Some Thoughts on Far Cry 6
I have always been a big fan of the Far Cry series, going all the way back to the second one in the series. So when I heard that the development team behind the Far Cry games was coming out with a sixth game in the series and that it would feature Giancarlo Esposito, I was intrigued. I mean, it seemed like an easy sell for anyone getting a great actor and mixing in a new setting in a fictionalized equivalent of Cuba. While I found it to be fun and interesting, it did seem like a slow burn that did not capture me for several hours into the game.
As stated, Far Cry 6 starts with you trying to escape Yara (that fictionalized Cuba equivalent), with several other people, when the boat you are on is stopped and boarded by government troops. You also have your first interaction with Giancarlo Esposito as he plays dictator, Antón Castillo. You find out that one of the people on the boat just happens to be Antón’s son. From here, you end up hooked up with the revolution movement, and trying to unite all the different factions on the island to join up and overthrow the government.
If all of that sounds like a solid storyline for Far Cry 6, it is. You can play through it as either male or female Danny/Dani Rojas (note – I played as Dani Rojas), and you do the kind of things you expect from a Far Cry game. You have outposts, main story missions, and some challenge missions that you can work through as you experience more of the story. You do have the addition of SAM missile sites that you have to destroy if you want to be able to fly around the mountain unchecked, but it is all the normal Far Cry formula.
After visiting the Southeast of Asia, America, and even a post-apocalyptic America, coming back to an area that hearkens back to the third game in the series is kind of nice. You have a lot of beautiful jungle environments to explore and search, and it is all gorgeous. I loved going into the mountains and catching some great views of both the main island and surrounding little islands. The power of this Far Cry engine still shines all these years later and makes Yara come to life.
As a first person shooter, I had no issues with any of the firefights or combat on normal difficulty. There are a few times that you can get overwhelmed if you don’t plan for larger assaults, but it never seems too difficult. I loved the selection of weapons that you can collect and unlock throughout the game, and the new special weapons that you can craft are really interesting. I loved using the rocket launcher backpack which can help turn the tide when you feel like you are losing control of a situation.
While the guns and gameplay are solid, my biggest issue came from the long slog of the beginning elements of the story. After the big bang opening of the game, the first few hours seem to be more of a slog. Some of the tutorial stuff is boring, and you don’t have a ton of weapons at first to really get you going. I also didn’t find myself connecting with the first few characters you interact with in the game from the revolution. Later main characters that you meet are fun and enjoyable but those first two to three hours were really dull and trying to get to the fun.
I also was puzzled by the fact that after a big, splashy intro with Giancarlo Esposito’s character, you rarely see him except after you beat his officers in combat throughout the main game. If you are going to get a huge name to be in your game, maybe make sure he shows up in more than maybe a couple hours of footage.
Far Cry 6 is a tough start, but if you can get past that initial bump, it ends up being a solid experience to enjoy. I like our main character and how she interacts with the people of the world. There is an energy to Dani Rojas that is fun and enjoyable to play. I loved the environment, and you never really run out of things to do in the game. You also have the bonus of the game being added to Xbox Game Pass as of the writing of this impressions article, so you can give it a whirl without spending any cash.
