone spilling their guts with no word in reaction, we are reminded the protagonist isn't a participant in this world, but merely an automobile through which the gamer experiences it. The character is talked at, not conversed with, and also the immersion sheds correctly. With no feedback, the supporting cast is left to soliloquize by themselves, turning most of them into caricatures trying to sell the gamer on their one-dimensional personality before their allotted time runs out.
In accessory for filling the void left through the protagonist's muteness, a voiced character would have also helped the player navigate some of the story's stranger plot elements. Perhaps they might have commented on the incessant quantity of times you get captured through the campaign, so the player isn't left asking the redundant inquiries to themselves.
While the characters of Hope County can be hard to root for, the landscape itself is beautiful enough to warrant fighting back. Split into three regions-each controlled by one of the Father's siblings-Hope County seems to amalgamate some reasonably distinct environments into a believable setting of rural America, rich with wildlife that appear to obtain the player inexplicably delicious. The county's pine forests and farmlands don't have quite the exotic impact of a deserted island or remote Himalayan mountain range, however the heavy layer of violence and oppression that hangs within the land is created that much more poignant when you are areas players are likely acquainted with.
Freeing Hope County in the cult's grip involves taking out each of the Father's siblings (aka Heralds) before facing the Father himself. To draw each out of their hidey-hole, the player must fill a Resistance meter in each Herald's region by assisting the Resistance in pushing back against the cult. This goal is achieved by completing various story and side missions, in addition to engaging in the series' classic Outpost infiltrations. Alternatively, certain actions in the open world will also raise the meters, such as saving captured resistance members, destroying cult landmarks, or other acts of defiance. Filling up a meter ultimately results in confronting the Herald, but set milestones on the way will initiate various consequences for that player's disobedience. Some of these consequences-like being hunted by attack planes-can be frustrating when you are attempting to concentrate on other things, but the spontaneous challenges definitely spice up a commute.
Mission objectives follow standard Far Cry fare, tasking players they are driving to the farthest reaches of the map, blow something up, take out targets, and/or platform across precarious obstacles with some surprisingly good platforming for a first-person game. Objectives could possibly get repetitive, however they are dressed up by enough backstory and locale variation that they don't get stale. Virtually every mission in the game can be tackled solo or in online co-op, but considering it is simply the host's story that really progresses, it is not something players will likely want to stick to with the whole campaign. Plus, beyond select vehicles, there is little in the game that tactically benefits from having a second player. Co-op might not serve much purpose in the name of progression or overcoming challenges, however the option is a success meaning of just creating a fun playground in which to cause chaos having a friend.
Nearly every challenge can be completed by either blasting away in internet marketing or taking a more stealthy approach, and Far Cry 5 has a numerous tools for either scenario. Long way away happens to be top of its class with regards to the popular stealth/combat dynamic, but the stealth now can prove to be more of headaches of computer has previously. The system still features all the necessary mechanics, like enemy awareness indicators and intuitive line-of-sight parameters, but the enemies' overly aggressive senses often render these tools less than effective.
The range at which enemies can easily see and hear disturbances in Far Cry 5 generally leave the gamer helpless to avoid them being triggered, certainly not through the player themselves, but through the damage they've inflicted. For example, an arrow penetrating a head from three floors up or perhaps a body hidden behind barrels 30 meters away can be enough to agro hostiles, and coupled with their erratic movement patterns, maintaining one's stealth can frequently feel out of the player's hands. Granted, finding bodies doesn't raise alarms, and stealthily taking out enemies which are actively looking for you will still be considered “undetected,” but laboriously clearing a camp only to have your silent run undermined by a few unavoidable nonsense can seriously kill one's enthusiasm to concern yourself with it.
The other side of this gameplay dynamic is combat, and fortunately, it is as strong because it has ever been. Far Cry games feature probably the most satisfying shooting mechanics throughout gaming, with armaments that pack a visceral punch and enemies that react accordingly. Complementing this can be a top-tier cover system that intuitively transitions the gamer in and out of cover according to their proximity to an object. This enables these to pop-and-shoot or blind-fire from safety before seamlessly relocating when the situation demands. Aiming seems a little stiffer of computer has within the past-not helped with a notable lack of complex controller options-but the aim assist on consoles is generous enough to compensate. The weapon selection is yet another facet not overburdened with complexity, however it manages to cover all of the necessary bases, with a few special treats added too like bows, flamethrowers, and two-handed melee weapons (an individual favorite). The series' iconic fire physics are also in full force, seemingly pulled outright from previous games. It would happen to be nice to see the physics evolve a bit, but there's still something vindictively pleasing about a single molotov cocktail burning half a forest to a crisp.
The player's tactical support isn't restricted to so what can be slung on their back. Far Cry 5's most novel addition to the series formula may be the Guns For Hire support system. These support characters take two forms: Specialists, characterized individuals that feature unique abilities who're unlocked through specific side quests, and Fighters, random NPCs that will fight by your side if you help them out on view world. The impact of Guns Services is principally as much as the player, his or her abilities can be handy but also easily ignored. It's generally good for allow them to tag along even if you ignore their more complex functions, because the game's inconsistent difficulty can spike randomly, which is useful to have somebody else there to draw the fire. The down-side to their presence is they can disrupt the player's stealth, throwing a wrench into a carefully planned infiltration. The Guns For Hire feature doesn't flip the game on its head, nor will it feel like something which will transcend beyond this installment, however these characters' involvement could make for many memorable moments.
It would not be Long way away with no ability to upgrade, through which players can enhance both themselves as well as their support. Unlike previous games, Far Cry 5's upgrades aren't organized like a skill tree, but rather as one general mass of skills which are free to unlock in any order (with a few rare exceptions). The currency by which players unlock these upgrades is every bit unstructured, taking on the form of tokens which are either based in the world or acquired by completing simplistic gameplay challenges. This upgrade redesign is easily Far Cry 5's most bizarre divergence from series norms. The upside into it is the fact that players can perhaps maximize all their desired skills before even touching the game's core content, leaving them free to enjoy those upgrades over the majority of the campaign-but this really is at the expense of any meaningful progression.
Without distributing skills and upgrades in almost any consequential format, it offers little motivation to fully build relationships the machine. Skills are randomly clumped together, especially being all the series' classic takedown moves that are locked into a single perk. When that certain upgrade is purchased, there isn't any sense of accomplishment or something more to appear forward to. In the past games, depending on how you progressed, you can arrive at a hurdle that there was a perk, however it was one you hadn't unlocked yet. This could make you creatively adapt, that could result in some of the best moments within the experience. Any obstacle in Far Cry 5 can be countered by getting a couple Prepper Stashes and unlocking the related perk on the whim-that is, if a perk is even needed, as some obstacles (such as Heavy enemies) no more even require skills to manage. Thus, progression feels like something which is handed for you instead of earned.
Beyond the shortcomings from the upgrade system, lots of other issues can hamper the experience. Progress will likely be impeded at one point or another through the game's AI, which often struggles to operate outside of its rigid script. In such a chaotic game, things regularly go wrong, and if this occurs in the general proximity of friendly AI, they are able to become repeatedly distracted using their duty, or sometimes stop being interactable whatsoever. Their behavior may also be unpredictable to the point of senselessness, such as one character who kept encountering fire prior to being revived just to do it again. There wasn't anything game-breaking on my small playthrough, however the AI problems, in addition to a number of spawning issues, became exasperating before long.
Far Cry 5 has qualities to admire and issues to repair, nevertheless its Far Cry Arcade feature might be its saving grace. The building blocks from the Arcade is really a map-editing tool which allows players to produce their own single-player and cooperative missions with a large amount of features and assets. Much more impressive than the missions may be the Arcade's potential to create competitive maps, meaning there is an entire multiplayer ingredient that some players may not be also conscious of. The layout and operation from the editing tools could arguably be a little more logical, however the options are deep enough that dedicated fans can have truly impressive arenas.
Particularly in the multiplayer, the Arcade provides opportunities for many truly anarchic nonsense, which can be hilariously entertaining otherwise taken too seriously. The game's freedom to customize the mode layout, available weapons, and different modifiers has resulted in an entire lack of coherent design in many creations currently on display-but that's the reason for user-created content. Fortunately, a post-match rating system allows participants to critique each project, meaning quality content should eventually popularity. Goofing off might not be enough drive for many players to invest in a competitive multiplayer, but the Arcade offers money and upgrade points for ranking in the mode, giving a quantitative value towards the nonsense. The mode's current outlook is good, with some impressively creative content already available, and how now this continues will have a major role in the game's longevity.
Far Cry 5 doesn't quite get to the standard set by a few previous Long way away games, but it is important to remember that many from the criticisms above derive from comparisons to some of the best open-world games out there. Far Cry 5 may be a dip for the series, but it's a positive step for gaming as a whole, as well as its ludicrous conclusion shouldn't temper your desire to go back and explore what else that is available. And even before you ask, yes, there are more than the usual few Trump jokes in here.
