Reviewed with a RTX 3080 | RayTracing On | Fidelity FX 1.0 on Super Quality
Ubisoft’s eve of transformation for the Far Cry series really started with Far Cry 2 where the emphasis of player physical damage, weapon deterioration and environmental hazard immersed players to new heights. Shortly after, Ubisoft took it to another level with Far Cry 3, adding a brilliantly written story that was impactful. With it came graphical upgrades which competed with the likes of Crysis at the time. Fast forward several iterations later and you get more of what FC3 (FC for Far Cry) offered, but with varied stories based on thematic approaches rather than daring plots; including a few graphical polish and gameplay elements that were delightfully passable.
Far Cry 6 takes the same approach, but this time with a dark showcasing of harsh realities – depicting revolutionary consequences to what dictatorship can bring to a country. Far Cry 6 is by far the best looking and feeling game in the series, touting ray-tracing technology and AMD’s FidelityFX 1.0 that’s absolutely brilliant; but ultimately – its really much of the same, despite Anton Castillo being an one hell of a villain.
Yaran’s Paradise
Far Cry 6 takes place in a fictionalized Cuba called Yaran – an enormous island filled with wonderfully detailed vista’s and plenty of exploration with tangible rewards. Honestly, I am tired of the overt jungle environments but Ubisoft Toronto somehow managed to make it feel absolutely fresh and astonishing. Yaran is war ridden by a dictator called Anton Castillo who disguises as the people’s hope but really, he’s an asshole. And a very cool asshole too. His son, Diego Castillo, is the focal point of Anton’s legacy, but Diego is reluctant and against his fathers brutal methods.
You play as Dani, who can be chosen as a Male or Female – your protagonist is very much a talkative one which is something you don’t see often in a Far Cry game, and more so in 3rd-person story telling. Your task is to join the Revolution against Castillo and bring all of the guerrillas together and topple the leader. Simple enough, except the story is incredibly diverse with social elements that came very surprising to me. I won’t spoil much but you’ll find yourself in situations that really speaks volumes. It’s probably the most brutally told story in Far Cry’s series which is a reflection to what FC2 was. Sadly, with all the brutality and imagery, I wish Ubisoft Toronto allowed for dismemberment when going against Castillo’s soldiers. Maybe I’m sick in the head, but this game is already brutal – might as well go all out!
I’m going to reflect on FC6’s graphic soon enough, but one thing I really wanted to mention is that their facial animation is absolutely astonishing. There’s all types of permutations used which brings out life like expressions – I mean, there’s so much subtlety in the way each person is acted out that I couldn’t help but mention it in my article. Truly, its so good. Maybe it’s the Ultra Settings….
The World of Chaos
Yaran is split into several districts with distinct styles – its absolutely massive in scope, and probably the biggest map in the series. I played this on my computer with a RTX3080, cranked the settings to Ultra with HD Textures off, 4K60 locked, Raytraced Reflections and AMD’s FidelityFX turned on to Ultra Quality. Let me tell you, I was blown away. I have never experienced such a smooth game, averaging 67° on my GPU/CPU temperature. During my Day 0 patch playthrough, I crashed often because of the HD texture pack – halting a lot of my progress. But with it off, it was buttery.
You will be exploring often in Yaran with rich foliage that has incredible sway animations and varied vegetation; the volumetric clouds really impacts the immersion on the overall world while seeing enemy planes and helicopters fly by. All types of animals scour the land, which are often ferocious. You will find blue markings indicating paths towards caches that are part of the Revolution or Army, which can net you materials for crafting, cosmetics or unique weapons/armor. The open world design is closer to how Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was, and works really well for Far Cry 6. Every overgrown building and bunker are incredibly detailed, the cities in the upper eastern part of the map is wildly gorgeous, and what really makes it shine further is its great lighting system and amazingly sharp textures and details. It’s a shame though, maybe it’s part of the marshal law system but, very little people are in the world which makes the main road feel empty.
That doesn’t mean the world is actually empty though; almost every facet of the map has something to explore and solve – there’s hidden paths you’ll be taking that serves as shortcuts with a bunch of guerrilla’s patrolling it. Environmental puzzles is a huge part of the series and this game doesn’t miss a beat when searching for exclusive materials and gear. There’s a ton of meaningful collectibles, and with the protagonist speaking in regards to every action you do, it eases that element of gameplay greatly. Speaking of speaking….I really do love the addition of your protagonist singing along music while you’re driving across Yaran – its so cool! Truth be told, exploring a jungle map is very fun and kudos to Ubisoft Toronto for doing a stellar job in building it.
While roaming the island and visiting different camps, you will find solitude in mini games and preparations. There’s a handful of things you can do like racing, dice and….cock fighting! Seriously, it’s hilariously done and works really well. I mean, there’s even a fighting menu to choose your rooster. I did not expect this. In these encampments there’s Operations you can partake that’s tailored for co op – there’s even matchmaking. During my review time, I didn’t have a chance to play as the queue was taking forever.
A Revolutionary Gameplay
Now to the meat and bones of Far Cry 6 – the gameplay. This time around, the system to utility skills has been revamped entirely. With FC5 you can see how it was going to evolve over time, but FC6 is definitely….75.2% RPG. There’s no skill tree, you don’t unlock skill points to earn that sweet aerial kill move – but instead you progress through your standing with the Revolution that would net you more gear to unlock. Gear in FC6 works like a typical RPG with some interesting perks. There’s armor pieces to unlock which can be individually swapped with their own unique elements like: your boots can disable wire traps by walking through it, or faster ready and stow speed with your gloves, or when you heal yourself your movement speed is increased for a short time.
Weapons plays a similar role with hilarious OP perks too. You can pair your SMG with fire rounds that would utterly decimate your enemies, same with poison rounds that would damage them while making them go frenzy against their own people. There’s also blast rounds for, obvious chaos. And all of this can be added to rockets, shotguns, AR’s, bows and more. There’s even mods that does more damage to chest at a certain health percentage or more ammo, ect.
Oh, and you get Amigos – companions, that can be unlocked over time with side missions and yes….Churizo is the best. Also, his quest is hilarious.
But the coolest element to me is how the enemies has been revamped. Still, they’re not the smartest of the bunch even on hard mode, but the fact that there’s Soft Targets and Armored Targets really shakes up the encounters; a variety of enemy types roam Yaran that ranges from poison, flame throwers, shielded and armored. FC6 forces the player to utilize two different rounds for specific enemies, and without the right ammo – you will die. I mentioned that the enemy AI isn’t the brightest, but they can aim and they will destroy you if you falter. I did have a hard time tracking enemies at times; in heated skirmishes it almost felt like they were force spawned. But thankfully it happened far too little to really have a gripe with it.
Vehicles plays a huge role in FC6 as expected for the series, but this time tanks roam the streets in abundance. And if you don’t have an EMP grenade to disable and hijack, you’re done. Every vehicle in FC6 is far stronger than the previous game, you will find yourself in a very tough spot if you’re not prepared. Previous FC driving mechanics has always felt arcade’y and floaty, but this time each vehicle feels distinct and weighty, making the driving experience much better.
Lastly, you get the ability to use Supremos which are jimmy-rigged backpacks with specialized ultimate to create mass destruction! – or to become the best support for co-op. There’s a wide selection of Supremos from a jet propulsion that burns enemies around you, a barrage of missiles that tracks or a healing station. Each backpack can be modded and each comes with unique elements like dashing in midair for example. It’s kind’a wild, and very very cool.
Verdict
My time with Far Cry 6 was astonishingly familiar – despite the story being fantastic, the game looking and feeling better than ever, I couldn’t help but have a sense that I’ve been here before. I’ve platinumed every FC game to date, and maybe that’s the reason I’m feeling this dissonance. Far Cry 6 sits very comfortably amongst the success FC3 started, I just hope that the next iteration shakes up the series in such a fashion.
REVIEW SCORE: 8.5/10
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