For its sixth major outing, Ubisoft’s Far Cry will be placing player agency at the heart of the experience, emphasising a feeling of freedom to explore its largest open world to date and license to experiment applied to all weapons and vehicles. There’s a man-eating crocodile assistant too, but we’ll get to that later.
The point is, Far Cry 6 wants you to become an unpredictable, kick-ass army-of-one.
Your persona for these next bullet-propelled adventures is Dani Rojas, who players get to assign as male or female. Rojas is billed as a reluctant participant in a revolution that has mobilised the people of Yara – a fictitious Caribbean island suffering under dictatorship. Upon witnessing the brutality on the streets of Yara capital Esperanza ordered by leader Anton Castillo, our lead protagonist goes in search of freedom fighters to join the cause.
Encouragingly, Far Cry 6 appears to be the kind of game where you may never stop learning, owing to a range of player styles being catered for, alongside multiple pathways to victory. There are two major components to all of this, beginning with how the stage is set in Yara.
In keeping with Far Cry heritage, Yara Island is presented as open-world territory to invite exploration. Ubisoft claims it is the most ambitious example in series history, which will feel like an entire country – as opposed to a secluded region – owing not only to its scale but the diversity within. Outside of the main city Esperanza there are smaller towns and villages dotted around natural environments that comprise swamps, jungles, and beaches.
Urban Yara reflects the colourful South American vibe of Cuba, with its markets, nightclubs, and eateries. Additional character is gained owing to the island being frozen 50 years back in time, after revolution saw the country become isolated from the rest of the civilised world. This means that architecture, vehicles, and weaponry look quite the worst for wear; a place on the verge of literally and figuratively falling apart. It isn’t safe for most Yarans to venture into controlled territory, however the guerrillas built hidden pathways all across the island.
Here’s where player-style comes into it. After falling in with a group of rebels going by the name of Libertad (‘Liberty’), Rojas gears up to spearhead a variety of missions into enemy territory. Prime targets include roadside checkpoints, to enable freedom of the roads; flak cannons, which otherwise make aerial assaults next to impossible; and military outposts.
In terms of strategy, one size does not fit all in Far Cry 6, putting the responsibility of tooling up appropriately square onto the player. Ubisoft talks in terms of ‘meaningful gear’ when walking us through the options available. Now, all performance perks are associated with individual items of wardrobe and armoury, allowing Rojas to go full-on assault, tank-like support, or stealth-oriented approach depending on player preference and what the mission ideally calls for. Presumably it’s okay to go against the grain for extra challenge. Essentially, this is Far Cry meets guerrilla warfare. You’ll need particular gloves to handle throwing knives, goggles to improve enhance accuracy and therefore damage with a rifle, and the right boots to move with greater agility. Ubisoft is leaving it all up to you.
Rojas has two main contacts within Libertad: youthful guerrilla leader Clara Garcia, and wizened old spymaster Juan Cortez. Garcia keeps Rojas abreast of missions available, while Cortez is the guy to turn to for no-holds-barred guerrilla tactics. He guides Rojas in the ways of Resolver (‘to solve’) culture, that repurposes junk as vehicle and weapon modifications.
On the munitions front, Rojas gets to experiment with 49 military grade weapons, tagging on US Army suppressors, scopes, and laser pointers, or something more out-of-the-ordinary, like a CD player which fires discs or a motorbike engine that increases firepower (somehow). Ubisoft lists sardine cans, baseballs, and engine mufflers among other Resolver resources!
At this point, we ought to mention that Far Cry 6 is first in the series to allow for holstering weapons. While this may seem like a minor upgrade on the surface, its greater potential lies in freedom to scope out heavily guarded locations without drawing attention, just as long as Rojas keeps his/her distance from suspicious onlookers. This, we imagine, may lead to more ‘emergent’ missions, where raising the alarm results in all-out carnage if you’re not careful.
Meanwhile… guerrilla rides, so-called, are Resolver-boosted vehicles that might see a snow-plough up front or rockets added to the rear of a 1950s automobile. Gun-turrets can take the place of a roof rack. Not all vehicles are antiques, some belong to Castillo’s elite soldiers, the likes of Humvees for example. Or, you could steal a horse and ride bareback into battle.
There is, you’ll be glad to know, still a dark-humoured aspect to the new Far Cry. Cortez has been working on show-stopping incendiary backpacks that he’s nicknamed Supremos, for one thing. They’re wearable tank components, pretty much, ranging from flame-throwing jetpacks to multiple rocket-propelled grenades requiring users to duck fast before ignition.
If gizmos with titles such as Exterminador (‘Exterminator’) fail to raise a smile, surely Rojas’ animal amigos will. We are hugely looking forward to taking Chorizo, the two-legged pooch out for a walk who has cute little wheels instead of hindlegs (guess he lost them in conflict). Feeding time for Guapo the man-eating crocodile ought to be most rewarding too … or, no?
Last Updated: May 28, 2021
