Far Cry 6 Review

The first release of the Far Cry franchise, the original Far Cry, released nearly 20 years ago. Ubisoft has taken the franchise to new heights since that original 2004 release, but for a franchise that has nearly spanned two decades, the more recent iterations of the Far Cry world have felt a little lackluster compared to the huge evolutions of the early games. Does Far Cry 6 build on the foundations set by its predecessors, or this just yet another romp in the jungle?

Far Cry 6 Review

Far Cry 6 begins much like any other Far Cry game. The hero of the story, Dani, is looking to flee to America to escape the tyrannical rule of “El Presidente” Antón Castillo. Antón, brilliantly played by Giancarlo Esposito, rules over the country of Yara with an iron fist. He enslaves its inhabitants with his “Draft to Paradise” – a random lottery that forces civilians to help manufacture Viviro – humanity’s most promising cure for cancer.

The core components of the Far Cry 6 narrative are near identical to previous games. Tyrannical ruler, proud and resilient rebellion, a land rife with corruption, murder, and smuggling. It all feels very familiar, but this is one aspect of the Far Cry franchise that needn’t be touched. The series has long had a reputation for delivering interesting antagonists, and Antón Castillo is no different. In terms of delivery and performance, Giancarlo Esposito gives one of the best the franchise has seen to date and the character, rivaling that of Vaas from Far Cry 3. The Far Cry villains are more than simple bad guys created to fuel the antagonists adventure; they are deep, intriguing, and often disturbing characters that have more depth than the hero themselves. Far Cry 6 continues to deliver that quality narrative with another fantastic episode of storytelling that will not disappoint. And that ending? Oh boy.

If you’ve played any of the recent Far Cry games, the gameplay loop is nearly identical. You’re given a gorgeous and massive open world to explore and vandalize as you follow the story of the Libertad rebellion and their efforts to topple Antón’s regime. This involves rallying the rebellions forces in each area of the map, taking down Antón’s various commanders, before you’re able to make an assault on the big bad wolf himself. The overarching theme does feel exhausting nearly immediately – it’s something we’ve done in Ubisoft’s games time and time again – but even as I want to criticize this area of the game for its lack of innovation, I can’t ignore the fact I had a ton of fun.

As is traditional for an Ubisoft game, the game world is littered with activities. Early on, you’d struggle to drive in any direction for more than 30 seconds without bumping into something. Anti-aircraft guns litter the hills of Yara, restricting airspace, forcing Dani to use dangerous roads and Libertad’s hidden routes and paths. Roadblocks plague the main roads, using tire spikes to disable vehicles as they attempt to escape the vicious soldiers that roam the lands. Powerful FNB military bases hold some of its most valuable and treasured resources and weapons.

Again, everything here is very familiar. You pull up close to a roadblock, sneak around the outskirts taking down enemies with the bow, before sealing the deal and destroying the billboard propaganda to take control, giving Libertad a valuable asset and unlocking a new fast travel point. Next up, I use the fast travel point to air drop at the location before deploying my wingsuit, narrowly avoiding the detection of the nearby anti-aircraft guns. I deploy my parachute 200m up in the air before shooting it down with my rocket launcher – then fast travel to another location to repeat the process.

Far Cry 6 is the most fun I’ve had in a Far Cry game for years

This doesn’t sound overly impressive on paper – it’s stuff we’ve done before, many times – but it’s still incredibly exciting. The thrill of taking down a large FNB base without raising an alarm, some of which are incredibly well designed – like an assault on an oil rig or an off-shore tanker. It is still as rewarding as ever, and I found myself genuinely disappointed when I ran out of bases to conquer.

Outside of the glorious combat, Far Cry 6 introduces (or re-introduces, in some cases) some supporting features that are definitely worth more than a quick glance. Companions return in the form of Amigos, colorful creatures that Dani can find completing side quests called Yaran Stories. These prove to be just as fun, wacky, and impactful as previous games. These include a crocodile wearing a t-shirt, a rooster called Chicharron that could single-handedly take on the crew of a tank (there’s a fun quest chain involving that crazy rooster), and a mythical panther whose stealth kills instantly evaporate the corpse of the enemy. The comedic nature of these creatures often struggles to sit alongside the serious and often dark narrative, but in terms of gameplay, again, just a lot of fun.

Dani can find various Guerrilla Hideouts and bases scattered throughout Yara, using the resources gained from taking down Antón’s soldiers to construct and upgrade new buildings, offering the outpost new and exciting features and resources. Hunting and fishing both return, and the arsenal is absolutely huge. There’s probably 100 guns that players can find and upgrade, including an array of Resolver weapons – fantastically over-powered and fun to use. Then there’s Supremo’s, backpacks that act as ultimate abilities that do everything from letting you mindlessly slaughter every living thing with a machete to launching several rockets at anything that moves. Far Cry has often been a playground of destruction, and Far Cry 6 offers more tools than ever before.

If there was one single aspect of Far Cry 6 that needed improving, it’s the AI. The enemy soldiers are still as intelligent as a damp sponge. They’ll leave a well fortified bunker with an LMG emplacement to climb down a ladder and hide behind a wooden box. They’ll move from the perfect cover to stand in the middle of the street, they’ll run back and forth between two locations without firing a shot. It functions, but it’s embarrassingly comical in places.

Far Cry 6 is the most fun I’ve had in a Far Cry game for years, but it won’t be for everyone. If you’ve grown tired of the gameplay loops of the Far Cry titles of recent times, Far Cry 6 doesn’t make much of an effort to change that up. However, if the thrill of carnage and combat still appeals, it’s crazy, chaotic, and an absolute blast.

I’ve impressed myself, I managed to get through that entire review without a single cock joke related to Chicharron.