Far Cry games are most commonly known for their iconic villains, over-the-top action, and beautiful open worlds. As the latest entry in the franchise, Far Cry 6 has all of these things and a bunch of extra additions that can be hit or miss.
Far Cry 6 is filled to the brim with things to do and areas to explore. However, in this case, quality is sacrificed in favor of quality. While clearing enemy bases and blowing things up is extremely satisfying, the repetitive nature of the game makes it difficult to play for extended periods of time. This is especially true when hours of gameplay sometimes amount to barely completion percentage. In each of Yara’s five regions, you’ll get to play through side activities such as Yaran stories, treasure hunts, and other optional missions. Many of these activities have unique backstories to them and make for a nice change of pace from the main story. Still, the sheer amount of content makes completing them a daunting and time-consuming task.
To get around Far Cry 6’s large map efficiently you’ll need to use land, air, and sea vehicles. Unfortunately, the driving controls aren’t great especially when playing on the keyboard and mouse. Using a controller did make things slightly more bearable but not by a large margin. This made me resort to using Dani’s wingsuit as much as possible and relying on planes for the most part.
You play as Dani Rojas, a guerrilla fighter who aims to help the revolution overthrow Yaran President Anton Castillo (played by the brilliant Giancarlo Esposito). Castillo is a fascist leader that has been forcing outcasts and all those who oppose him into slave labor camps. While these camps help produce a cancer-curing drug called Viviro, they also are poisoning the camp laborers. Castillo hopes his teenage son Diego will take his place one day as El Presidente. However, Diego is conflicted and is not fond of his father’s murderous ways and terrible deeds.
The most important and most impressive aspect of Far Cry 6 has to be its combat. The game is as entertaining as open-world shooters can get and this is thanks to the myriad of killing tools at your disposal, Weapons are abundant in Far Cry 6 and provide a wide variety of ways to clear groups of enemies. Some weapons can be modified at workbenches while certain unique weapons already come with special perks. In addition, Resolver weapons are extremely powerful weapons that can be acquired by collecting uranium from Anti-Aircraft bases. Also, you get to carry special backpacks that can shoot rockets or scorching flames around you in typical Far Cry fashion to ensue chaos. The backpacks are called supremos and function as an ultimate ability with a cooldown timer.
Accompanying you in battle are your loyal amigos which are animal companions with special abilities and traits. There’s Guapo, a massive crocodile, who attacks your enemies and takes some of the attention off of your character. The adorable Chorizo will also distract enemies with his overwhelming cuteness. Throughout your playthrough, you can unlock many more amigos, but you can only select one at a time to assist you.
There is plenty of fun to be had while playing Far Cry 6 and the story excels where previous games failed. However, the game is oversaturated with side content and customization options that do not add much to the experience. Still, combat and gameplay remain very solid and engaging which makes up for the game’s few missteps.
GameRev was provided with a digital download of the game for the purpose of this review.
