A Far Cry from Failure: Far Cry 5 Review
Well, it’s finally here. Far Cry 5 released, and the response was and still is overwhelmingly positive. I’ve already put twenty plus hours into the game and have probably only made a small dent into everything Hope county has to offer (yay for working from home). From gallivanting around the Montana wilderness to blowing up a bunch of turkeys with a rocket launcher, the fun don’t stop. We’ll be doing a quick overview of what to expect and why it’s worth the buy. So strap in as I take you on a tour of Hope county in my totally not stolen bi-plane. (Warning: Spoilers!!!)
The story is immediately engaging, compelling, and drags you in right off the bat…pun intended. Well done to Drew Holmes and the writing team. I love that the game establishes the plot from the beginning and from there, you have free reign once you make it past the introduction to do what you will. In a previous article of mine I touched on what the story was about, so I won’t diverge too much into that. Our baddie, The Father Joseph Seed, is masterfully brought to life by Greg Bryk and had me questioning my morals. He has a way — or several ways — of getting into your head.
The open world map is reminiscent of the Assassins Creed Origins map, although not quite as big, in terms of regions and maneuverability of the cursor. Like with any open world game I play, for the most part, I like to ignore the main quests and go do random stuff as hilarious things tend to occur. See below…
Even when I do decide to advance the story, I find myself being pleasantly and hilariously distracted. For instance, instead of destroying truck convoys, I went to a literal bull pen and began boxing with a bull. You show me something more patriotic, I dare you. The world is wonderfully populated and getting lost provides more of an organic experience to learning about the story and its inhabitants, both human and animal. Even the NPC’s have a sense of identity and don’t feel like canon fodder. Of course all of this is accompanied with the stunning visuals of mountainsides, rivers, and vast landscapes that is Montana. I should know, I’ve been there and yet somehow the game looks better…sorry Montana.
There is no shortage of awesome toys to play with and customize as you traverse and liberate outposts for new gear. The range of customization for not only your weapons but your character and vehicles seems just right. Seeing as the locale for the game is in rural Montana, it wouldn’t make sense to have a huge rolodex of costumes to wear as it probably wouldn’t fit to be walking around in a three piece suit, this isn’t Hitman. You also have the choice from the start to play as a female or male character which was pretty awesome. Huzzah for progressivism!
Some of these vehicle paint jobs and attachments just scream “America!”. There is a mission to retrieve the “Widomaker” for a resident of Falls End. The “Widomaker” is a big rig truck with machine guns mounted on its side and an eagle with the American flag painted on it. It’s essentially a glorified battering ram. Remember when I said show me something more patriotic? Yea once you see it, you’ll know. After you’ve had your fill of destruction and mayhem, you can crack open a cold one with the boys and go fishing or hunting like the good American you are.
There never seems to be a dull moment in Hope county. With such an immersive world, the repetitiveness of liberating outposts still feels different each time as you gain new information from the inhabitants. The combat is effective and keeps you on your toes by always having to keep an eye on your health bar. Even though the mechanics still play the same as previous games, what’s changed is the ability to have multiple allies assist you. Along with the guns-for-hire soldiers you find by liberating outposts, you also have specialists. These are individuals who have a unique skill-set and change the dynamic of gun fights. This mechanic allows you to adapt to whatever situation you may be in by choosing the right specialist for the job. Taking on a bunch of cultists from the ground while having Nick Rye in the sky doing bombing runs is probably one of my favorite ways to engage in battle.
Far Cry 5 really does have so much to offer in the way of a unique experience. Everything from the locale, to the enemies both big and small, and the amount of freedom given to the player makes this game worth the buy. I’d even go so far as to say in five years it’ll be a cult classic…insert laughter here. This is all my opinion of course, you can try for yourself and see if I’m right but the general consensus is that you won’t be disappointed. With that being said I’m gonna go fishing with a stick of dynamite. I’m not actually sure if that’s gonna work but it’s worth a try. Until next time!
